Evening star., 1938-08-23

was elected Speaker. Neither one has
said word about the party primaries.
Over in the Senate, Vice President
Garner has been recognized as the
real leader of the Democratic party.
Mr.. Barkley of Kentucky is known as
majority leader but it is significant
that, while he was glad to receive
whatever aid he could from the Presi-
dents visit to his State, he then went
off to Europe without saying word
for or against Senator Tydings Of
Maryland or Senator George of
Georgia or Senator Ellison Smith of
South Carolina or the other men,
bers Of Congress who are the objects
Of the presidential purge"
Clearly, whenever the subject of dis
cussion is mans record in Congress,
1t might be supposed that the leaders
of the Democratic party in the Senate
and the House might have something
to say. They are strangely silent
today. If some treason to the party
faith or party platform or party doc
trine is involved, why, it is being
asked, are these leaders so indifferent
to a cause which has seemed to the
President so important as to prompt
him to make an issue in sensational
fashion against certain members of the
Congress?
Backing Questioned.
The real answer, no doubt, is that,
on the subject of intervention in prim-
aries, Mr.. Roosevelt does not have the
backing of single outstanding men,
Der of his own party in either house
of Congress. If there is such leader
let him speak out against Senator
Tydings, George or Smith or against
Representative O'Connor of New York.
1t can hardly be possible that any of
the leaders are afraid to express them
selves. Usually leaders in Congress
are outspoken about party matters.
It has for years been the custom
for the Speaker or the party leader
IN either house to write letters COM
mending the record of a member, but
1t has never been customary for party
leader to express himself as between
candidates in party primary. The
principle Of non-intervention is deeply
ingrained, though Senators have not
hesitated to ignore party lines after
the nominations have once been made.
II the leaders in Congress, therefore,
do not consider it proper for them to
intervene in the districts or States OF
their colleagues in party primaries,
why does the President feel that he
has such an obligation? The truth
is Mr. Roosevelt has no particular re-
gard for party regularity or party dis
cipline, as such. His concern is more
that members shall be obedient to his
.own commandA Leadership in the
party has never connoted the right
to substitute the will of the so-called
head of the party and his bureau
cratic machine for the spontaneous
will OF the party members. Would
James M. Cox, Alfred E. Smith or
John w. Davis, who once were lead
ers." concur in Mr.. Roosevelts idea of
Intervention in party primaries?
Disdainful of Southern Leadership.
Most of the Democratic leaders at
the moment happen to hail from the
South. 1t is no secret that Mr.. Roose-
welt has little use for the Southern
leadership in Congress; in fact, he
doubtless shares the view of his brain
trust that the so-called leaders and
chairmen of committees from South
ern States are quite lacking in intel
lectual qualities. To undermine these
leaders and go over their heads to the
voters has been the persistent plan of
the brain trusters who guide the Presi-
dents political course nowadays
In the light of this strategy, the
South has been selected as the object
of brain trust intrigue. The recent
steps are in perfect sequence. First,
the wage and hour law fight was pub
licized as a means of cutting under
the Southern Senators and Represent
atives. Alliances were made in the
North with Republicans to carry the
legislation through. Then, on top of
this, a survey of the South was Or
dered, the once-eXtinct but recently
revived National Emergency Council
being called in to do the job. Pres
emily the council came forward with
report which, at the opportune mo-
ment, enabled the President to place
emphasis on the South as "America's
No. l problem" Actually the revolt
among the Southern Democrats was
Mr.. Roosevelt's No. political problem
and he set forth in his own way to