Montana labor news., 1939-08-31
PRESIDENT WARNS
AGAINST TORIES:
Threatens BOLT

WASHINGTON (FP)-Nomina-
ton of a conservative or %lip-service
candidate by the 1910 Democratic
convention will mean that Pres.
Roosevelt will bolt the Democratic
party, the President warned in a
blunt statement read to a conven-
ton of Young Democrats in Pitts
burgh, Pa.
II was the first time the President
has spoken of 1910 politics in other
than general terms and, though his
declaration caused no surprise, it
added firmness to the resolution of
liberals within the Democratic party
to fight for the nomination of a
liberal presidential candidate.
DO not let re~actionaries and the
conservatives get away with fine
phrases" the President warned his
co-workers in the Young Democrats.
PIN them down and make them tell
you just how they would do it.
"The Democratic party will fail if
it goes conservative next year or if
it is led by people who can offer
naught but fine phrases.
Last winter, in speaking at the
Jackson Day dinner, 1 referred to
the sad state a country would be in
if it had to choose between a Demo-
cratic Tweedledum and a Republi-
can Tweedledee. I want to amend
that smile, SO let me put it this way:
"The Democratic party will not
survive as an effective force in the
nation if the voters have to choose
between a Republican Tweedle Dunn
and a Democratic Tweedle Dummer.
"If we nominate conservative can
didates, or lip-service candidates, on
a straddlebug platform, l personally,
for my own self respect and be-
cause of my long service to, and
belief in, liberal democracy, will
find it impossible to have any active
part in such an unfortunate suicide
of the old Democratic party"
The President did not specify what
course of action he would follow if
such an event took place. 81 do not
anticipate that any such event will
take place for I believe the con-
vention will see the political wis
dom, as well as the national wisdom,
of giving to the voters of the United
States an opportunity to maintain
the practice and policy Of moving
forward with a liberal and humani-
tartan program" he said.
Also contained in his message to
the convention were some caustic
comments regarding r%eactionaries
within the ranks of the Democratic
party. Radicals, he declared, are
worth more than such persons "be-
cause they have at least the magma
ton to think up many kinds of an
swers to problems even though their
answers are wholly impracticable of
fulfillment in the immediate future
Just as there are p~rogressives in
the Republican ranks SO there are
reactionaries in our own party" he
told the convention. political affili-
alton is often the child of hereditary
principles, begotten in the first in
stance of issues of terrific Importance
in the beginning but which have
no more significance at present than
the inflamed controversy Of a cen
fury and a half ago as to whether
the capital of the United States
should be at Washington or some
where on the Susquehanna River.
always it has been the aim of
the enemies of liberalism to seek
to attach to themselves such mem
bers of our party. Sometimes they
have succeeded. Sometimes they
have failed"
Whether or not the President so
intended, the reference was seen as
Continued on Page 81