Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-22

something has
h appened to David Lawrence.
bring the American people into an
upsurge of patriotic feeling such as
we seldom have witnessed before in
Q national campaign.
The idea that tradition must not
be lightly brushed aside, that poll
tics is game in which the peoples
interests have been betrayed again
and again and that in Wendell
Willkie a man of sincerity, earnest
ness and courageous conviction has
arisen as a presidential nominee IS
producing an impression on millions
who have hitherto been in the I'M
decided class.
Reports from all over the Middle
West discounted as to their sources
and fully weighed in connection
with disinterested observations by
those who know these areas init
mately in political sense, leads to
the conclusion that Mr.. Willkie is
on the way to a substantial number
of electoral votes in the Middle
West.
Roosevelt Taking Risk.
1t isn't by any means all over, but
1t seems as if the tide which has
begun will not be checked by any
incidental factor in the campaign.
One hears talk about what President
Roosevelt may say, but he has prob
ably taken a bigger risk by deciding
to campaign actively than if he had
remained in his defense role
Mr.. Roosevelt has only two
courses open-he can emphasize
anew the gravity of the internal
tlonal situation as the reason for
his third term and he can denounce
his opponents on economic issues
and class warfare. On both of
these points he has been heard be-
fore. What Mr.. Roosevelt does for
Mr.. Willkie, however, is to furnish
a forum of discussion in which the
public interest in the Willkie re-
sponseS will be far greater than it
A~oo bNN4i III LID ~ dool COSCS.
Mr.. Willkie can, of course. ask
questions and it will not be easy for
Mr.. Roosevelt to ignore them. Once
the President leaves his office on
campaign tour he can hardly avoid
engaging in the campaign on the
issues raised by his opponent.
But the main thing that Mr..
10Ncaun1t
and may not realize as almost The
most important thing in the cam
paign is the no third term" issue
1t is not easy for the New Deal
chieftain to answer the objections
Of Democrats who feel he has left
them in the lurch by departing
from the fundamental principles of
Thomas Jefferson, the founder of
the party.
If the President asserts that the
third-term issue is really up to
the people to decide, he runs head
long into the point that the people
never had a chance at Chicago to
nominate anybody else and that
the offlceholders of the admins
tration, acting with the knowledge
and consent of Mr.. Roosevelt him.
self, conspired to prevent anybody
else in the party from getting the
nomination.
Woodrow Wilson Quoted.
1t is the illicit means" by which
the nomination was secured-and
the quoted phrase is from state
ment by Woodrow Wilson in 1913
that makes the third-term issue
what it is to-day "a source of
Nationwide indignation and resent
ment. Mr.. Wilson said that he be-
]ieved the customary limitation" of
two terms imposed by the people
was desirable, but that the all
important question is whether any
President should be permitted to
renominate himself by his own
appointees.
The third-term discussion is
sweeping the Middle West. The
argument about Mr.. Roosevelt's "ex-
perience" in foreign affairs is
widely made. but 1t is not getting
across because most people out here
are chagrined at Mr.. Roosevelts
lack of experience in the more i'm
portant International defense at
home.
There is also out here a notice.
able feeling that Mr.. Willkie would
do everything in his power to avoid
war and make it unnecessary for
the millions of boys who registered
the other day to get into war
whereas Mr.. Roosevelt is believed to
be eager to throw American naval
and military forces into the Euro
pean war Rightly or wrongly,
these two rival impressions are i'm
bedded in the minds of voters and
they are cutting deeply into the
Roosevelt strength of four years
ago.
The trend toward Mr.. Willkie is
more pronounced in the rural dis
tricts, but it is strong even in in
dustrial districts. For the admins
tration has failed to make its class
friction idea take hold with indie
pendent minded voters and the issue
Of war or peace for America reaches
into all classes.
To sum up-the Willkie workers
are crusading confidently with a
zeal almost unparalleled in polit-
ical campaign while the Roosevelt
camp is full of worries and appre-
tensions
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