Evening star., 1940-04-27
Ickes Raps CARER,
Says Texan S Goal
IS Roosevelt Defeat
Forecostine Reelection,
Cabinet Member Predicts
Rush to Pie Counter
BY NELSON SHEPARD.

After his blast at the Garner-for-
President movement in Texas, in
which he forecast President Roose-
veit's reelection, Secretary of the
Interior Ickes was sitting back today
awaiting expected repercussions.
His views were addressed to Anon
6. Carter, publisher of the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram and one of
the principal supporters Of Vice
President Garner At noon today
there had been no reply from the
publisher, but it was hardly to be
expected that the Garner supporters
In Texas would long remain silent
In the face of the barbs contained in
Mr.. Ickes' letter.
Copies of the letter were sent to
all members of the Texas delegation
IN Congress. In it Secretary Ickes
coupled his prediction of President
Roosevelt's success with a singing
declaration that when the time
comes his Democratic opponents
would be first to rush to the pie
counter"
To Mr.. Carter he said THE move
ment in which you are such a Shin
ing light is not for the nomination
of any particular man. 1t is to de-
feat President Roosevelt"
His letter was sent to the Texas
n,,h1iehor ~, racrapco - cr;t;oo
editorial accusing Secretary Ickes of
carpet t-bagging" tactics in connec-
ton with his recent visit to the
State.
After ALL" Mr.. Ickes wrote, "the
coming election is not to elect a
President of Texas, but of the United
States. of which I am a citizen"
At the outset of his remarks, Mr..
lckes denied he had made political
speech during his Texas visit nor
that he had talked privately of pol
itics. He had gone to the State to
take part in the celebration of the
discovery of the East Texas oil field,
but he insisted that he could, with
propriety, have discussed the presi-
Dental situation.
Publication of the letter followed
vigorous third-term activity by
Roosevelt supporters in Texas, aimed
at shutting off the Garner-for -Presi-
dent support in the Texas delegation
at the Waco State convention on
May %, it was claimed in well-in-
formed circles.
If our political institutions are
not sham" Secretary Ickes' letter
stated, every citizen has a right.
peacefully, to influence the opinion
Of others if he can. I understand
that you Garter and your asso-
ciates sent 'carpetbaggers' into Wis
consin and Illinois prior to the re-
cent primaries in those States. If
did not have good authority for
this. would seriously question it.,
judging from the election results" !"
Wisconsin Results Cited.
Mr.. Ickes pointed out that Presi-
dent Roosevelt had defeated Mr..
Garner in Wisconsin by about three
to one.
Declaring that the Garner-for-
President movement in Texas was
simply to defeat the President for
reelection, the Secretary told the
Fort Worth publisher:
You call yourself q Democrat,
but If you were, you would be salts
fed to let the people rule. And you
would insist that every citizen be
given a full chance to declare whom
he wants as his candidate. You
think of yourself as a sportsman
But If you were, you would grace
fully accept the results when the
people have spoken in Wisconsin
and Illinois and Nebraska, where
people are really allowed to vote as
free men.
You prate Of loyalty to your party
and yet you allow the spokesmen OF
a small minority in Texas to ac-
claim loudly to the world that, while
your candidate is able to garner only
a handful of votes here and there
he nevertheless has enough to de-
feat the President as the Democratic
nominee in November"
Then Secretary Ickes concluded
"And when the President shall have
been reelected in November, you
and other such leaders will be the
first to HE you to the pie counter"