The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-10-27
Thomas E. Dewey Sss fssa ssTi Possibility ai1

my Hines, KlngnSn OF Iammany
Hall. It took two shots to bring
down that big one; the judge who
presided at the first trial declared
mistrial because of a question Dew
ey asked witness. On second
trial Hines was convicted and Tam
rnany's strangle-hold on New York
was broken.
Herbert Lehman, popular Demo-
cratic governor, announced early in
1898 that he would not run for re-
election. That gave the Republic
cans some hope, but not too much.
Roosevelt had carried the state for
President in 1885 by more than
million; Lehman for governor by
more than $50, 1000. The Republicans
nominated Tom Dewey for COVER
nor. Panic-stricken Democrats fran
tically prevailed on Lehman to re-
consider, and he agreed to run again
as the only chance of saving the
state for his party. The Republic
cans won the legislature, but Leh-
man beat Dewey for governor by
plurality of only $1,000, per cent Of
the total vote. Outside of New York
city Dewey's plurality was over
$4,000. Tammany, the American
Labor party, the Democratic O'Con-
nell machine in Albany and the
Communist party, which Endorsed
Lehman and cast los, 900 votes, mus
tered enough adverse ballots among
them to elect Lehman by narrow
margin.
That campaign proved to all New
Workers and the rest of the nation
Tom Dewey's ability as q vote.
getter.
Administrative Ability.
Now people are asking if he has
administrative ability. I found one
answer on his clean desk; he knows
how to delegate work and authority
in the largest organization of its
kind in the world, with 80 legal as
sistants and still larger corps Of
investigators, doing the vital job of
cleaning up New York's criminal
elements. He has cleaned out the
tirne-servers, hangers-on and politi-
cal stockholders who formerly infest-
ed the office, filled their places with
hand-picked capable and loyal help
ers, on whom he puts responsible
ty for all but the cases SO big that
he has to take. personal charge.
When he does that he gives his
nights, days and Sundays to the case
until it is finished,
So here we are, toward the end of
1889, with the nominations only eight
months or so in the future, all the
polls of public opinion reporting Tom
Dewey the three-to-one choice of
Republican voters over each of the
other two leaders in the race, and
he hasn't yet even declared himself
a candidate, hasn't any political ma
chinery set up to pick up delegates,
hasn't even publicity bureau. What
kind of politics is that?
It's new and therefore puzzling to
professional politicians. Many who
have ambitions and preferences of
their own are more than slightly
alarmed. Some are demanding that
Dewey "come out into the open"
and tell the world what kind of a
Republican he is and how he would
run the country if he were Presi-
dent. Tom Dewey isn't setting him
self up as target for the sharp
shooting which would result from
his acceptance of that invitation
not yet. Nor is he writing any
stake it or leave it, platform for
the Republican national convention.
But he has studied politics, national
| politics, as well as he has studied
law. He showed me a file in desk
drawer which contains as complete
an analysis of presidential cam
| paigns as I could have drawn up
myself, and I thought I knew a lot
about the subject.
Dewey's Platform.
All Tom Dewey is saying now on
1 political issues is summed up in a
few words.
81 do not seek the support of the
reactionary on the right or the rad
ical on the left. The natural course
of our Institutions is down the mid
die of the road. During the past six
years sincere efforts have been
made to solve the problems too long
neglected. But the administration
| of worthwhile laws has struck a
snag. The federal government has
too often fumbled near the goal.
It has callously wasted public funds
for political purposes. The spirit
Of hostility and quarrelling toward
business has kept millions of voters
out of jobs.
81 am of the Twentieth century.
We look forward and not back
| ward"
That is the sort of thing "Teddy''
might have said in his day. It is
the sort of thing Tom Dewey would
write into the Republican platform If
he held the pen. What the country
needs, as he sees it, is honest, ef-
ficient administration Of the laws,
not more laws. E
That iS liberalism in fhe fr,,o old