Evening star., 1939-04-05

OF Lhe dlnerS, no
doubt, will not recognize that fact.
or will wishfully overlook 1t. and
will 60 back home proclaiming
Cactus Jack Garner the next Demo-
cratic nominee for President and
maybe the next President.
Is 1t to be inferred. then, that this
writer Is pitting Mr.. Roosevelt
against Mr.. Garner for the presi-
dental nomination, and saying that
Mr.. Roosevelt, whatever the upper
and the middle economic brackets
may think OF him, will win? Not at
all. No suggestion is intended that
Mr.. Roosevelt is or will be candi-
date for the nomination in 1910.
The suggestion, however, is offered
that if Mr.. Garner gets the nominal
ton, as it is quite conceivable he
will, it will be found that his
strength as presidential aspirant
has been greatly overrated.
There is no intention here to de-
cry the merits of Mr.. Garner or to
deny that he has great power. He
has power both because he is long,
headed politician in place OF van-
tage and because he has come to DO
symbolic of the opposition to the
New Deal. He is applauded not only
for his intrinsic qualities and his
legendary attributes. but for his sig
nificance as a symbol In this re.
spect he resembles Calvin Coolidge
and Coolidge rode to the presidency.
Rests on Legend.
The fact remains that Mr.. Gar
ners candidacy rests not on any.
thing he has publicly achieved in
public Office. but rests very largely
on the legend that has been built
up around him. His candidacy has
a decidedly synthetic quality.
One can imagine puzzled voter.
awake again after Rip Van VIM
kle sleep, coming to Washington
and trying to find out who this
amazing Mr. Garner is. One can
see the inquirer retiring, baffed.
from the scene. He would find that
Mr.. Garner at one time did yoeman
service in whiting down the re-
ductions that Secretary Of the
Treasury Mellon sought to make in
the top-bracket income taxes, that
Mr.. Garner on another occasion,
when he was fighting Mr.. Hoover.
proposed a public works pork bar
rel of more than $4,000, 900 900: that
Mr.. Garner is popular with his col.
leagues and dispenses a good brand
of bourboun. that he has always
been a regular Democrat. that he
has gone along outwardly with the
New Deal.
So what? Why this talk about
Mr.. Garner's being a formidable
candidate for President?
Behind the Scenes.
Because - the inquiring voter
would be told-because OF the
things that Mr.. Garner has done
and said behind the scenes. Mr..
Garner is supposed to have said this
and supposed to have said that. He
is supposed to have said. speaking
OF the administrations attitude to-
ward business. that it was a mis-
take not to give the cattle chance
to put some fat on their bones.
Many other sage and witty remarks
critical of New Deal policies have
been attributed to him. They float
around all over Washington and
over the country. and Mr.. Garner
does not diSown them. He Is sup
posed to have been the inspiration
of certain congressional maneuver.
ing against the New Deal. He tells
the President off when he disagrees
with him. He has fund OF hard.
shreWd common sense.
All this. and more. the inouirinp
visitor learns, and he says: But
what does the record show? What
are the present public views Of your
Mr.. Garner?"
Called the "Spooksman."
"You have got to deduce his public
views is the reply, from what he
has said in private. He has talked
to many people. He has made him.
self the spokesman of those who
oppose the excesses of the New
Deal"
"The spokesman
"Yes. That is the Washington
word for it-an old Washington word.
Mr.. Garner cannot. of course, allow
himself to be directly quoted"
A memory from days long ago,
before he went to sleep, flashes into
the mind of the inquiring voter. He
recalls the old New York World
stories of Charlie Nicholson about
Mr.. Coolidge.
Il think" he says. you mean he
is a spokesman. There is no such
man as this Mr.. Garner"
Copyright, 1939)