Evening star., 1938-10-03

the 80 or more members of the SEN
ate up for election. the impression is
gaining ground that Mr.. Roosevelt
will avoid a broad plea.
Individual candidates, however. who
have won the Democratic nomination
have been counting on the support
OF the President, especially since many
OF them are pointing either to a record
OF 100 per cent New Dealism or are
promising to fulfill all the obligations
of 100 per cent rubber-stampism
Doubtless in few cases here and
there, the President will find himself
drawn in, either by writing letter
of Endorsement or by permitting his
henchmen in the w. P. A. and the
P. w. A. to turn on all the power
of those governmental organizations.
If any other employers did such things
to influence the voting of their en-
ployes there would be cries raised and
invectives uttered that would be heard
all the way from Maine to California
But evidently the Government as an
employer enjoys special privileges un-
der the Democratic regime.
G. o. P. Issue Is immortality.
The Republicans, of course, are
making the central issue of the cam
paign morality in public office and
the ineptitude of the New Deal No
longer are the Republicans taking the
position as a party that everything
the New Deal has done is wrong or
that everything in the way of legisla-
ton would be repealed if the Repub-
licans were elected. The Republican
State convention in New York pointed
the direction of Republican policy.
The program is to impress the people
that all the worth while objectives
which have been bungled under the
New Deal will be brought to realiza-
tion and all the so-called reforms
which have been really keeping men
out of jobs will be superseded by
measures that encourage rather than
discourage employment and business
operations.
The Democratic management is
rather apprehensive about the outcome
of the election next month. The
hurry call sent by the White House
to get Gov. Lehman to run again,
although the President had himself
snubbed and sarcastically criticized the
New York executive, is a sign of the
political humiliation which the Presi-
dent has had to swallow in order to try
to save the situation in New York State
for the Democrats.
Sentiment Hard to Tell.
Gov. Lehman won the enmity of
the White House when he had the
temerity to disapprove of the Presi-
dents plan to break down the inde-
pendence of the Supreme Court. But
the thrice successful Governor is a
big vote getter and the Farley -Roose-
welt plan has been to keep New York
State in the Democratic column even
though an independent Democrat has
to be accepted to head the State
ticket.
Public sentiment with respect to the
congressional elections is always hard
to gauge because so many contests
turn on the personalities of the candi-
date or strictly local or regional issues.
But even the Democratic leaders
concede that they will lose number
of seats to the Republicans and that
the majority of the Democratic party
in Congress will be reduced.
The inside estimates of the Republi-
cans vary from Is to so seats to be
gained. The Democrats are already
saying for public consumption they
expect the Republicans to win 10 to
80 and that in an "off-year," when
there is no presidential election to
carry the lesser candidates through,
the opposition party always makes
gains. Actually. if the Republicans
gain more than 80 seats, it will be a
substantial victory for them and the
Democrats know it for with the brazen
use of public funds and relief ma
chinery no opposition party can hope
to win majority and 25 Republican
gains is the equivalent of 125 new seats
In ordinary times.