The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-09-26
The Willkie Campaign
Washington, Sept. 81

The Wlllkle campaign
Washington, Sept. 81.
With SIX weeks OF this Presidential
campaign to go, it is interesting to
note that the polls, to which many
people adhere, clash with the actual
voting tests in the States which here
tofore have been a reliable guide as
TO the popular trend.
From the polls-and other things
the -termers derive great salts
faction, and the New Deal managers
exult over the prospect of four more
years Of the Roosevelt regime. On the
other hand, the friends of Mr.. Willkie
are immensely cheered over the Wis
consin primary figures, which, to-
gether with those of Maine and Cali
fornia, indicate that the Republican
tide which turned in 1888 still runs
strongly in their direction.
Particularly is this true of the Wis
consin vote last Tuesday, in which not
only were the third-term Democratic
candidates overwhelmed by the anti
third-term Democrats, but the Repub-
leans showed an increase of $4,000
over their 1886 primary vote as COM
pared TO a Democratic decrease of
$4,000. Of course, it is not safe to take
either the polls or these vote COMPARE
sons too seriously. Many things may
happen in six weeks. There is room for
both good and bad luck. 1t isn't posi-
bic to forsee the "breaks," but it IS
possible to recognize that the raucous
claims of the third-termers that the
fight is ''in the bag" and their heavy
emphasis on the "Willkie slump" are
part of the third-term propaganda, to
which no informed man subscribes.
Mr. WILKES friends do not believe
he has slumped apprecatively at all.
Before the end they think it will be
cOnvincingly demonstrated that he was
right to keep his campaign down to
fifteen miles an hour in August, step
it up to thirty-fve in September and
wait until October before hitting top
speed. Before the middle of next month
it is predicted, there will be no talk of
Willkie slump. The fact is, however,
that Mr.. Willkie has been handicapped
by two Livingstone is the grousing of
various sore headed Republican poll
tcians, in and out of Congress, who
were opposed to his nomination, but
think he ought to take their advice
now. An idea of this advice can be
had from the fact that one Republi-
can 'leader" went all the way to Rush
vile to tell Mr. Willikie he had made
mistake in rejecting Father Coug
Inns support. Mr.. Willkie said he was
going to continue making that kind of
mistake and this "leader" went back
to Washington to spread the report
that Willkie was Stamping" because
he wouldn't consult" with anybody.
$50
The other Willke handicap-which
may not turn out to be handicap-is
his refusal-and he says he will keep
on refusing-to demagogue in this
fight. He not only insists on saying
what he believes when he speaks but
he refuses to let what he believes re-
main unsaid. Nor is he deferred from
doing this by the fact that his oppo-
nent, Mr.. Roosevelt, already has ad
vocated the same thing which he be-
ieves. The best evidence of this was
the issue of CONSUMPTION; another was
the sending of destroyers to Eng
land On both these Mr.. Willkie was
advised by Republican politicians
either to keep quiet or take the other
side. He did neither. Consumption he
fatty endorsed, although most Re-
publicans in Congress voted against 1t.
The destroyer deal he approved, tho
he criticized-and justly-the shock
ing method by which it was done.
#**
1t does not hold water to say that
the consent of Congress could not have
been gotten. The consent of Congress
speedily has been had to everything
the President has asked in the name
Of defense-to the authorization of
sixteen billion dollars, to sending the,
National Guard out of the country, to
CONSUMPTION, to many other things.
For the destroyer proposal he would
have had overwhelming journalistic
and popular support-and he would
have had Mr.. WILKES too. 1t was no;
necessary to set aside the Constitu-
ton, drought the sleasiest opinion
ever given by rubber-stamp Attor-
ney General, in order to do thing
that practically everybody approved,
but which he himself had delayed
Tor more than seven weeks.