Evening star., 1940-10-20
Drafting q President

date, he announced his reluctant de-
cision to serve a third term in the
White House if the people should
see fit to draft him for that Office.
That was three months ago, and now
| that the campaign is drawing to a
close it is interesting to retrace the
development of this third term can
didacy.
Much of the story is to be found
in Mr.. Roosevelts own words. AS
late as September, 1899, after the
outbreak of the war in Europe, it
was his intention to announce,
clearly and simply, that under no
| conditions would 1 accept re-elec-
| ton Then the exigencies of the
| international situation made it ad-
viSable for him to withhold this an
nouncement and it was not until the
night of July Is, after the perma-
nent organization of the Democratic
convention, that the President
caused a statement of his inten-
tions to be made. But the state
ment of July 16, as delivered by Sem
ator Barkley, did not express the
Presidents intent as of September,
1889. Instead of learning that under
no conditions would the President
accept reelection, the delegates in
Chicago we're told that "the PreSl-
dent has never had, and has not
today, any desire or purpose to con-
tinue in the Office of President, to be
a candidate for that Office or to be
nominated by the convention for
that office"
So much for the contrast between
the intent Of September year ago
and Senator Barkley's statement of
last July-a time interval, incl
dentally, in which the third term
advocates had done everything in
their power to make certain the re-
nomination of Mr.. Roosevelt. But
what of the nominees attitude to-
ward the election? Upon what basis
did Mr.. Roosevelt consent to make
the race which might destroy a ira
dition almost as old as the Republic?
The story again can be told in his
own language. In dramatic terms,
the President described to the con-
vention how he had stayed awake
nights, asking himself whether he
had the right to call on other men
to serve their country and at the
same time refuse to serve in his own
perso nal capacity if called upon by
the people to do so-hoW he finally
had come to the conclusion that
my conscience will not let me turn
my back upon a call to service" But
he was resolved not to seek the Of
flee, fully realizing that the right
to make that call to service rests
with the people through the Ameri-
can method Of free election. '"Only
the people themselves" Mr.. RoOSe-
velt said can draft President.
The meaning of these words is
clear. The President was saying that
he did not want to serve a third
term, that he would do SO only if
drafted by the electorate. And this
view finds further support in Mr..
Roosevelt's announcement that he
proposed to answer deliberate or un-
whiting falsifications of fact by the
Republicans, but that he would have
neither the time nor the inclination
to engage in purely political debate.
In view of these declarations it
becomes pertinent to inquire whether
the President has, in fact, waited to
be drafted by the people; and in
fairness to Mr.. Roosevelt it must be
conceded that, with the exception OF
few inspection trips, he has done
little if anything than can reason
ably be described as active cam
paigning. But what of his political
lieutenants, the men who have been
sent across the country by the Demo-
cratic National Committee to carry
the message of the New Deal? These
men are Mr.. Roosevelt's agents, and
so far as their conduct affects the
third term draft, he is responsible
for what they say and do.
Their record has nothing in COM
mon with the high plane on which
the President accepted renomina-
ton. They have done everything
in their power to appeal to the fears
and the selfish instincts of millions
of people who have benefited directly
or indirectly from New Deal sub
sides. They have assailed the fam
lily background, the patriotism, and,
by innuendo, even the personal hon.
esty of the Republican candidate.
They have devised and encouraged
the practice of methods to under
mine and circumvent laws recently
passed to prevent the swinging of
elections by the use of Federal
patronage and public money. In
short, they have practiced all the
arts of politics, the good as we'll as
the bad, in an effort to re-elect MIR.
Roosevelt.
It is no answer to say that
the Republicans also have offended.
The one question for consideration
| l. L. f..