Evening star., 1938-07-24
Third.Term Question
Is Held in Allegiance
By OWEN l.. SCOTT.

Ing peTSlSIcIlCc. ne QueStlOn ~ tnlk.
Does President Roosevelt have any In
tention OF seeking third term7
In spite of all the discussion and all
the controversy, this questioned refused
to down. The size of crowds that
greeted the President on his latest cross
country trip only emphasized It's i'm
portance. So did the observation of
Senator Thomas Of Oklahoma that his
State would give Mr.. Roosevelt IS per
cent of its vote for third term. So too,
did the Presidents acceptance Of a petit
ton from Colorado miners--without any
show of displeasure on his part-asking
that he again seek the presidency.
The prospect that business recovery
is on the way. with 1910 scheduled BY
Government economists to be year OF
relative prosperity, makes the Nations
first question even more pertinent.
X
Is there. then any way Of knowing
the Presidents intentions concerning
his own political future?
An answer to that question was
sought'1n quarters that should know, If
there is an answer And the reply that
came back is this: Even President Roose-
welt cannot say at this time what he
that the country will have to remain in
suspense until the Democratic National
Convention actually meets two years
from now.
The reason for this probable suspense7
Simply because the answer to the ques-
ton of Mr.. Roosevelts political future
depends upon individuals in the Demo-
cratic party other than Mr. Roosevelt.
The President &c min lo+s
mined upon just one major point. His
determination is that the machinery OF
the Democratic party shall not be per-
mitted to return to the hands Of he
party's conservative element, II it Is in
his power to prevent that return.
X X X
A test on the issue of party control
cannot occur until 1910. When the test
does come, the answer to President
Roosevelts intentions, as now ex-
planned will be about as follows:
If 1t appears that the Democratic con-
servatives are in position to nominate
successor to Mr.. Roosevelt as the party
nominee who has not been tested as a
stanch New Dealer. then the President
probably will not hesitate to allow his
own name to go before the convention.
a
President Roosevelt would be hard to
stop.
However, if control Of the next con-
ventlon lies with the party liberals and
there is prospect of nominating some
one who can be counted upon to further
the New Deal, Mr.. Roosevelt would be
inclined to step aside content with the
two terms and sideline position for AT
rat;
1910 would not preclude return to the
battle in 1914
There no longer is much doubt in the
minds Of politicians concerning the
character of the struggle Immediately
ahead
Oldline Democrats are rallyine round
the Vice President. John N. Garner, as
the leader to direct their campaign to
regain control of the party machinery
from the New Dealers. Mr.. Garner is
reported on good authority to have told
friends near the close of the last ses-
sion OF Congress that q Senators were
with him. Whether the Vice President
himself would seek the nomination as a
representative OF the old-line group or
would merely head up the committee
VA ~ 10 SOIIllllIlS 1OT IlInp 10 Tell,
President Roosevelt is we'll aware of
the character OF the fight to come and
Is playing his cards carefully.
# +
The President remembers what ham
pened to Theodore Roosevelt when he
allowed party control to go back to the
OLD party managers. only to face the
impossible task OF trying to create a
thlro party in an effort to carry out a
liberal tradition. President Roosevelt
also Is well aware of the experience of
the late Senator Robert M. La Toilette
IN seeking to go outside this party to
get support for more liberal ideas.
experience shows that control of the
machinery OF major party is essential,
under the political system of this Ma
ton. II power is to be welded to carry
out the sort OF peaceful revolution that
New Dealers think they are fathering
The attempt to break away from existing
parties and to create third party has
been tried and found next to impossible.
All OF these considerations increase the
Presidents determination not to give up
a control he now holds. not necessarily
Tor himself but for furtherance of his
ideas.
Opponents of Mr. Roosevelt within the
party. however, are equally determined
to regain control so that they can scuttle
the very ideas that the President wants
to further. They are assured of the
backing of powerful business and finan-
cial groups who look to 1910 as the first
real chance to regain some power
through regaining foothold In the
Democratic as well as the Republican
party.
President Roosevelt's political friends
say he would prefer to risk a breakup
OF the Democratic party, with some of
the conservative elements pulling out OF
third term issue, than to allow the
old-line group to regain the control over
the party machinery that this group once
held. His stated objective is to build his
party into an organization of liberals
as positive Offset to the conservative
Republican party. To do that may re-
quire much sloughing off of old-timers
in the big cities and in the South.
y X X \
This sloughing- off process was sup
posed to be accelerated by party
purge in this years primaries. How
eyer, discretion became the better part
of political valor and the President is
trying kindness, mixed with undercover