Evening star., 1940-09-29
PersonuIized Government
to Influence Elections
By ODen L. Scott.

experts overlook. Those factors have to
do with the changed place the National
Government has taken in the lives of
millions of individual voting citizens.
President Roosevelt recognizes what
has happened and probably is the most
serenely confident candidate that the
country has seen. The same is true of
others in tine New Deal. The Republic
ans and the political experts appear not
yet to comprehend the character of the
political revolution that has taken place
in this country.
Essentially, the New Deal has taught
millions Of voters that the Federal Gov
ernment can do things for them as indi-
viduals in very direct way Before the
New Deal the Government in Washing
ton largely concerned itself with acts
that affected industry and finance. 1t
raised or lowered tariffs. 1t granted
privileges to corporations that wanted to
develop the national domain It subsi-
dized shipping. 1t did many other things
affecting business and finance, but not
directly the individual voter.
Mr.. Roosevelt changed all of that His
two terms have been devoted to trans
forming the Federal Government into an
agency that has direct personal mean
ing to millions of individuals.
The w. P. A. gives jobs to the unem-
ployed. The A. A. A. sends checks to
farmers. There is system of old-age
pensions providing monthly check for
INDECENT aged-and a system of old-age
insurance that later will provide annui-
ties for large number of individual
workers. There is stamp plan" for
cutting the small retailers in on the
farm relief dollars. There are loans for
farmers who are destitute and need cap
ital to get a new start. There is Gov
ernment protection for individual work.
ers who want to organize.
All of this is new. All Of it is asSoci-
ated with the name of Roosevelt. Indi-
viduals who now find jobs with w. P. A.
or who found jobs with w. P. A. before
getting back into private work cannot
help but be grateful. There are mil
llOllS VI lllCSC, IlCdliy NolClS.
the same is true to borderline farmers
who have found the Government taking
steps to keep them from losing their
farms and TO bolster their income. Again
millions of votes are concerned. 1t is
the same with old-age pensioners. Work
shortened and who have received the
protection of minimum wage laws often
have the same gratitude.
Added up, the votes involved represent
very important sector of the total votes
in national election-probably 10000 900
as minimum.
Republican opponents of the New Deal
are promising that they will not inter-
fere with these Government enterprises.
Mr.. Willkie in California, found it neces-
sary to pledge that Federal funds would
continue to flow into water projects in
that area. He has had to make promises
to relief groups that the w P A would
be continued until jobs could be provided
for workers in private industry. He has
advised farmers that the program Of
Federal subsidies for agriculture would
not be Interfered with by his adminstra-
ton.
Mr.. Roosevelt, however, started these
things and it is only human for many
of the affected voters TO express their
gratitude with their votes and with the
votes of members of their families. It is
notable. too, that the New Deal group is
very confident of the support Of a large
proportion of the retail merchants of the
country who have benefited directly and
indirectly from the New Deal subsidies
The result is that any realistic ap-
praisal of the 1910 election outlook must
take these factors into consideration.
They were not taken into consideration
by the Republicans in 1886 and are not
taken very seriously into consideration
by the Republicans in 1910. The reason
is that in 1888 the electorate appeared to
be veering toward the Republican party
and away from the New Deal. There was
not the same incentive for the masses of
voters to get out.
The longer range influence of the Fed
eral Governments new role as a subsi-
dizer of individuals, as that influence
concerns the control of Government, re-
mains TO be appraised. One thing, how
ever, seems to be certain. That thing
is the very strong prospect that indus
try and finance in this country will have
an increa singly difficult time regaining
their former position of power - the
Government.
Mr. Roosevelt taught this lesson to the
workers and farmers and now expects to
capitalize, upon it in third election.
The New Deal is built upon that founda-
ton. New Deal opponents need to dis
cover an issue that will seem more i'm
portant to large groups of voters than
the assurance of an access to the Fed
eral Treasury. Such an issue in 1910
might have been isolation from Europe.
Or it might have been opposition to con-
scription. Mr.. Willkie, however would
not sacrifice his convictions to capitalize
on either of those issues.
One more factor is becoming apparent
in the final weeks of the presidential
campaign.
1t is the rising volume of business and
the increasing rate of industrial activity.
Earmarks of an industrial and business
boom are beginning to be apparent. This
is due to the huge total of defense orders
now entered by this Government These
orders are being added to the almost
equally large orders from Great Britain