The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-11-04
Wendell Willkie Carried Fight
Into New Deals StrOnghOldS

vision of the Democratic National
Committee. The pamphlet was Of
ficially and emphatically denounced
by Democratic officials, but it set off
the spark. At Albany, the COP
nominee, incensed by the attack,
threw away his prepared speech and
delivered an eloquent affirmation fof
his Americanism.
Reputation Caused Comment
In MICHIGAN, Massachusetts,, II
linois and elsewhere, the Willkie
party was pelted with tomatoes
and other occasional missiles, but
he took it good-naturedly, attrib-
uting most of the throwing to mis-
guided boys.
On Sept. IA, en- route to Kansas
City, he charged President Roose-
welt had promoted the Pact of
Munich and had sold Czechoslo-
vakia down the river" He later
revised the statement to say the
President had urged settlement
of differences at Munich and that
at the meeting the little democ-
racy had been sold down the river
Secretary of State Cordell Hull is
sued a bristling denial of WILKES
charge and rebuked the COP nom
inee for his gross ignorance" of the
international history of recent years.
The campaign was marked with
more than the usual run of para
doxes that develop in the wake
Of a torrid political campaign.
T h e candidates very campaign
strategy was departure from pre-
cedent. He went into the tradition
ally Democratic Southwest, into the
smoky steel and factory centers
where Republican leaders conceded
victory to the opposition, and he
travelled the length and breath of
the land-from topped Mount
Shasta in northern Calofirna, over
the Rockies, across the great desert
and the prairies, beyond the Mis-
sissippi into the smoke belt of the
industrial East and on to the
rusty, autumn tinted hills Of New
England.
Elsewhere he went, he talked to
as many people of the opposition
as he could, he talked as an lama
teur" politician, admittedly, and
he talked to those of all walks Of
life.
Scores OF old line Democrats
flocked to his standard. Congress
men, governors, Democratic lead
ers, dissident New Dealers saw in
him the personification OF a virile
America, a man who could lead
the nation through troubled times
Consolidated Republican Factions
On July 10, he resigned his $751;
600 a year post with G g. S to start
campaigning for another one pay
ing $4,000 - four-year job in
the White House. At the same
time, he dropped all official cor
porate connections, directorships
etc. Then the campaign, whichc up
to convention time he had been
carrying in his hat" began to
take shape.
His first move was to CONSOLE
date all Republican factions be-
hind his candidacy. He reorgan-
lied the Republican National
Committee and named the astute
House minority leader, Joseph w
Martin. Jr., of Mass, as chairman
to succeed John D. M. Hamilton
who was retained with the title OF
executive director Of the commit
tee.
Russell Davenport resigned his
editorship of Fortune Magazine to
become WILKES personal repre-
sentative. Oren Root, Jr., the
young New York attorney was
given the job of migrating the
scores of Willkie clubs.
Others named to the high COM
mand included j. Russell Sprague
of New York, who had managed
the presidential campaign of
Thomas E. Dewey; David S. In
gals, Sen. Robert A. Taft's man
ager; Howard Lawrence, who had
led the Arthur Vandenberg pre-
convention forces; Kenneth F.
Simpson the liberal New York
Republican who nearly split the
New ork COP by his early sup
port of Willkie and his deep
seated opposition to Dewey; and
Harold E. Stassen, the youthful
governor of Minnesota.