Milford chronicle., 1939-10-13
HIGH LIGHTING
POLITICS
By JOHN RANDAIL PAGE

Washington. - Publicly much is
being heard today about national
politics being recessed. But don't
let anyone tell you that is actually
SO. Politics is not even dormant in
Washington. 1t is one of the livest
issues and will remain so until Pres
ident Roosevelt announces he will
not seek third term.
II was the President who first pro-
claimed the era of unity without
partisanship. Republicans willingly
Joined hands, so long as the side
tracking of pressing domestic issues
was not included. But Mr.. Roose-
welt either gould not or would not
control his starry-eyed zealots of the
Corcoran-Cohen-Ickes-Jackson varie-
ty. With the outbreak of hOstilities
in Europe, and the possible threats
to American peace, 1t did not take
these tireless, third-term missiOnar-
les more than about five minutes to
make up their minds that develop
ments were playing into their hands.
They are working feverishly. They
assure you privately, in their best
cock-sure manner, that they can't
miss and they are not intending that
any oversight on their part will con-
tribute to a miss. Their reasoning is
simple: if America remains at peace,
President Roosevelt can run on
Wilsonian "he kept us out of war"
platform and ignore the failings of
the new deal; if we are forced into
the conflict, he has the don't
oh hAruRet -, 4 -, 4
That is the reasoning OF any num-
Der of New Dealers in the Capital.
That is the objective toward which
they are working. And that is the
reason that, until they are halted
from plunging madly ahead as they
did in last years election purges,
there can be no real recess for poll
tics.
President Roosevelt. alone can stop |
this attempt to take advantage of a |
national crisis to induce a political |
crusade. He can either privately or
publicly admonish his busy-bees. He I
can take an even greater step. At a
time when relationships have up .
rooted democracy throughout the
world he can announce that violation
of the two-term precedent set by /
George Washington is too dangerous
and would give encouragement to
those who seek a totalitarian state
here. Such a proclamation would
mean a real recess in politics.; it
would increase the stature of the
President; and it would make easier
his neutrality pursuits by lifting any
suspicious that the lines are being
laid for tremendous draft Roose-
welt" stimulation.
While il is recognized by Washing
ton observers that il is the White
House banshees, or brain trust, which
is kicking up its heels politically,
few telescopes are being kept trained
on Mr.. Roosevelt himself. Everyone
knows that he loves to play the politi-
cal chess game above all other things.
And it will be surprising to few if
he finds ways and means to entrench
the New Deal further and dig a few
pitfalls for the opposition. The in
vitation to Republicans LandOn and
Knox to the White House raised a
few eyebrows. f
None will deny that Herbert Hoo
YER is the cOuntry's most experienced
hand in international affairs as a re-
suit of his war experience and his ;
IL years in Washington thereafter.
On the other hand. one of the strong /
est phases of the New Deal cam
Daign against Alf Landon was his
ack of experience with foreign rela-
ions. Observers know. too. that
Hoover has been the most effective ,
,ritic of New Dealism. while Landon ,
las been inclined to go along. :
1t would not be surprising if the :
President saw and took the OppOr !
unity to engineer a wedge in the ;
Republican party by rebuilding Mr.. I
1andon. Many newspapers have +
wondered editorially if Mr.. Roosevelt =
eally was forgetting politics when I
lie sent out his invitations. =
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