The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-07-25
Afraid They've Smelt 1t

Democrats appfeneHSlNe, anu eNcA
perturbs the more realistic Of the
White House aides who ran the con-
vention for the President, is the un-
easy feeling that the country generally
has sensed the false pretense with
which the gathering was saturated
from start to finish.
&x&
1t is certainly true that not in d
generation has there been a conven-
ton of either party in which the
fakery was so thinly disguised. Per-
haps, the American people are not
very discerning in these matters. Slow
to suspect their heroes OF dupllclty,
they are apt to accept at face value
the statements and postures Of popular
men in high positions. Unquestion-
ably, they do swallow an almost in
credible amount of demagogic bunk.
But so crude and rancid was the arti-
Gle served in Chicago that it seems i'm
possible they should not at least have
smelt it, even if they did not wholly
understand it.
Take, for example, the three most
clearly fraudulent Of the conventions
features: First, there was the insist
ence that Mr.. Roosevelt had been
drafted" and that the draft" was by
reclamation. Neither of those things
was true, and no one knows their ul
truth better than Mr. Roosevelt and
his friends, who had so desperately
worked to make them seem true-and
failed. 1t insults the intelligence to
speak of the draft" and the word
reclamation just does not apply. He
was nominated after more than a
years intensive campaign, in which
every possible wire was pulled and
every kind of Federal pressure applied
by his most intimate associates, men,
bers of his Cabinet and closest advis-
ers-all with his knowledge and con-
sent. In the movement-also with his
knowledge and consent-were the four
most notorious machine bosses in the
country-Hague, Guffey, Kelly and
Flynn.
With all this-none of which can be
denied-although frantic efforts were
made, it was found impossible to pre-
vent $50 votes from being cast against
the third-telm nomination in the con-
vention. 1t was found impossible, too,
to prevent an -third-term resolu~
ton from being offered on the floor,
though it was quickly smothered by
strong arm presiding officer tactics.
And, it was found impossible to pre-
vent Senator Carter Glass, the most
distinguished Democrat in the United
States Senate from warning the con
vention against third-term nomina-
ton and nominating man who he
said, like himself, is opposed to third
terms for any President-to-wit, Mr..
James A. Farley, whose feeling is sc
strong that he has declined all Presi-
Dental persuasion to conduct another
campaign for him.
Second, there was that astounding
message of the Presidents, read to the
convention Tuesday night, in which he
cold bo bod bod ,,o;+bo,, Joe;,o fo, NOR
purpose to obtain, third nomination,
had made no effort in that direction,
and wanted the delegates to "feel free"
to vote for any candidate they chose.
The hypocrisy of that message estab
fishes record For three days before
it was read he had been comforting
about his running mate; at the mo-
ment it was read his representatives.
in Chicago-Mr. Hopkins, Mr.. Kelly,
ct al.-were putting pressure on the
delegates to draft" Roosevelt and ex-
erting all their forces to drive other
candidates out. In these efforts they
had his cooperation and advice and
were in constant telephone communi-
cation with him over a special wire.
In view of the absolutely known facts,
the falseness of the message was
shocking. Not even President should
be privileged to perpetrate so obvious
d fraud without having it branded.
Some of his own friends were appalled,
at its boldness One of his chief jour
nalistic admirers-Mr. Ray Clapper-
denounced it as untruthful and wrote
on Wednesday that Cup to the time
of that message | have had faith IL
Mr.. Roosevelt. have so no longer"
A third piece of fakery, less i'm
portant but rather shameful, was con-
tanned in that paragraph of the Roose-
welt speech of acceptance in which he
spoke of the great affection" he al
ways has had-and always will have
for my dear old friend, Jim Far
ley" This buttering of Mr.. Farley,
whose open opposition to a third term
made the draft" ridiculous and to
whom, four weeks ago he made known
both his desire and purpose to take the
nomination, was obviously an effort to
put Mr.. Farley in a position where
he would houo N ~