Evening star., 1939-06-08

,;t;col connu- David Lawrence.
nitv to take more and more for
granted that the question OF re-
nominating Mr.. Roosevelt is dis
tinctly up to the party
1t is beginning to be assumed
that the President will not lift a
finger to get the nomination nor to
stop ANYBODY else from getting 1t,
that he will not by any word, direct
or indirect, encourage any political
activity in his behalf, and that he
will state for the first time his views
on the denomination only when the
contingency arises requiring action
by him.
This does not mean necessarily
that the White House will assist in
anv efforts to discourage parucu-
lar candidates. For a long time
it has been assumed that Mr..
Roosevelt would want to see a lib
eral named who is friendly to his
policies. But as long as the Presi-
dent is likely to be chosen himself,
the Executive can hardly permit
any one to speak for him in trying
to prevent the particular candi-
dacy of anybody else from coming
into fruition.
Move May Be Embarrassing.
The So-called stop Garner
movement, therefore, can only be
embarrassing to the President in
the long run if it in any way in
wolves the administration itself or
members of the cabinet who are
close to him. 1t may be that the
enthusiastic New Dealers who want
to see the President renominated
haven't thought about it, but the
record is being made now as to
whether presidential influence is
being used to secure third nomi-
nation. Members Of the cabinet
will be presumed to be acting with
the consent of the President, silent
though it be, if they participate in
q movement to discourage the cam
didacy of all persons except the
President.
The important issue before the
country if Mr.. Roosevelt is renomi-
mated is not so much whether he
shall have third term, but
whether his nomination was really
obtained without presidential in
f1uence or the influence of his own
official family. What is happening
these very months, therefore, may
be argued about in the 1910 cam
paign as evidence that President
permitted official positions to be
used in his own behalf and never
took steps to stop it. President
Coolidge. it will be recalled, not
only said he did not choose to rum
but he took active steps to discour-
age the draft Coolidge" movement.
What is most regrettable about
the overanXiety of some of the
New Dealers in the official circle is
that they may be defeating their
own ends. If Mr.. Roosevelt is in
danger of losing the nomination
for third term and can only be
assured of it by the activity Of his
own appointees, this is not what
most people outside of Washington
have been led to believe is the
Presidents strength in his own po-
Itical party.
Propriety Questioned.
Also it will be a matter of con-
siderable debate in the future as
to the propriety of political cam
paigning for Mr.. Roosevelt's nomi-
nation by the so-called Workers
Alliance, which comprises persons
on the Government pay roll. There
is nothing illegal about it, but the
fact that such movements are not
repudiated by higher officials or
even criticised by any one con-
nected with the administration
leaves the impression that again
governmental power is being en-
ployed to bring about a renomina-
ton of President during his term
Of Office.
1t is true the President cannot
be responsible for what is said in
the press, on his doorstep by call
ers, or by politicians who come to
visit and extoll him. But he is
responsible for the use of govern
mental power by his own ap-
pointees. What is befogging judg-
mentS hereabouts is that normally
public officials engage to a certain
extent in pre-convention activity of
their own party, but the circum-
stances surrounding the 1910 ma
tional convention are unusual and
they will revolve around only one
point-was there a free choice by
the party or was governmental
power. through Federal officehold-
ers, used to draft the President,
even though he himself did not in
dicate his desires to any one? 1t
would appear that whether Mr.
Roosevelt says in advance or not,
he will be on the defensive through
out the campaign itself if he