Evening star., 1938-12-04

holds the record for peacetime spending.
Some of his remarks serve as classics in
causing ofYense to important groups OF
people. Furthermore. Mr.. Hopkins at
one time was an enthusiastic supporter
Of production for use, he Is q social
worker who might be accused of never
having met pay roll, and his health Is
not good.
In his w. p. A. administrator, however,
Mr.. Roosevelt may have q willing collabo-
rator, who is ready to serve as q stalking
horse during this present period Of un-
certainty in the affairs Of the Democratic
party. Mr.. Hopkins, more than any
other man, is in the Presidents conf
dence. II President Roosevelt willed It,
Administrator Hopkins would gladly
move out in front to draw the hre of
the opposition, knowing all Of the time
that his role was merely that Of stalker.
The mere promise Of Hopkins build-up
has demonstrated that plenty Of attack
can be produced by him.
There Is the further fact that Harry
Hopkins, on his record, has earned pro-
motion within the New Deal and Is likely
to get 1t. His ability to spend money In
big doses, and ut the right time, turned
the economic tide late In 1893, after the
collapse Of the N. r. A. boom, and again
in 1888. This spending has been done
with remarkable degree of faithfulness
OF trust IN the face Of extreme political
pressures. Senators themselves. not Mr..
Hopkins, wrote politics into w. p. A. by
insisting upon the right to name State
administrators who really handle the
money. An investigation Of w. p. A., as
consequence, might become embarrass-
ing to the Senators themselves.
BY pushing Administrator Hopkins
into the limelisht during the period
ahead. President Roosevelt will be able to
divert his opposition inside the party
while he turns to other problems.
Many Of these other presidential prob
lens are political.
After the voting on November 8 that
allowed heavy gains for the Republican
party IN Congress and in the State gov
ernments, Mr.. Roosevelt referred to the
outcome OF the election as AL right" p"
Some Of his opponents within the party
have thought that the President was
spoofing.
Now, however, the anti-New Deal
Democrats, who have set out to check
the Presidents program, are beginning
to wonder II President Roosevelt's ap-
praisal Of the political situation from
his own viewpoint is not about correct.
The object Of both the President and
his political opponents within the Demo-
cratic party Is to gain control Of the
party machinery for use in furthering
their political viewpoints.
But both groups, above all else, want
and need to retain power in WASHINGTON
and in the State capitals.
If, now, the conservative anti-New Deal
Democrats insist upon crossing President
Roosevelt and upon stopping him at
every turn, he very easily can jeopardize
their chances of success in the 1910 elec-
tions. mere refusal on the part of Mr..
Roosevelt to support the party nominee
might be enough to turn the tide to the
Republicans.
Much Of the intraparty fighting that
has gone on during the past two years
has been based upon the assumption that
the Democratic party was 50 well en-.
trenched in the affections Of the voters
that no overturn could occur in 1910.
Starting from this premise. each side
set out to capture control Of the party
at whatever cost.
Now it turns out that the sure thing
isn't so sure. Many IN astute appraiser
Of political currents is found ready to
suggest that, with their available ma.
terial, the Republicans, If careful, can
capture control of the Federal Govern.
ment two years from now.
The mere thought of this possibility
sets the Democrats to new pondering.
Questions arise, such as the following:
What If President Roosevelt should be
stopped in his tracks? Would that add
to the chances Of success in the next ma
tional election? What If the Republicans
should nominate young man Of liberal
leaninss and the Democrats should offer
the country q pre-New Deal conserva-
tive7 Would President Roosevelt then
support the Democratic nominee?
Defeat in 1910 would spell probable loss
Of jobs for several hundred thousands Of
friends and relatives and political asso.
ciates Of Democratic members of Con-
gress.
II Mr.. Roosevelt holds up this pros
pect to the party leaders, whether or
not they want to 60 along with the New
Deal, chances strongly favor the prospect
that he can have pretty much what he
wants. It Is for this reason that the
President may consider the outcome Of
the November 8 elections to be all
right"
Those elections revealed Republican
opposition strong enough to scare many
Democrats into renewed cooperation
with the White House, where they had
planned opposition. The elections, too,
are felt by New Dealers to have in
creased the chance that President Roose-
welt can have . dominant voice In the
nomination Of his successor.
(oopsfistt, 1881