The Washington times., 1938-09-15
The News
News Behind
nv PAUL MALLnN

w tn b PuI
purge Is amply disclosed by an
incident.
Immediately after Mr.. RooSe-
welt issued his promise Of sup
port to Republican liberals,
newsmen tried to get straight
forward Jim Farley, the Demo
cratic party-business man, on
the telephone for comment.
They located him in New York,
but not in his usually free and
frank mood on this Republican
support angle.
"Off the record, l." he be-
gan.
mo-" broke In the newsmen.
I'VE don't want anything off
the record. We want to know
what you think about this bust
ness"
well, Just between US"
Farley started again before. he
was interrupted with protests.
Finally he suffered a bit and
said:
"I1l see you boys on the
ferry" meaning en- route to the
Denton speech q few days later.
Newsmen did not forget,
caught him in q ferry corner,
insisted on knowing his views.
Farley, who is not very good at
deception, finally pledged his
hearers to confidence (Which
they kept) as he broke out with
o sad horse whisper:
boy, it's q bust"
HOW Mr.. Roosevelt, most
II popular political idol Of this
generation, happened to get
involved in such q bust may not
develop until Hopkins, Cor
coran & Co., politicians, write
their memoirs. That may not be
soon. There Is evidence they are
going out Of that line Of busi-
ness.
The man who started it, how
ever, was Hopkins. The PWA
administrator met the President
returning from vacation at Pen
Sacola. His view was that the
Presidents milder tactics en-
ployed on the western trip had
not proved successful. The de-
marcation between liberal"
and conservative" candidates
was not clear enough. The Presi-
dent would have to strike out
for himself, and strike hard.
Hopkins was responsible for
the GAINESVILLE, Georgia, at
tempt against Senator George,
If apparently authentic informa-
ton may be believed.
Immediately thereafter, even
Hopkins recognized this stroke
had been too strong. The ar
rangement Of the. second effort,
therefore, was entrusted to the
other member Of the firm,
Tommy Corcoran. This Is &C.
cording to all inside accounts,
although the Denton speech was
far from his 'hit 'em in the
jugular" style.
THESE TWO and their lesser
L. associates had no organiza-
ton, except the Federal Govern
ment. They did not meet regu-
larly to plan their efforts. Hop
kins was at the Presidents side
most of the time. Corcoran was
dashing about. Occasionally
they got together evenings with
Mr.. Roosevelt in the oval room.
Most of the time they used
the telephone. It was a hit-and-
run arrangement at best, with
at least one Of the presidential
secretaries decidedly unfavor-
able, and, of course, no help
was forthcoming from the
Democratic national committee.
Mistakes of tactics and judg-
ment piled up (such as removal
Of RFC and MEG officials favor
able to George, but the crown
ing mistake was the one they
started with and never got over.
It was the mistake of giving
their chosen opposition a better
issue than any that prevailed
before they started open purg-
ing.
The issue they sought to make
was the same old Liberalism VS..
Conservatism. It was a valid
issue, at least in some few places.
But they lost it entirely. They
smothered it by their tactics
and made a new issue Of arro-
CANT, dictatorial ambition by
Federal officers. They sue
ceeded in making people with
strong local pride in Maryland,
Virginia and elsewhere so angry
that these voters could hardly
wait until election day to 60 to
the polls and strike back. (Some
politicos believe Tydings might
have been defeated in Mary
land If the burgers had let it
be q local fight. That may or
may not be true, but no one
DOUBTS that his majority would
have been leSs.)
MANY q sympathetic RooSe-
NA welt inSider thinks the re-
suits will be these:
A distinct lesSening of Roose-
velt's chance for the 1910 Demo-
cratic nomination. CNot because
his personal. popularity will
necessarily be- damaged to any
important extent, but because
the local political machines
have been antagonized, and the
machines will select the con-
vention delegates.)
Danger and doubt for what
ever new Roosevelt legislative
program may be submitted for
the next session, LEGISLATORS