The Washington times., 1938-07-26
Texas

Texas
has shocked and alarmed lot of political observers
by giving clear majority in its Democratic primary
(the only primary that means anything in Texas) to
W. Lee O'Danel running for the nomination for Gov
ernor.
The other eleven candidates for the job trusted to
machine politics. and made long backbrowed speeches
about vital issues national emergencies and the various
dangers threatening Texas and common country.
O'Daniel toured Texas with hillbly band, including
his two sons came out foursquare for the Ten Com
mandmens ignored all the allegedly vital issues and
melodously hammered just two propositions: that
Texas old folks ought to get $50 month apiece from
the State Though he didn't say how he would get
for them) and that was time to toss few professional
politicians off the public payrolls and give some ANA
teurs chance.
ODanie is flour jobber, and therefore strictly
amateur in politics.
Some of our fellow political observers, remarked
above are seriously het up the ODaniel victory
Old Deal observers trying to make prove that
the New Deal has made the Amer
1Inryu Horp lean voter intellectually sterile,
= n1 that he or she follows more and
A'""' A"0' more after showmen and shysters,
and thinks less and less of real issues.
Some New Dealers are alarmed by this stampede to
O'Danie and his hibily This, though ODan-
ie refused admit that there national issues
in this primary campaign, at the same time playing safe
by featuring little ditty of his composition en-
titled "On to Victory, Mr.. Roosevelt his musical
programs
Isn't it just possible that O'Danie1s wakaway is
sign of to normalcy in Texas after the storms
of the last few years
Te If 0o When Americans are feeling good,
u.L10 their generatons-od tendency has
A0'''O'0' been to take massive-minded, repent
yefor doom-is-at-hand statesmen very nonserously
r1.1o ebo
wav and that the best Snowman is the best candidate
1t only when times have been passing tough that we
have been in the habit of taking the serious
thinkers somewhere seriously they take them
selves When times have improved, and have looked
as if they going to be fairly good for while,
American practice has been to leave the serious thinkers
moaning and cutching their bellies in their gloomy hired
halls and 60 back to the crcuses run by such comedians
as O'Daniel.
Maybe Americans have been foolish to view politics
that way On the other hand in the light of what has
happened to the Italians, Germans and Russians since
politicians took control of every detail OF their
existences maybe Americans have been extremely wise
Anyway that has been the American way OF looking
at politics and politicians.
If this theory sound-f Texas does in fact sees its
present notorious prosperity likely to last for some
time to come-then who or what is entitled to the credit
for this happy development?
VINO GetS IHe Nobody and nothing, so far as we
Crodit for Tt3 see, but the New Deal.
~ " The New Deal has propped up
cotton and farm prices 1t has strven to bolster wages
and shorten working hours Its answering aim has been
to spread mass buying power.
That according to most economic thinkers is the way
to the stage for enduring prosperity in highly
mechanical country the way to level off the boom peaks
and make somewhat less deep and devastating the
abysses of depression.
The New Deal hasn't succeeded 100 per cent. The
Roosevelt recession for example, has been mean one
But Texans apparently feel that the general situation is
now fairly safe safe enough at least, for them to
entrust the governorshp of the largest State in the
Union to a comedian who cowned and kdded the socks
off the serious thinkers and the prophets of doom.
From he
Still No Auditorium