Evening star., 1939-12-08

tort to Mr.. Farley is that politi-
clans are in need of great deal OF
defense. So they are if you are
thinking of politics in terms, say, of
the Hagues and the Pendergasts
There is a human tendency to fire
scatter shot at the whole tribe Of
politicos when one OF them sets
himself up as despot or Is caught
out in corruption. ct might be
added that the much maligned
democratic process, manned by poll
ticians, found a way to slap down
Mr.. Hague and to put the Kansas
City boss in the penitentiaryD But
If politics, because of its seamy
side,. needs defense, so also, and
perhaps quite as much, does busi-
ness. This was one of the points
that Mr.. Farley made, though with
great diplomacy. He refrained from
saying, as he could truthfully have
said, that large-scale political cor
ruption can rarely be practiced
without the connivance of "re-
spectacle" business interests. Wit
ness Kansas City.
Rockefeller Even Suggested.
BY implication, Mr.. Farley ad-
dressed himself to the often heard
cry that we ought to have a busi-
nessman as President 1t Is heard
in every campaign. Throw out the
politicians at the head Of the Gov
ernment, replace them with busi-
nessmen and the methods Of busi-
ness, and all will be we'll. SO runs
the perennial argument. 1t was pre-
sented one time by group OF busi-
ness leaders to the late Boise Pen
rose, boss of Pennsylvania and at
that time the most powerful king
maker in the Republican party.
very well, gentlemen" said the
suave Penrose. Since you want a
businessman. let us choose the
greatest of all business men in the
country. I offer you John D. Rookie
feller."
The startled delegation replied
that Mr.. Rockefeller, great though
his talents, would never do for
President.
Then" said Penrose. "let us
choose probably the second greatest
businessman. What Of Henry
Ford?"
Mr.. Ford was equally unaccept-
able.
Certainly" said Penrose, "if we
are to have a businessman in the
White House, we should have the
best. You decline to take either Mr..
Rockefeller or Mr.. Ford. I am
afraid we shall have to take an
other politician"
Hoover's Failure.
Mr.. Farley, Of course, did not say
that no businessman should be
elected to high public office. He
pointed out, indeed. that some busi-
nessmen have made an outstand-
ing success in public life. This they
have done, however, not because
they were businessmen. but because
they recognized and adapted them
selves to the processes Of politics.
Part of the failure of Mr.. Hoover,
a businessman, as President was
due to his failure to bridge the gap
between business and politics. He
was an able executive, he could
press q button, give orders to sub
ordinates and get flrst-rate results,
but he never learned to deal with his
EQUALS. He lacked the human touch.
so that when he tried to conciliate
his leaders in Congress his efforts
eenerelly we're clumsy and to no
avail. He sought to play politics
when he Should have been rigidly
independent, he was stiff -necked
when he ST ould have compromised
AS Mr.. Farley we'll says, Good poll
tics, good business, is an art,
and there is a genius of politics just
as there is a genius of business. ."
Lincoln was the perfect type Of
the perfect politician.
No Place In Dictatorship.
We have got to have politicians.
It is only in a dictatorship, where
one man makes up the mind Of all,
that they have no place. The meas