Evening star., 1940-09-29
Willkie Tour 7 Turns Tomorrow
Into 'Win>Or>LOSe' Territory
Michigan and Ohio Are Next on Itinerary, After
Which Republican Nominee Will
Invade Eastern States
By Marquis ". Chlds.


have control of the election machinery,
as well as loyal followers In well-organ-
lied machines.
In some instances, of course, long
continued power has brought its own
penalty. Conspicuously in California
and Pennsylvania, bitter factionalism
has split the ranks of the faithful But
on national election day the tendency
is to forget these feuds and vote right.
The great weakness Of Republican Or
ganizatlon, judging from the tour through
the West just completed, is its failure to
strike down far enough. 1t exists at the
top, but it fails, especially in industrial
areas, to be rooted in the mass That is
where Public Works, the Youth Admins
tration, the Civilian Conservation Corps,
Farm Security and other New Deal agen-
cies have taken hold, instilling Demo-
cratic loyalties.
In almost every community large num-
bers of earnest amateurs are at work
for Mr. Willkie. These willing work.
ers are disillusioned, not only with Mr.
Roosevelt and the New Deal but with
something that they condemn sweepingly
as politics" To them Mr.. Willkie is a
noble crusader who has come to restore
the ancient virtues.
The efforts put forth by these anna
teurs tend to be sporadic and often mis-
directed. They lack the incentive of a
practical reward, which spurs on Mayor
Kellys henchmen in Chicago and Illi-
nois. Once the great man has passed by
and the confetti has been swept up, the
amateurs tend to relax on the assumption
that everything has been done which
could be done. This is not to say that
numerous workers are not persistently
and continuously at work, for they are.
but the part-time amateur cannot do
the same kind of job that a seasoned
professional can do in populous districts
Lack of Experience.
Mr. WILKES own lack of experience in
politics is another factor. At times he
allows local politicos to impose on him.
They hang onto his coattails to advance
their own doubtful candidates.. Again
he is too Indifferent to local situations
believing as he does that politicians can
be of little service to him.
The fact is that the chief divergence
in this campaign, so far, at any rate, is
one of personalities. 1t is an issue that
Mr. Willkie seeks at every opportunity
to draw. He represents himself as the
plain, simple man who has won his own
way in the world. He told his Western
audiences that he had worked in steel
mills, in bakeries, on fruit farms, as a
lawyer and as business man. He wants
to point the contrast with President
Roosevelt, if only by indirection. as a
politician. a dreamy idealist, an aristo-
crat born with a silver spoon in his
mouth.
II don't like to be immodest." said Mr
Willkie at Spokane. but let me say to
you that I started from scratch"
Occasionally this emphasis on his oVI
humble beginnings seems overdrawn
Often, in speaking to working class au'
diences, he overemphasizes his back
ground until he appears to be con-
descending to his listeners.
Vigorous Campaigner.
Most of his faults are those of over
emphasis. His eagerness is so great
his conviction that he is crusading fol
democracy-that he lacks restraint. His
statements sound extravagant and he
finds great difficulty often in ending hi;
speeches. His platform appearances and
his street-corner talks are usually toe
long and too detailed. Mr.. Willkie gives
himself so freely to casual audiences
that he sometimes finds himself tired
and let down in the face Of major
appearance.
When he is in top form Mr.. Willkie
is a vigorous, forceful, effective cam
paigner who merits comparison with Mr.
Roosevelt himself, and the challenger
has had but a few months of experience
while the President has devoted most
of his life to the business of politics and
the technique of winning elections. In
creasingly as the campaign progresses
1t is apparent what tremendous ad-
vantage rests with the occupant Of the
Office of President. If this is true for a
man who is running for second term
it is equally true of the first President
to run for third term. The tendency
is to identify the man with the towering
stature of the Office itself Mr. Roosevelt
has put himself in the setting of the
presidency against the beginning up
surge of the rearmament program. That
is his campaign, and most adroit and
skllful one it is.