Evening star., 1940-06-24

CdllIlUG UdCk up
with force. David Lawrence.
Behind it all, of course, is a basic
distrust also of the Presidents pol
tcies on domestic affairs, a violent
dlstaste for what he calls social re-
forms but which the Republicans
call destructive laws that have
sapped the economic vitality of the
Nation and weakened it for the
enormous tasks of industrial pro-
duction so necessary to modern
mechanical warfare.
It's all part of the political
game. Back in Washington, the
President, too, plays his political
cards. His appointment of Messrs.
Knox and Stimson, Republicans, to
the cabinet on the eve of this con-
vention loses here all the flavor of
non-partisanship and takes on the
atmosphere OF political maneuvering
and adroitness, for if it had been
intended to bring on a trend toward
national solidarity it is argued the
move could have waited just few
days till after this convention had
adjourned.
All Politics.
Politics, politics and more politics.
Articles, stratagems, meaningless
phrases in platforms that seek to
offend no groups and curry favor
with all, planks that can be in
terpreted by nominee any way he
pleases, and finally views imputed
to this or that candidate for the
nomination based on what the pro-
fessional sponsors hereabouts think
will get delegates and win support
from this or that leader of the iso-
lationist or co-operationist point of
view on the war These are the
sinews of convention battle.
Anybody who attends one of these
national conventions and endeavors
to reflect accurately on paper what
is going on here cannot but find an
inner conflict between the assump-
tion that these political gatherings
are the manifestation of democ-
racy's freedom of action and the
revelation of democracy's decay in
a world where totalitarianism has
this very year swept pickering de-
mocracy into military defeat
throughout the continent of Europe.
Would that once and for all the
politicians could forget their game
and their tricks and become states
men and make real the noble
phrases they utter! This is hope
expressed on every side by laymen
who look with a feeling Of bewil-
dered helplessness on a scene out
of which Is to come a nominee for
the presidency of the United States
in one Of the most critical periods
in all world history.
Willkie Has Resisted.
Each candidate has his political
mechanism and has had it for
months. Dewey and Taft went cam
paigning and their names were on
presidential preference primary bal
lots. Former President Hoover has
gone quietly up and down the land
for four years, winning friends
among the local politicians. Wendell
Willkie, until recently a dark
horse" has been forced into a bit
of campaigning these last few weeks
and is being urged to say this or
that to help get delegate support.
He has resisted these political
tricks and insisted that he must re-
tain his intellectual integrity against
the artificialities demanded of
would-be nominee.
Much of the strength of the un-
paralleled Willkie boom is that he
isn't a politician and has not been
put forth by the politicians. His
strength among the delegates is far
reaching. But still it is not surpris-
ing. The delegates are laymen. Only
the bosses and the men who have
manipulated political delegations
for years are the professionals. Even
the laymen who owe their oppor-
tunities to sit as delegates know
they must listen to what these lead
ers tell them to do. Most conven-
tions are bossed by a few men and
this one Is no exception.
The only force that can upset the
bosses is a manifestation of public
opinion. The Willkie Managers
group of amateurs who have volun-
teered to do what in politics has
seemed impossible-are trying to
persuade the bosses and the leaders
that there is a popular demand for
Willkie and that it arises because
of a recognition of his intellectual
honesty, his capacity for business
organization and his understanding
Of the human problems of govern
ment.
Why They're Fighting Him.
Can the Willkie spokesmen ef-
fectively transmit that idea? They