Imperial Valley press., 1938-05-02
News Behind
the News
The Roosevelt mo" :.
Does IL Mean "YeS"? :.


Roosevelt weeks ago gave his friends
to understand that he would say
No" to the Massachusetts, Demo-
Gratis who asked him to be cam
didate for lieutenant-gover in
the Bay State.
But he has taken so long to say
it that the same friends think he
may be reconsidering. Some in
siders say the Presidents son and
secretary is about to make few
speeches in Massachusetts on the
problem of industrial migration
from New England to the south.
If that's so, suspicion is bound 20
arise that he is still flirting with
the idea of running for office this
year.
Previously Jimmy was supposed
to have been dissuaded by the fear
that his political career might suf-
fer an early blight if he tried this
time and lost. His White House
position gives him great power
and a unique opportunity for ac-
quiring influence and friends.
Furthermore, he went into the
White House largely to make up
for the great personal loss suffered
by his father in the deaths. of Sec
retary Louis Howe and Bodyguard
Gus Gennerich, FDR.'s closest as
sociates. The President, in this
period of rough going for the New
Deal. doesn't want to lose him.
Especially since Jimmy has done
an acceptable job and is increas-
ingly valuable as a contact between
his father and the world outside
including members of Congress.
On the other hand, Jimmy's in
fluence on patronage in the Mas
sachusetts of his political adoption
has enabled him to build up some
thing os a personal machine there.
A few of his friends argue that
1893 is the year in which he can
depend on that machine TO do most
for his political career.
The chances still seem to be
against Jimmy's entry in the pri-
maries. But he still refrains from
saying mo-.
Hardly anyone outside the RooSe-
velt family knows that Jimmy would
have joined White House secretariat
at the outset of the New Deal had
it not been for the implacable OPP
position of the late Louis McHenry
Howe.
The Jimmy RooseVeltS had moved
to Washington and rented an apart
ment. But Howe insisted Jimmy
mustn't be a presidential secretary
and won his point.
Jimmy went away feeling badly
used and declaring to his father
that in that case he was going out
and make a million dollars. 1t was
then that he went into the insur-
ance business and Massachusetts
politics. He may or may not have
made the million, but he did very
well for himself.
DR. Jacob S. Viners resignation
from the treasury, where he was
special assistant to Secretary Nor
genthau, signalizes the so-called
victory of the "spenders" in the
administration over the Morgenthau
group of budget -balancers.
Viner. a University of Chicago
professor. was one Of a small, Sc
cluded brain trust" group which
stood behind Morgenthau as he
argued in cabinet meetings against
pump-priming and larger federal
expenditures on the ground that
the depression would not last.
This small brain trust" of treas
ury professors, which also includes
DR. Winfield W. Riefler of Princeton
and DR.. John H. Williams of Har-
ward has been aided in avoiding
the limelight by the fact that its
secret work in operating the mys-
terious $2,000,000,000 stabilization
fund requires its members to talk
to no one but Morgenthau. Their
influence waned as the recession
wore on. Viner has quit with the
explanation that Il haven't for some
time liked the way things were
going"