Milford chronicle., 1940-05-03
HICH-IICHTINC
POLiTICS :
By john Randall Page

Washington. - New resentments
arising throughout the Democratic
Party are beginning to operate
against President Roosevelts efforts
to seize the Presidential nomination
or 10 control the convention and
name his own "stooge" as the candi-
date.
The intra-party bitterness grows
out of the New Deals old tactics, IF
YOU can't lick 'em, smear EN-" The
paradox is that those who are now
equealing lOudest have participated
for years in the smearing directed
against others. Cumulative effects
of their mounting fury now may
play as important a role in halting
the Presidents third term ambitions
as some more major issue.
Recalling some of the history of
the smear tactics" it was first
turned ON Herbert Hoover when he
was President with a velocity that
has never before been seen in this
country. At that time, Vice-Presi-
dent Garner was Speaker of the
House and seldom missed a trick In
building the fiction that the depres-
sion was the entire fault of Mr..
Hoover. Millions were spent by the
Democratic National Committee in
propaganda.
Since 1898, these same weapons
have been turned alternately on all
opposition. Bankers became money
changers" Business men were eco
nOmic rOyalists." Democratic Sena-
tors who would not be rubber
stamps after 1885 were "copper"
heads. Utility operators were
"despoilers of the nations natural
resources" Senate Investigations
were used as sounding boards for
attacking regulations. Supposedly !
secret government documents, such |
as income tax records, were pub
licized to stigmatize individuals and |
groups.
Now the situation has changed. |
Vice President Garner and Tam
many Jim" Farley are candidates for
the Presidency. And they are on the
receiving end of the smear tactics,
az are others who would like to sue
ceed Mr.. Roosevelt. The Vice Presi-
dent was first on the griddle. He
had no more than indicated his re-
ceptiVity to the nomination before it
was being fed through the country
that he was "anti-labOr" That he
was whisky drinking. poker play
ing, evil old man." to use John l..
Lewis Interpretation of the song
that was sung nationally by New
Deal propagandists.
Next came Paul McNutt, eX-gOver-
nOr Of Indiana. The information leak
ed out of Washington that he was
being investigated by income tax ex-
perts. That has gone on for months.
No charges but just the implications
that grew from the inquiry. This
smear had become so notorious that
many New Deal writers such as
Raymond ClappeF have begun to cry
out against the injustice.
Finally jim Farleyis candidacy be-
came dangerous. And despite their
long friendship, President Roosevelt
was reported to have gone to work
on him personally. The story was
most iiftinAate friends among news-4
paper men. Ernest Lindley, that the
President had told a Congressional
visitor that the nomination of Mr..
Farley (whO is a CathOlic) would
stir up religious prejudice.
Mr.. Lindley knew the President
before he came to the White House.
He has written a friendly biography
Of Mr.. Roosevelt. He has been named
Il trustee by Mr. Roosevelt of the
new library at Hyde Park to house
The Presidents papers. No one ,,
would believe that he would write
anything untrue or unfriendly about /.
The President.
For days this story stood without
denial by Mr.. Roosevelt, and in the I
it had time to circulate =
the country against Mr..
Farley. Finally, Mr. Roosevelt did i
leny that the story written by Lind {
ley, his close friend. was true. But 1
by that time the work on Mr.. Farley q
lad gone from one end of the nation T
% the other. I
In one way or another. the New Il
Deal has forced Democratic aspir- Il
lnts to join Mr.. Hoover in the
We've Been Smeared By The New +
Deal Club" o