Evening star., 1938-10-29
The Political Mill
Roosevelt's Defense of Murphy Raises Hopes
Of Beleaguered Candidates for Blessing.

House. Furthermore, Mr.. Curley, who
succeeded in getting himself elected
Governor of Massachusetts, in 1894,
was severely under fire for his ad-
ministration, so severely that he was
successfully defeated in his attempt
to become Senator and Mayor Of
Boston. In 1886, the Presidents own
campaign for reelection was disasSo-
ciated as far as possible from the
Curley campaign in Massachusetts,.
Now Mr.. Curley is seeking again to
wrap himself in the Roosevelt New
Deal mantle. And National Chairman
Farley has done and is doing what
he can for Curley. But not the Presi-
dent.
The visit of the Pennsylvania dele
cation to President Roosevelt in
search of assistance was before the
President felt impelled to speak out
for Gov. Murphy 1t may be that
from now on the President will let
down the bars; that he will allow
himself to be drawn into the cam
paigns in other States where Demo-
IL dGIC CdlluludttS dlC lldlu VI
He is to make speech over the radio
on November 4. three full days before
the balloting begins He may voice
his desire that Democrats generally
be elected to Congress-and at the
same time speak specifically Of the
candidacy of Gov. Lehman against
Thomas E. Dewey. But what Gov.
George Earle in Pennsylvania, Senator
McGill in Kansas and other Demo-
cratic nominees for the Senate-and
for Governor-really hope is that he
will mention them by name: if not in
that speech, in some other state
ment.
Possibly Applies Measuring Stick.
There are three reasons which might
impel the President not to give his
personal blessing to some Democratic
candidates. The first-by far the most
likely to be ef1ectiye-is that a candi-
date does not measure up to his idea
Of New Deal democracy The second
is that the President may hesitate
to enter a campaign in the interest of
candidate who is definitely the
target of charges of scandal The
third is that the President may not
wish to enter a campaign where the
party nominee appears to have little
or no chance of election The Presi-
dent lost considera Bile prestige when
he suffered defeat in his attempts
to defeat Senators Tydings, George
and Smith.
AS the campaign nears its climax,
however. the strong desire of the Presl-
dent and his followers to hold in line
such important States as Pennsvl-
vania. Ohio, Illinois, Kansas and Iowa
may bring more specific statements
from the Chief Executive. He indi-
Gated TO his callers from PENNSYLVANIA
that If occasion arose. he might say
something favorable to their ticket.
This despite the fact that the Earle
administration is charged with all
kinds of graft and corruption and the
possibility of indictments hangs over
the heads Of some of its officials.
Roosevelt Issue Doomed.
The Democratic strategy in the pres
ent campaign has been to make Presi-
dent Roosevelt the issue as far as pos
sible. They are demanding in every
State-except some of the States of
the South and Missouri, Nevada and
Idaho, where the purge" ran
aground-that the voters return Sena-
tors and Representatives who will up
hold the hands of the President, and
that they elect Governors who will
cooperate with the administration in
Washington. Back in 1918, after
President Woodrow Wilson had had
six years in the White House, Mr.. Will
son called on the voters to elect Con-
gress to uphold him, in the midst of
war. The country did not like the
appeal and turned him down. That
does not necessarily mean that if Mr..
Roosevelt issues similar appeal. he,
too, will be turned down. Indeed,
Democratic candidates figure the op-
posite. There is, however always some
measure of danger to President who
takes such step.