Evening star., 1938-08-25


and irrespective Of presidential COM
mand.
How does President Roosevelt know
that these new Democrats Or former
Republicans will not vote Democratic
next autumn and support the man
they have helped to nominate? His
accusation is based on mere suspicion.
Representative Clark will be the next
Senator from Idaho unless Mr. Roose-
velt helps to put Mr.. Pope into the
race as an independent, which, of
course, would split the Democratic
vote and hand the senatorship to
Republican. Just what term would
describe such desertion of party is
hard to say, but violation of political
morals" would be rather mild when
the supporters of Representative Clark
became vocal.
Is independence Immoral?
If American citizens are to be for
hidden to shift from party to party,
then what becomes of independence of
voting? Is shifting all right only
when 1t is in the interests of Mr.
Roosevelt's personal maneuvers in
politics? How else can independence
be manifested except for Republicans
to go from their party to the other?
The President has been making COM
mon cause with Republicans in the
West. 1t was no violation of political
morals" evidently when, in 1896, after
the Democratic party in Nebraska had
in formal manner at the party rrlma-
ries nominated a Democrat tor the
Senate, Mr.. Roosevelt ignored that
action and came out for the election
Of Senator Norris, who had for years
oaen using the Republican label to
Get himself elected, although he had
1othing in common with the national
-,epublican party or its platform.
Likewise, in Wisconsin, Mr. Roose-
1T played with the Progressives in
936, and it is still fresh in the
,-lemory of Minnesota Democrats how,
fter they had nominated complete
icket, Mr.. Roosevelt sold them down
ne river" as they called it, when he
ave orders for coalition with the
armcr-Labor nominees so as to
ssure victory for himself in Min
.esota.
When Mr.. Roosevelt says that the
hitting Of votes from party to party
IN the primaries will bring back the
cid "boss-ridden" convention system,
ne is overlooking the fact that, under
the existing primary system, the Fed
eral boss controls such q large part
of the voting strength through the
". P. A. and the P. w. A. and similar
Tgencies that the real liberals in the
Democratic party naturally solicit the
ID OF liberal brethren in the Republi-
IN party to beat the Federal bosses.
The Case OF Indiana.
Indiana this spring was a case In
point. The Tory Republicans wouldn't
bulge an inch. They wouldn't help
Senator Van Nuys get reelected by
indorsing him for the Republican
nomination. They stood their ground.
But the liberal Republicans were ready
to make the switch and vote for Mr.
Van Nuys. The prospect of three
cornered race alarmed the inner circle
of the New Deal because it meant a
Republican Senatorship instead of a
Democrat who had supported at least
90 per cent of the New Deal measures.
Does Mr. Roosevelt believe for one
moment that these liberal Republicans,
row that they have used their in
fluence to help Mr.. Van Nuys, are
going to desert him, or that Mr.. Van
Nuys really will be elected by an over
Vhelming vote?
What hurts Mr.. Roosevelt most is
that his own strategy is being used
against him. Throughout the Union
from coast to coast coalition" Is
succeeding.
The provocation for fusion or coali-
ton was furnished by Mr.. Roosevelt
himself, who gathered unto his side
Western Republicans and who made
an issue inside his party of questions
that were never mentioned in the
party platform. Coalition means a
banding together of all real liberals
against the New Tories. Mr. Roosevelt
speaks constantly of the Tory press,
but forgets that the word Tory was
applied in England against the party
which historically committed itself to
restriction of individualism and to an
increasing of the power of the state
BY that definition, the New Dealers
are really the New Tories, and this
transformation of so-called liberal
party to toryism is not infrequent in
history, as has been pointed out in
the essays OF Herbert Spencer.
Principles Become Paramount,
Coalition today of independent and
liberal voters is sweeping the Nation.
Mr.. Roosevelt is crying out because
he recognizes 1t as the most formidable
union OF crusading voters this country
has known. Men and women everv-
where are dlsregarding party nannes tn
vote for principles. They do not he
lieve Mr.. Roosevelt should h. ner.
mitted to annex the name Democrot .s
his own personal possession and dicN ~
tate Its platform in accordance with
personal whim.
When men like Senators Renn.tt
Clark in Missouri, Fred Van Nuvs IN
Indiana, Gillette of Iowa, Lonerpan of
Connecticut or TydingS of Marvland
win their party nomination, indenen.
dent Republicans will be found voting
the Democratic ticket this autumn
But when rubber-stamp Democrats like
Senators Barkley of Kentucky or Bulk
ley of Ohio, both of whom voted for
the packing of the Supreme Court, win
the Democratic nomination, the Re-
publican independents will doubtless
switch to the other side to make their
protest more effective than It va.