The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1938-05-05
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Washington.-It becomes increas-
ingly apparent with every passing
month that President Roosevelt has
not successfully replaced Louis Nc
Henry Howe. It is absurd to say
that Howe was Roosevelt's political
brain. As matter of fact Roose-
welt often OVERRIDE Howe's ludg-
ment. For instance, back IN the
1892 campaign Louis Howe moved
heaven and earth TO prevent Roose-
Welt from making the swing to the
Pacific coast. But Roosevelt went.
He wanted to CO.
But again and again Howe would
be able to stop Roosevelt from do
ing or saying something that might
have unexpected and bad repercus-
sions. No one who knew the two
men believes that Howe would not
have prevented the President
opening up the story about the rift
between the White House and Vice
President John Nance Garner.
Actually it was one of the worst
publicity moves made by Roosevelt
in his entire political career.
Let's look at the history of this
particular item. Chapter one was
a sentence in a story by Arthur
Krock, published on the editorial
page of the New York Times. Krock
knows his Washington from the days
Of the Taft administration, when
he was correspondent here for the
Louisville Courier Journal. He is
shrewd and discerning, and his judg-
ment is greatly respected.
An article, printed on the editorl-
al page, would be skipped over by
many readers who were not actu-
ally Krock fans Unfortunately for
the President, in this case, there
are a good many Krock fans among
the Washington newspaper men. So
they asked the President if it were
true that Mr.. Garner had made the
remark about letting the cattle-big
and little business-put on little
fat.
Garner in Opposition
Roosevelt could have turned the
thing off with joke. He could have
just smiled and said he hadn't seen
the story - his normal procedure
on anything threatening to become
embarrassing.
But he didn't. He demonstrated
to the reporters that he had worried
about the story by telling them he
had asked the Vice President about
it, and had been assured by the
Vice President that he didn't say it.
Which Immediately put the story
in every newspaper in the land, &C
companied by the alleged Garner
opinion that the cattle business
big and little) should be allowed Il
put on a little fat
1t makes no difference now wheth
er Garner said it or not 1t sound.
like Garner, and it is logic which
at the moment is very appealing tt
the country.
10L AiiI lNdi adilE( TINS. I'm
tually Garner and the President ar
very far apart indeed on many i'm
portant issues, notably spending
the very issue on which the figh
is now raging. So every day, a
most without exception, there
some reference to Gamers attitud
in the stories that come out of Wash
ington about government spending
And the probability is that this wi
continue for at least a month.
And, the President having gon
as far as he did, Garner simpl
cannot do anything to stop it withou
stultifying himself. All of whic
spells loss Of prestige for Roosevelt
among great many Democrat
who admire and agree with Garner
Question of Dare.
Although the vote by which tn
house pigeonholed President Roose
velt's pet reorganization bill ha
been hailed from one end of tn
country to the other by critics {
the New Deal as marking the tur
of the tide, actually there is goo
deal of doubt in the minds of mos
senator's and representatives, eve
those who bucked him on this an
some other issues, as to just no.
strong the President remains wit
the folks back home.
A careful canvass of number {
members of the house who vote
against the President on reorganizf
ton discloses that for the most pal
they voted as they thought a m;
iority of their constituents wante
them to vote. They were glad
find this backing for the vote, fc
in almost every instance the men
bers approached wanted to vot
against the bill. It was just que,
tian If thew dared tn do IL