Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-13
Tense We Uses Aggressive Roosevelt Passive Strategy
WILKES Whirlwind Pace Sets
New Record for Candidates
What Are His Chances?-The Question Asked
Everywhere Be Answered by
How Labor Votes
By J. A. O'Leary.

.
II Wendell Willkie becomes President
Of the United States it will be due in
large measure to the physical and men,
tal energy he is putting into this cam
paign.
But. win or lose, the battle he is waging
10 preserve the two-term tradition will
hive long IN the annals of American
politics.
Mr.. Willkie has crossed from the Pa
cific to the Atlantic and half way back
by air, rail and automobile in three
weeks-moving at a rate never ap-
preached by previous nominees.
With three weeks more to go, it is
. foregone conclusion that when the
race is over and he pauses to await the
verdict, he will have established new
record for mileage covered by a presi-
Dental candidate. Already he has COW
cred 1850 miles by train, and flown
nearly 5000 miles to various Western
points in the preliminary stages. of the
campaign.
1t is rumored he will take to the air
again during the last few days of the
race to make final appeals to the voters
IN strategic States.
Distance covered is only one of sew
eral factors that make the Willkie cam
paign stand out in comparison with the
past Also significant is the style of
the campaign.
Most men who make politics a career
learn the art of speaking in generalities
of pleasing as many as possible Of
Tending as few as possible. But Wendell
Willkie discarded that doctrine from
the start.
Won't Pull His Punches.
From the outset some of his we'll
wishers have been saying "he talks too
much" They have been wishing he
would couch his criticisms of the ad-
ministration in softer language, but
they are wishing in vain.
In sharp tones he served notice out
IN California two weeks ago that he
had no intention of pulling his punches"
and suggested that friends bringing
that advice should save their breath.
Strangely enough. some Democrats
have joined the chorus, "he talks too
much" which suggests that Mr.. Willkie
may have adopted the best psychology.
Only time will tell who was right, but,
IN any event, Mr.. Willkie has made his
decision to hit hard and often, and he
Is not likely to change now.
The Willkie campaign also has been
marked by an unusual effort to see and
talk to groups he thinks are inclined
across the country the nominee has
driven many miles by automobile to
visit industrial plants, where Roosevelt
sentiment is strong among union men.
Likewise, he has spent the greater part
of his time making 10-minute speeches
IN neighborhoods where the depression
has kept families on relief.
Proved He Gan Take It."
On more than one occasion he has
gone into districts where his advisers
felt sure he would get only "razzing'
for his efforts, and he has received a
generous dose of booing on his factory
tours.
But the Republican nominee has
shown he can take it and observers
following his campaign have noted that
before he finishes his plea there is
less booing and more applause.
In these working districts Mr.. Willkie
does not ask the men to vote for him.
He sticks to a simple plea for a fair
chance to present his side or as he puts
1t, for square shake And when he
stands up in an open car looks directly
into hundreds of skeptical faces and
rests his case on that basis, he has fire.
quently changed the expression on some
Of those faces.
It is not easy to keep on booing when
q man asks merely that you listen to
both sides and then vote as your con-
science dictates"
The most striking example of this
phase of the campaign was his visit
to the garment workers section of New
York City, Mr.. Willkie could have gone
into other parts of Americas largest
city and received laundering applause,
but it would have come from people who
were for him months ago.
Instead, he rode into the center of
eurging crowd of workers on Seventh
avenue. He got the chorus of boos that
had been expected but, of greater sig
nificance, the volume of applause fire.
ouently rose above the chant of disap-
proval.
What Are His Chances?
As the campaign swings into It's final
stages the question on every tongue is,
"What are WILKES chances?"
Obviously, the campaign train Of
either candidate is not a safe place to
look for the answer. The headquarters
of any candidate, like the dressing room
of football team is alive with enthusi-
asm for that side and tendency among
the candidates advisers to stress the
favorable signs.
There are certain well-defned assets
and liabilities that may be listed, how
ever, as having an important bearing on
the outcome.
On the credit side Of the Willkie
ledger are these elements:
The Third Term-By accepting renon-
ination at the Democratic Convention
President Roosevelt has ventured upon
IN uncharted course. He Is seeking to
Get aside the tradition unbroken since
the birth of the Nation, that no Presi-
dent should serve more than two terms.
Mr.. willkie has hammered away at