The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-10-15
ICKES DOOMED
AS DEMOCRATIC
CHOICE FOR 40
Fourth Cabinet Member
Ito Be Mentioned
By THEODORE HUNTLEY

ears? It doesn't to some of Mr..
IckeS' closest associates. For the
political breezes carried the word
today that if other members Of
the Roosevelt Cabinet are to be
considered for the 1910 nomina-
ton, there are those who are de-
termined to see that Honest
Harold" is not left out.
1t doesn't come from him and
was not inspired by him. The I'M
smiling man who spends billions
without batting an eyelaSh, with
out hint of scandal, and with
out caring much what the poll
ticians think about the way he
spends it or the way he runs other
details of the PWA. the Interior
Department and the sideShoWS
under the Ickes management,
might even greet the suggestion
with sour look. But the trial bal
loon has gone up-to be famed
by favorable breezes or simply
gone with the wind.
Ickes is the fourth member of
the Cabinet to have his name
written in cigar smoke against the
political sky, for the 1910 sky
gazers to read and ponder over.
The ex-Bull Moose is also the
third of the political herd formed
and led by the great T. R. to be
> brought into current presidential
discussions on the Democratic side
of the fence.
The parade of presidential pros
poets, with Ickes among the
marchers, looks like this:
l. Henry A. Wallace, whose
boom blossomed on the tide of
AAA handouts.
2. Cordell Hull, Tennessee
mountaineer turned diplomat.
3. James A. Farley, the politi-
clans pride and keeper Of the
plum tree.
4. And now Honest Harold"
Of whom more anon.
ALONG IN YEARS
In age, among this group, Hull
end Ickes come close to ranking
es elder statesmen. Hull is Sc,
having been born in 1871. Ickes
is three years younger. That
would make Hull SO and Ickes Sc
in 1940-Hull a bit on the oldish
side as preSid Dental candidates go,
and IckeS a bit below the upper
limit fixed by custom in nominal
ing and electing Presidents.
Compared with this pair, Wal
lace and Farley are fairly jul
venile, both having been born in
1885,. That would put them in
the White House, if they ever get
there as tenant-in-chief, at the
tender age of So.
Although IckeS has never before
held national office, those who
MAY wonder where he got his
mastery of invective and skill with
political weapons have only to
look at his record to understand
why.
Though born in Pennsylvania
he found both law and politics
there too tame for his taste. At
the age of 80 he went back to
Chicago, where he had won law
degree cum laude from the Uni
versity of Chicago 10 years before,
to grow up with the country and
practice his profession. He did
both successfully.
A few years later he is found
managing mayoralty campaigns
always as reformer. When the
Bull Moose came into being, he
served quite naturally as chair
man Of the Progressive State Com
mittee. With its subsistence, fol-
lowing the decision of T. r. not
to run for President on the
Progressive ticket in 1916, he re-
turned to the Republican fold and
was a member of the national
campaign committee which almost
elected Hughes. In 1924 he was
Illinois manager for Hiram John
sons presidential campaign.
ALWAYS REFORMER
You find him identified with
the Roosevelt memorial asSocia-
tions, identified with city plan
ming, engaged in war work with
the Y.M.C.A. in France, leading
a popular campaign against Chi
cago traction interests, attending
State and national conventions,
battling political crooks in Chi
cago reforming, reforming, re-
forming.
Then came 1888 and the Big
Chance-an n now it's Honest
Harold" himself for President, in
the minds Of men who believe he
would make q good one.
Time and again IckeS has ex.
hibited both independence and
belligerence as member of the
Cabinet. His courage, stubborn.
ness and forthrightneSs come from
Scots and SaXons in his ancestry.
You can't walk over Ickes, and he
never runs from a fight.
More than once he has tangled
with Farley. Early in the game
Farley sent smiling Emil Hurja
over to the Interior Department
to see that the jobs were appor.
toned in the right way, from Far.
ley'S viewpoint and with appropri
ate understandings. There were
lots Of jobs to give out, and both
Farley and Hurja knew it. They
didn't get away with it for a very
simple reason: IckeS said mo
And that was that.
Ickes will never get the presi
dency or anything else by smiling
his way through opposition. There
will be no unnecessary handShak
ing or honeyed words for the boys
who deliver the votes. But if they
want 4 fighter. a man to whom