Evening star., 1939-07-30

President has not consulted with him on
Federal appointments as he did in the
first years of the New Deal He was told
that others were being used to do his
political job. This cold treatment has
made Big Jim" distinctly unhappy. II
don't want to be kicked around" he has
said to intimate friends
The meeting at Hyde Park may have
settled all doubts that have come to
exist between the President and his
political boss or it may have failed to
settle anything at all. leaving Farley in
the same unhappy dilemma of recent
months. In the face of the inroads that
have been made on his power and
prestige, in the face of the third-term
movement which he seemingly does not
wholly sapproEes Farley's problem is to
stay or not to stay. 1t is iriconceivable
that the President should initiate any
move to replace the chairman of his
party. If Farley goes it will be because
he has the unhappy feeling that he is no
longer wanted.
There are plenty of candidates for the
job of practical politician. Eddie" Dom
ovan is an agreeable. soft-spoken man in
his late 40s, who looks the politician part.
On the basis of political connections in
Boston, New York and Florida, where he
has Palm Beach estate, he began sew
eral months ago doing political leg work
for the New Dealers. He has interviewed
numerous politicos from various States,
always, he says, in the interest of third
term for the President Denying that he
is working secretly for his close friend,
Attorney General Frank Murphy, Dom
ovan says vehemently that he believes
Roosevelt is the only candidate who can
be elected.
He is eager, enthusiastic for Roosevelt,
great admirer of Corcoran, with whom
he frequently confers. But he does not
know, nor is he known by, the mass of
party workers.
That is Jim Farley's big advantage. It
is why it would be SO difficult to fill Far
leys shoes should anything happen to
displace the Democratic chairman. In
cidentally, he has served longer as the
head of major political party than any
other man in history with one excep-
ton. That exception was Mark Hanna
of Ohio, who was also in his day pretty
shewd boss. Farley knows personally
thousands of party workers There are
strong ties of loyalty that link the big
boy with nearly every State,
Garner Friendly With Farley.
Other candidates, and especially in the
anti-New Deal camp, look covetously at
the power that Farley wields. Garner is
friendly to him. Allied with Farley, the
Vice President could, of course, COM
mand many delegations to the 40 con-
vention from States in which today he
has virtually no support.
-Four times since Garner returned to
Washington last December II he has
gotten together with Farley for discus
sion of the political situation. The last
time was on July 20, just before Farley
left Washington for New York prepara-
tory to sailing on his European vacation.
The meeting took place as high-ranking
Senate Democrats assembled at lunch
con in Farley's honor. The political boss
and the Vice President, the two men so
strongly contrasted in appearance and
background, stood by window apart
from the others talking so long and
earnestly that finally one Senator spoke
up and demanded to know whether their
huddle would ever break up so the
luncheon could begin.
The habit of loyalty is deeply in
grained. Friends doubt that Farley could
be happy in an anti-Roosevcit camp.
Roosevelt and Farley need each other.
That is the logic of the situation. Poll
tics, however, is rarely logical. Very
human passions, chief among them ambi-
ton, get in the way of logic. Where these
three oddly assorted figures will find
+ themselves when the day Of decision
rolls around no one can confidently say.
The New Deal may be destroyed by their
conflict. Already basic differences,
breeding sharp hostility, have gone a
long way to undermine the reforms that
were instituted beginning in 1893. Or
they may unite-Farley and Roosevelt
at any rate-to create new tide Of VIC
torr.