The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-08-18


 of subtleties to pull the pu the latest being to start the train at Greenville, s. C.. before the President could officially place Senator Cotton Ed" Smith on the purge list.
 Inside story of this was one of the most fascinating dramas in modern politics.
 Prior to his arrival in South Carolina, the President had de- termined not to endorse Governor Olin D. Johnston, who is run ming for the Senate against Smith. Friends advised Roosevelt that the three-cornered race was too com- plicated, that South Carolinians would resent outside interference.
 However, they reckoned without long-legged Governor Johnston. The President hopped on the presidential train while it was still in Georgia and asked to see the President.
 ~tDon't let him go back down the train," said Mcintyre, the Punch Fuller of Purges; "he might persuade the boss to change his mind."
 ROOsevelt-Hater
 That was exactly what John- ston did. Joe Keenan, fortnight assistant to the attorney general, led him back to the presidential car, where the governor, once a mill-hand, did the most persuasive talking of his life.
 He pointed out that "Cotton Ed" Smith was a far more bitter enemy than Senator George of Georgia, that If the President was consistent he could not escape given his opinion of Smith. He reminded Roosevelt that Cotton Ed" had attacked not only him but Mrs. Roosevelt, and finally he pointed out that Cotton Ed" had boasted publicly that Roosevelt did not dare come into the state.
 "If you don't say anything in South Carolina, MT. President" warned Governor Johnston, Cotton Ed" will make a public boast up and down the state that you were afraid of him."
 So as the train pulled into Greenville, the President went to the rear platform. A crowd of 25,000 awaited him, one of the most responsive of his trip. News papermen, told by Mcintyre that there would be no speech in South Carolina, were taken by surprise. They scurried to the tracks in the rear of the car.
 Suddenly, when the President had got about two-thirds through his speech, the train began to pull out. Newspapermen scrambled aboard, some of them almost left behind. The President looked irate.
 Mcintyre, the Purge Punch Fuller" had waved to the conduc- tor, and the train had moved on.
 Punch-Puller No. 2
 Jim Farley has not earned the public title yet, but in a less spectacular, though more ef- fective way, he might be called Purge Punch-Puller No. g."
 Latest purge that Jim pulled away from is that of John o. O'Connor, Tammany congressman and the chairman of the Rules Committee who So effectively blocked various New Deal bills last session.
 Before Roosevelt left for Cali fornia, he told Farley to put strong candidate In the field against John 'O'Connor. But Jim and John are old Tam many pals. Also Jim feels that John was more sinned against than shining. So he didn't argue with the President. He quietly went to Alaska.
 With both Roosevelt and Farley gone, other O'Connor enemies be- gan to get restive. One of these was Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Fearing that there would be nc opposition to O'Connor at all, La Guardia unanswered through the American Labor party to put Byrnes Macdonald, former deputy police commissioner into the field At the same time Fiorello con- tinued to prod White House in- siders.
 Their strategy was to run James F. Fay, the man who nearly defeated John O'Connor al the last election. In fact, would have done so had not the Presi- dent personally gone to O'Con- nor's rescue at the request of his brother Basil. (Basil O'Connor is the Presidents former law partner and, strangely enough