Milford chronicle., 1940-05-03
nIGH.LIGHTTNG POLITICa
~ JOHN RANDALL PACE

New Dealers were clncking about
Washington the past week as only
New Dealers can cluck about. The
height Of lese majestic had been COM
mitted. What 70 do about It? A col
lege professor and, after ali, aren't
tall college professors supposed to be
loyal 10 the Brain Tfust-had done
the objectionable.
others have repeatedly recalled
that Mr. Roosevelt promised TO lower
taxes and didn't Those horrid Re-
publicans have persisted in pointing
out that there are 100000 unem-
ployed looking for Jobs and Il has
cost the nation $25 900 900 900 under
the New Deal to keep them out OF
work. The ungFateful farmers won't
forget that farm prices are not even
near New Deal promises.
But that College Professor! He is
practically the last straw. BY scien-
tiiic measurement he has discovered
that MIR. Roosevelt not only has fall
ed to bring recovery but he has also
failed to maintain his charm as a
speaker.
The New York Times found it out
and let she New Dealers Gas well as
the public) in on the secret. Pro-
fessor Elmer E. Nyberg Of New York
University has been rating radio
speakers for years. He applies the
same standards that he uses in his
college and adult classes. basing his
rating upon structure, contents and
delivery Of the speech. For years he
had Mr.. Roosevelt at the top among
public men.
But not now. In his 1910 analysis,
Mr.. Nyberg can give Mr.. Roosevelt
only an "A-minus. He reports that
50 long as the President was cheer
full and friendly In his speeches. he
was tops. But when he began "scold-
Ing and using meaningless cliches"
ne fell away in calibre.
But that was not all Of the indis-
cretions of Professor Nyberg. The
bitterest pill Of all to the New Deal |
srs was the man he rated above |
Franklin ID. Roosevelt II was his !
I'D playmate Herbert Hoover. Mr. |
Nyberg found. according to the /
Times, that MIR. Hoover was the most /
speaker In public life and |
gave him an "A-plus above the
'Di which the ex-pTesident rated in
1928. You can't do that to US" the
,cung New Dealers chaHted in uni
,On.
However, Professor Nyberg add
ID, "Mr. Roosevelt still is very much /
/ speaker to be reckoned with and
[ would be very interesting from a
Jublic speaking standpoint to have
lin meet Mr.. Hoover in a return
,out"
Thomas E. Dewey and Senator Ar
hur A. Vandenberg. high ranking
for the Republic nOmina-
ion also got a good mark from the
lew York University expert. They
we're ranked on a par and next to
dr. Roosevelt in effectiveness with l
"B-plus." Vice President Garner.
Professor Nyberg declared, could re-
eive no better than "a grade incom-
ilete, inasmuch as he is an unknown
uantity from the, public speaking
tandpoint"
Senator Robert A. Taft, another
rading G. o. P. candidate, fell to a
c. rating. the same grade given
'aul v. McNutt, whom Nyberg de-
cffbed as ran orator. not a public
peaker." and Secretary of State
IuIl.
Tammany Halls entry in the Pres
iential sweepstakes. Jim Farley,
'as described as a good catch-at-
atch-can speaker who loses his eff {
sctiveness when he reads speech.
ALI of which really affects the
race not a bit but has
le virtue of being entertaining.
here much pOlitics isn't.