Evening star., 1938-06-25
The Purge.

purge of the Democratic party. He
has advised the most forceful method
of bringing about this purge-short of
actual violence. He has urged the voters
to defeat Democratic candidates for
nomination to Congress who do not
measure up to the New Deal standard.
He himself fixes this standard.
If the President has his way the next
Congress will be lacking that sense Of
independence which brought about the
defeat Of his bill to increase the men,
bership OF the Supreme Court and the
defeat OF his bill granting him vast
powers to reorganize the executive
branch Of the Government.
The frankness with which the Presi-
dent, in his "dreside chat" to the voters
last night, announced that he proposed
himself to enter into certain primary
contests served to clear away the
dubiety which has clouded other
White House pronouncements. In the
recent past it has been maintained both
by the President and by his spokesmen
that the Chief Executive was not mixing
in contests between Democratic candi-
dates for congressional nomination. The
Democrats themselves are at last on
notice of what to expect.
The President is not taking part in
the coming elections as President of
the United States-he is not urging the
voters to support Democratic against
Republican candidates. as President. He
is acting merely in his capacity as head
OF the Democratic party-a headship
which he frankly proclaims. Nor is the
President satisfied to have Democrats
who differ with him on New Deal policies
coast along on his coat tails on election
day. AS he said, he does not propose
to have them take his name in vain.
He will uncloak them.
What this will mean to the National
Democratic organization remains to be
seen. What it will do to certain State
organizations of the Democrats is more
easy to discern. Some of the latter will
resist-have already resisted the efforts
OF the President and his lieutenants to
dictate to them.
No names of candidates for the House
and Senate who are to be subject to the
purge" were used by the President.
That will come later, presumably. The
President intimated that there are
only a few" But that is his usual
technique when describing his opponents,
as, for example, in his attacks upon busi-
ness. The President left himself many
loopholes. Il certainly would not" he
said, indicate preference in a State
primary merely because a candidate,
otherwise liberal in outlook, had con-
scentiously differed with me on any
single issue" In other words, he will
not feel that he has to kill off all Sen
ators who opposed him on the court
bill. He may distinguish between those
who went astray once "conscientiously"
and those who were not so conscientious
but who have a definite slant toward the
conservative side
1t is no secret that many Democratic
Senators and Representatives at heart
differ very strongly with the President
regarding New Deal measures-and
many of them have held their noses and
voted for some of these measures and
others have opposed them by voice and
vote. If all of these are to be removed
from the party by the primary route,
the President has a real job on his
hands. Already it is too late to halt
some Of them. The President, however,
has decided that it is time to come into
the open. He has been armed by the
Congress itself with vast sum of money
which is to be distributed through the
States and through the political leaders.
1t is impossible to distribute these bill
lions of dollars without political effect.
That is well recognized.