Evening star., 1939-11-01

36Ga2 cOAlo4 S1lO1CC 4OI
second place on
the ticket which
M ~ - his Progressives
Cnaf'es q. Ross. Of that year en-.
tered against Coolidge and Dawes,
Republicans, and the curious Demo-
cratic combination-doomed from
the start-of John w. Davis and the
brother OF William Jennings Bryan.
Though Wheeler had bolted Davis,
declaring he could not support a
candidate AFFILIATED with Wall
Street" he at first resisted the i'm
portunities Of La Toilette to toin
him In a third-party crusade. La
Toilette insisted, and the young
Montana Senator-he was only AZ
at the time-flnally agreed to run,
The nomination was formally given
him by committee In whose hands
the Cleveland convention which
named La Toilette had placed the
selection Of q Vice Presidential
candidate.
Turns Fire on Both Parties.
Reluctant though Wheeler NAV
have been to break completely with
his party. once he got into the tight
he went after both Davis and
Coolidge with all the fire he had
shown In his famous Investigation
OF Harry Daugherty. He branded
the old-party nominees as reaction.
arieSthe term economic royalists"
| had mt vat coroo iv,to noo,,o .~S
called upon the uncontrolled, liberal
and progressive forces" of the coun-
try to join the La Toilette move.
ment.
La Toilette and Wheeler were de.
nounced by their opponents as dam
gerous radicals who would under.
mine the Constitution.
The country has come long way,
politically, since that time. Much
Of the "radicalism" Of La Toilette
is the conservatism of today. And
Burt Wheeler was found In 1887 in
the forefront Of the fight to keep
President Roosevelt from packing
the Supreme Court. In all probable
ity the court plan would have
carried the day If Wheeler had not
rallied liberal opinion to join con.
servative opinion in opposing it.
Wheeler on this occasion saw Roose.
velt as a dangerous meddler with
the Constitution-the self-same role
In which he himself had been cast
by his opponents 13 years earlier. In
the eyes Of many of the New Dealers,
Wheeler was villain who had de.
serted the liberal cause and gone
over. bag and baggage, to the
tories"
Possible Compromise Candidate.
To what extent the break between
Wheeler and the New Deal has been
repaired remains to be seen. There
are some among the New Dealers
who have never forgiven him. It Is
a fact, nevertheless-and q fact that
emphasizes the political strangeness
OF the times-that Burt Wheeler,
the associate of La Toilette in the
1924 campaign and the arch foe Of
the Roosevelt court plan, may pos
s1bly emerge as compromise
nominee Of the Democrats for the
presidency. The word possibly" is
important. That is as far as any
forecast can 60.
What Is certain Is that friends Of
Senator Wheeler for a long time
have been seeking to build him up.
When the present adjournment Of
politics" comes to an end, they are
expected to intensity their efforts.
Senator Wheeler will be offered as
a liberal who appeals to the con-
servative wing Of the party, with
which he fought shoulder to shoul-
der IN the court fight, and who at
the same time, because of his pro-
gressive record, can be counted upon
to hold in line the labor vote which
the party must have in order to win.
| Anointed by Lewis.
The most interesting news of the
week. in this field of political high
strategy, Is the amounting of Senator
Wheeler by John l.. Lewis as one of
the great liberals" Of the West
Mr.. Lewis does not do things like
| oAAAc "AoAAOAV q PA pOoC. IL may Oe
that the prime purpose Of his letter
to Gov. Olson was to serve notice
on the Jealous advocates of a third
term that they must take no steu
without his knowledge and approval
Even SO, his reference to Senator
Wheeler must be regarded as sig
nificant. He appears to be saying
at the very least, that Mr.. Roose-
velt Is not the only man whom the
Democratic party ought to consider
for the presidency.
Time will reveal more clearly what
IS In Mr.. Lewis somewhat Machia.
vellian mind, Meantime, there are
others who are definitely in the field
for the Montana Senator, and one
Of them Is Senator Wheeler him.
self. There can be no doubt that
he is . highly receptive candidate
II he could get the public accolade
Of the President, he would be q, tire.
mendously formidable candidate
Whether or not he will get it Il
another Of those unanswerable ques.
tions that make the political stu.
alton today the fascinating puzzle
that 1t Il.
Snow Cruiser Rennire