Evening star., 1937-11-09
Forum
Continued from Page A-e)

politics. that votes for those things II
deems best for our people regardles,
OF the label on the ticket. The regula,
organizations, however strong and
efhcient, are not large enough mn.
mericany to win an election by them
selves. What they do is to give ex.
preston to certain principles. After
tnat IL is up TO them to convince q
sufiicient number of the people outside
OF the organization to vote with then
10 effect those policies-which means
to elect the candidates pledged to those
policies.
The present administration came
INTO power, and remains in power be-
cause 1t offered program that mil
Hons of Republicans, independents
people OF every party and of no party
1noorsed and therefore joined the rank
and file Of the Democrats on election
DAY. So it is this aggregation of DO
iiticsl and non-political elements that
is behind Franklin D. Roosevelt.
No government that ever existed. no
government that could even be imag-
ined, can please everybody. No Presi-
cent OF the United States, from Wash
,ngton down, has failed to incur criti-
cism, having his motives impugned
mis- sincerity ssssiled and his ability
doubted. The greatest of these Presi-
cents have generally come in for the
most vicious and extravagant of these
narrases of hostility. I suppose it will
always be so. Strong men provoke re-
sistanoe and hostility. 1t is only the
Seaklings that even partly escape.
But our good old country rolls on.
ever greater, ever advancing, and the
bitter controversies of today become
only casual footnote in the history
books OF tomorrow.
How much attention do any of us
pay TO the charge that George Wash
fngton aspired to crown; that Thom-
ss Jefferson ignored the Constitution
and houted the Supreme Court: that
Andrew Jackson was a fire-eating
oueist who consulted nothing but his
own roughneck desires In making his
decisions; or that Lincoln plunged the
country into terrible war because he
would not iced the counsel of the con-
servstives OF his day? Yet who can
say that in their time the bitter minor
ities that assailed and lsmpooned
these great Presidents we're not of
use?
Fair Ayefxye of Ef4ac,an.,
One political campaign parallels the
history OF another. We have the same
violent convulsions of feeling. the same
fntemperats attacks. and out of it all
we get pretty fair average of eff
cheney In public office and a contri.
button to the general happiness OF our
people.
Democracy is not perfect form of
government. but Ii is the best that
humanity has so far been able to de-
wise. One demonstration of the COM
parative excellence of our system is
the envisble position of the United
states among the great nations of the
world. We are almost the only people
VINO can go to bed at night without
dread that the speeter of war or revo-
iution or tyranny will confront us in
the morning.
We are country without fear
except the fear entertained by com
psratively few prosperous people that
tney may not make as much money
as they would like to make and that
somehow politics is to blame for that
And, my friends. even those of YOU
VINO nave entertained the thought
mat politics is something evil. some
thing questionable and something
70 oe avoided. permit me to tell you
as say goodnight TO the forum audi
ence that 1t is this same politics that
has given you the blessings to which
] have referred