Evening star., 1940-02-07

publicly, that there is no question
about 1.-THE name of Franklin
Roosevelt on the presidential ticket
would sweep the local candidates
to victory.
Irrespective of the momentum
given the draft movement by the
officeholders here, the local organi-
pulse among Democrats and inde-
pendent voters and there can be
no doubt that their feeling of ulti-
mate victory with Roosevelt on the
ticket is genuine and not artificial.
Perhaps it is confidence that be-
cause in 1896 the Democratic party
attracted huge numbers of inde-
pendent voters, there would still
be a sizable majority this year,
but whatever the inspiration for
the expressions of certainty about
q Roosevelt third term, the fact
remains that the local politicians
think Mr.. Roosevelt is their best bet.
May Rip Party Lines.
This does not mean that these
local leaders are necessarily right
about the ultimate outcome. for no.
body can gauge accurately what
would be Americas reaction to an
actual breaking of the third-term
precedent, just what would happen
to party lines in the South as we'll
as the North. Thus, certain Demo-
cratic Senators privately say they
believe Virginia, Texas, Florida and
North Carolina might be found in
the Republican column if third
term nomination is insisted upon
by the New Deal henchmen here.
But so far as Western States are
concerned, the word comes in even
from Senators not so friendly them
selves to Mr.. Roosevelt that local
political sentiment favors third
term for the President. On the
whole, it may be set down as a
foregone conclusion that Mr.. Roose-
welt today commands enough
strength in the Democratic party
as to warrant third nomination.
A considerable segment of the party
will insist on draft movement,
no matter what he says about 1t IN
the next few weeks-and there are
indications some sort of statement
of intentions will be made shortly
by the President.
With one set of admirers, there
fore, taking it for granted already
that the President should be drafted,
and another set believing he will
accept or will dictate his successor,
the swing is toward a Roosevelt
controlled convention made up of
delegates directly or indirectly re-
lated to the New Deal.
An analysis of the local organiza-
tions will reveal that the New Deal
has on its side many Governors,
some of whom, whether by coinci-
dence or not, have managed to get
big favors for their States or at
least the local prestige for having
obtained them. Some of these Gov
ernors have been in close touch
with the President by letter and
telephone so that they have become
through the last few years as much
q part of the New Deal political
setup as if they were selected for
that purpose.
Dependent on Open Hand.
In the very nature of government
these days, Governors become de-
pendent upon White House and
governmental favor. They build
their own local organizations on the
patronage and benefits which are
distributed by an administration
that has had more money to lend or
give away than all the administra-
tions from George Washington
through Woodrow Wilson, and not
excluding the World War, either.
The bureaucracy and political
mechanism represented by the enor-
nous outlay of $66000, 900 00O-the
total figure estimated for the eight
years of the Roosevelt regime-is
simply incomprehensible. Pork bar
rel appropriations Of the old days
become mere chicken feed in COM
parison, and the paltry sums put
up by the Wall Streeters of the So
called wicked Republican years are
relatively insignificant alongside the
power of the political pressure
groups engendered by the unprece-
dented Federal outlays. Objective
historians some day would certainly
derive more satisfaction in apprais-
ing the popularity of the President
II 1t were not today coincident with
the largest spending program in the
history of the Republic. All the
praise of social reforms as the real
basis for the Democratic assertions
of confidence about another victory
In 1910 with Mr. Roosevelt on the
ticket would be ever so much more
persuasive if the chant of triumph
did not emanate from so many Of
the political sources with financial