The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1937-03-12
Yam Turns On Pres.
Roosevelt Publisher Says He Is
No Yes Man At White House

a
PITTSBURGH. Pa. calvin Ser
vice Flash The first national
bombsheI to explode on the Negro
political front since President Roo
sevelt was inaugurated for a sec
ond term came with dramatic sud
denness last week as Robert L.
vann. one-time holder of the ma
tional spotlight at Washington as
Special Assistant to the Attorney
General, but who resigned sudden
ly Ito return to private business"
announced in a published letter to
Dean Kelly Miller Of Washington,
that he Is - YES man" to Presi-
dent Roosevelt on tho proposed
change of the Supreme Court per-
sonnet.
The Hrucus' started when Vann
published an editorial headed
Changing the Supreme Cburt,"
which caused Dean Miller to ex-
claim in an open letter. Of which
Vann published only a part: your
proclaimed attitude strikes me
with surprise and regret. Your
pronouncement. though evidently
sincere, is, for that reason, none
the less unfortunate"
Dean Miller pointed out to vann
that: Since your sudden CONVEX
sion, I have followed your politi-
cal course weekly You have
exerted a powerful influence in
transferring the hide-bound State
Of Pennsylvania from the side Of
reaction to that of liberalism and
progress. You now seem to me to
be executing a 'presto-change.
which. / am sure, your many read
ers an dadmirers will find it diff
ficult to understand"
In the same letter, issuing a pub
lie political warning to vann, Dean
Miller said: IF you now choose
to h~ypothecate the prestige of your
faithful and efficient endeavor, you
must not and you shall not by any
spec.ous argument beguiIe the Ne
gro race into following you into
the reactiapary camp.
For several months leaders have
been specializing on what happen
ed to clip the wings Of Robert L.
Vann on the national political hor-
lion. Last summer vann made
d am1Sc announcements that he
would head up the Roosevelt cam
paign among Negroes, at the re-
quest of Chairman Farley, only to
be shunted into his home state Of
Pennsylvania when the showdown
came.
During the campaign, Vann was
rarely heard from, except through
his newspaper. Immediately after
election, slim" Hamilton, who fol-
lowed him in the position of Spe-
cisl Assistant to the Attorney Cen
era 1t Washington, resigned and
went back to Pittsburgh as city
Assessor, thus severing vann,s last
national tie, politically, at the cap
ital.
While the present outburst is
cloaked under the pretext of Vann
being independent" political OBJ
servers believe that there is some
thing else in the background, dat
ing several months back. At one
time it was rumored that vann
might get an appointment as Fed
eral Judge in the Virgin Islands.
but when the showdown came a.
gain, President Roosevelt nomin-
ated w. H. HASTE, who was al
ready on the Government payroll
and without political prestige.
When the recent Conference on
Negro Problems was held, Vann,
who early in the Roosevelt regime
was almost the whole show, was
merely a delegate" and a new
conner, a woman, Mrs. Mary Nc
Leod Bethune, a the show, even
to calling On the President at the
White House. Now Vann takes a
whack at the Administration on a
question well known to be close
to the Presidents heart.
The wiseacres are wondering
what does The future hold for Bob
vann, one-time Republican leader,
now a Democrat who is breaking
with his chief.