Evening star., 1938-05-16
By RAY TUCKER.

nublicans' Senate NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Roosevelt might not be confronted
today by a party up to its unwashed
neck in a serious, midterm crack-up.
It's the most humorous paradox OF q
crackpot age.
The smiling, red-headed, nattily at
tired Oregonian is, perhaps, the only
republican to NOW down such a hostile,
victorious and well-organized army
as the Roosevelt-Farley forces with
only a political silencer for weapon.
Whereas the Hoover r-Dandon-H Hamilton
bombardment hardly pockmarked
White House walls, their Capitol Hill
strategist's sly sniping has provoked
mutiny on the sunny side of the
Senate aisle.
Hardly had the Presidents Supreme
Court proposal been received by the
legislators before the late Joe" Robin
son strolled over to his golfing COM
panion Charley" he asked with a
worried frown on his face, when are
you fellows going to open up?"
Charley" grinned, for he wasn't
sure himself. He didn't know then
whether he could lock the lips of
Messrs. Hoover and Landon and the
Is prima donnas in the chamber. He
also knew from friendly scouts that
Joe" was having an equally hard
task to prevent restless Democrats
from fiouting the Chief Executives S
proposed reform.
So Charley Mac" grinned, scooted
off to get rid of his hook (gof, not
politics. and found time to crawl on
his Office floor with his adored 3-year-
old daughter astraddle his back.
Stuck to the Sidelines.
Impatient, impractical partisans re-
viled him. as they did when he voted
for numerous New Deal experiments
in 1888. They didn't discern the
strategy behind his silence and his
retreat frnm regularity. They weren't
as smart as Claude Swanson, once
Mr.. McNary's Senate associate, but
now part-time Secretary of the Navy
Said Mr.. Swanson after observing
the Oregonian's technique in similar
dilemma: 1T takes courage to strad-
die a fence in politics-and get shot
at from both sides" But Mr. McNary
persisted in turning both cheeks to
both enemies-a posture so unortho-
dox and Chaucerian that it bewildered
politicos who live by prayer and
precedent. The Democrats shattered
ranks, however, vindicate him.
Consciously or not, the Senator
modelled his course in the New Deals
early days after Browning's medieval
bishop, who lived riotously and
righteously at the same time. He
observed the forms Of the church and
women on the theory that, if there
was hereafter, his religious regu-
larity might entitle him to a cloudy
deed. If there wasn't, well-he had
had his fun down below
The Senator stuck to the side lines
in the bitter battle of 1882, though he
attended Leland Stanford with Her.
bert Hoover, and he voted for 9 of
the administrations first II measures
For his reward he was permitted to
sponsor the Bonneville power project
for his State, although several Roose-
veltian Progressives from the North
west begged for the honor. Likewise
this Republican leader in a Demo-
cratic administration got millions for
new State capitol, sea locks, a canal
n cI nf
and p. w. A. funds. 1t was in 1886
that MIR. Farley characterized the
Senator as more patriot than q
partisan
Mr.. McNary on his part played
long grange politics. He furnished the
New Dealers with no alibi that their
reforms had begged down because OF
organized, political partisanship. Sc
the Senator hinted when on a return
home some honest conservatives be-
rated him for his friendliness toward
the man in the White House.
Some of u.s." he told them, voted
for bills on which we had doubts, but
we wanted to give the New Deal a
chance. I have no apologies for my
votes. In times Of depression party
politics should be put aside"
Espouses Social Reforms.
Between the lines of that seemingly
frank utterance spoke the voice of the
most astute Republican leader today
Besides giving the New Deal g
chance" he was also handing it g
| rome Nor did be give any ASSURANCE