Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-19

one another in succession, some rul-
ing we'll, some not so well. In all
the time we have been a Nation,
with all the men who have been
our Presidents, never have the Gus
tom and tradition been broken. no
man has had the temerity to chal-
lenge it. Now, in 1910, If we permit
this sacred tradition to be broken
and the labor Of a century and
half set at naught, it requires no
prescience or vision to see what will
happen thereafter.
Quotes Raymond Moley
On Presidential Powers.
Think of it. A century and a half
Of an acquiesced in custom and ira
dition, none in whose custody it
has been, however sorely tempted,
has dared to violate it. Now in
secrecy and stealth, with the aid of
the boss-ridden cities of America.
is it broken! Wake up, Americans.
rush to protect what protects your
liberties. Wake up, Americans, ere
1t is too late.
DR.. Raymond Moley SO aptly
phrases his description of the in
stances involving personal power
and the effect upon delegates to the
late Democratic convention that I
dare quote him here. quote.
Consider, how, the instances in
which this issue of personal power
has currently been involved. The
first has been the attempt to lay
down to Congress list of specifica-
lions for its action. We all remem-
Der those must bills. So we call
1t by the name must The second
we cell 'pack'-the attempt of the
Executive to get the immediate
power to create in the Supreme
Court a majority Of his own choos-
ing. The third we call purge It
involved the power of the Executive
to destroy the political careers Of
those legislators who would not con-
form to the Executives will. The
fourth we shall call 'perpetuate'-
the effort of the Executive. through
a subservient party and a distracted
people, to override the principle that
has kept any other President from
serving more than two terms.
There they are. Four words de-
scribe them-'must,' pack purge
and 'perpetuate. - They are
four signs that the danger of in
dividual power never passes They
are the four horSemen of autoc-
racy. -.
These efforts follow an appall-
ingly logical course-the course that
begins with an aspiration and ends
with a person. 1t begins with an
ideal and ends with a single will.
Certain ideas are indispensable.
Then compliance is indispensable.
And finally the leader is indispensa-
BILE.
Delegates Didn't Think;
They Nodded"
Recall the conclave of
(the Democratic) party in Chicago
last July. Nominally it was a con-
vention of that Democratic party
which pledged itself. 1912 to a single
term for the President. But the
Democratic party which made that
pledge is dead The thing that
met IN Chicago this summer was
composed Of men and
women who did not think:
they nodded. They did not vote
their convictions. They did
not select a candidate. The can
didate selected himself. -
Democracy holds that Executive
authority shall neither be hereditary
nor perpetual. If America rejects
that tent. 1t rejects democracy. And
1t rejects it at its deadly peril. . .
The issue rises above party. above
prejudice, above personal affections,
above hysteria and above fear.
Save our principles and we save our
liberties"
And now I leave this question
with you. I leave it believing that
I have a sacred duty to perform.
and you just Judge whether I have
succeeded. I'm loath to cease this
discussion. There are many other
things in this campaign that I
would discuss, but III have to defer
presentation of them until some
future time. I realize how inept I
have been, perhaps, in parts of it.,
but have tried to discuss a great
principle rather than any person.
atty. II have succeeded in arous-
ing some slight spark in our cleo
torate I shall consider my task
sufficiently performed. I cannot
think OF our great ancestors, all
OF whom with singular unanimity
favored the tradition which Jeffer-
son established, I cannot think
Of our past Presidents who with
unanimity followed, without feeling
a great reverance for the noble
men who charted their course in the
dark, until the blessed sunlight came
for the struggling Republic, and for
those who followed them.
Praises Willkie and McNary
For Single Handed Fight.
I would be wanting in express
sion upon the current contest if I
did not say to you that the fight
that is being made by Willkie and
McNary, practically single-handed
and alone, arouses my enthusiasm
and my admiration. They have op-
posed to them almost insuperable
odds. First, about 125 members of
the Electoral College are already
selected by the exigencies of poll
tics. More than 100000 employees
of the existing power stand like
a phalanx in this campaign, and
then, more important than all,
100000 of people who are recipients
of the bounty of the Government.
Yet, they fight on. If these ad-
ventitious aids which the present
President has should be taken from
him, the contest would no longer
be in doubt. Upon all matters do
not agree with Messrs. Willkie and
McNary in this campaign, but they