Evening star., 1939-07-12

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from the Philip
Charles G. Ross. pines to RESIGN
his commissionership and prosecute
his campaign for the Democratic
presidential nomination, saw the
President at luncheon at the White
House last Thursday. Five minutes
after the greetings, the President
offered him one of the big-three
posts established by the recent gov
ernmental reorganization. McNutt
took until Monday to give his an
sWer. On that day he said yes. and
the next day. yesterday, the Presi-
dent sent the nomination to the
Senate.
In this bringing Of the ambitious.
pushing McNutt into the inner circle
OF the New Deal, there is material
for endless speculation. His candi-
dacy for the presidency-subiect
always to the careful proviso on his
part that he will not run for the
nomination if the President does
is open and avowed. Was it the
intention Of the President to put
him under restraint, in the interest
OF a possible third-term candidacy
by the President, or was it Mr.
Roosevelt's purpose to build up Nc
Mutt as the heir apparent? Either
theory is plausible.
Both Tenable.
The two suppositions are not mu-
tually exclusive. Both are quite
tenable if it be assumed that Mr.
Roosevelt has not yet decided what
he is going to do.
Efforts to gain popular favor for
other New Dealers as prospective
successors of Mr.. Roosevelt have
all failed. 1t looks now as if the
President has decided to give Nc
Mutt his chance There is nothing
in McNutt's record to keen him
from going before the country as
a New Dealer-nothing, that is to
say, II from now on he PLAYS his
cards carefully. Organized labor. it
Is true, has resented his use of the
militia IN Indiana labor troubles
when he was Governor, but there
are elements in labor that favor
MIN, and as head of the security
agency, with its widely ramifving
control over the Governments So
clal services, he will have a prime
opportunity to win converts.
On Tight Rope.
This is an opportunity which the
former Governor may be expected
to exploit; at the same time, no
doubt, he will seek to maintain him
self before the public as something
OF middle-of -the-roader, Jealous
OF the interests of legitimate busi-
ness. He will have to walk a tight
rope at times, but that is something
that every candidate for the presi-
oency does, and McNutt has proved
that he can do it as well as anv.
On top OF all this, there is the fact
that the man has genuine admins
tratlVe ability. as shown by his
governorship and his work in the
philippines. He is, besides, doughty
campaigner.
Whatever the Presidents inten-
tion, the effect of the appointment
Is to give McNutt the best available
sprlngboard for his ambitions.
II the idea was to take him into
camp, against a possible candidacy
by the President himself, then the
President again appears to have
acted with supreme shrewdness.
Ihere is no doubt that McNutt.
pre-pledged as he is to step aside
II the President goes out for a third
term, can be of immense assistance
to Mr.. Roosevelt in that possible
adventure.
Becomes Man to Watch.
Despite the strong protestations
OF Mr.. Roosevelt to the contrary. at
his press conference Yesterday, II
is bound to appear to most OBJ
servers that not only the merits of
McNutt. but high political strategy
as we'll. figured in the appointment,
1t may be that Mr.. Roosevelt rea.
sons that the merits of the ap-
polntee are so great as to make
him the logical man for the post in
any event. The effect is still, en-
phatlcally, to anoint Mr.. McNutt
with the oil of the presidential
favor and to make him a man to
watch. A President cannot appoint
an outstanding presidential aspir-
ant TO high public Office without in
viting attention to the political
implications of his act.
An interesting parallel-up to q
point-comes to mind. The first
Roosevelt took a Governor of the
Philippine Islands and made him
Secretary Of War and then made
him President. Thus Taft became
the successor of Roosevelt. The
present Roosevelt now takes the
Philippines high commissioner and
puts him In a place fully as i'm
portant as a cabinet post and bv
that token gives him a blessing.
Will the analogy be carried on?
Perhaps, in the Presidents def
milton of the term, there was no
politics at all in the blessing he has
bestowed on Mr.. McNutt. It makes
Mr.. McNutt, however, an extremely
formidable candidate for the oresi-
dental nomination, and conceiy-
ably, If the blessing is not with.
drawn, 1t may make him the NOM
inee.