The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-07-20
ROOSEVELT HAS
PURCED PARTY
Continued from Page u

the determination of Mr.. Roosevelt
that the party shall be New Dea
one.
Oversize They Go
One after another conservative
choices for second place on the thiro
term ticket were cast oversize ano
the word here today was that Mr.
Roosevelt himself had sold Senator
James F. Byrnes, D., S. :, on the
idea that he would not do. 1t was
Mr.. Roosevelt who ordered Paul v
McNutt out of the vice presidential
contest, his aides said. And by a
show of force, most of the others
were scared off except Speaker Will
liam B. Bankhead who made the
only real challenge to the nomina-
ton of Secretary of Agriculture
Henry A. Wallace, whom Mr.. Roose-
welt insisted he must have. Adding
Mr.. Roosevelt to Secretary Wallace,
the ticket might be called 200 per
cent New Deal.
Elevation of Wallace sent Vice
President John N. Garner to the Gel
lar for political keeps. And the
change over of party control neared
completion when Chairman James
A. Farley of the Democratic ma
tional committee took his walk. Far
ley is chairman still-until August
II. Around September II he also
will leave the cabinet. Thus a po-
litical maneuver that began in the
Senate three years ago has attained
major scope.
First Major Thrust
Mr.. Roosevelt's first major thrust
at conservative Democrats was in
August, 1887, when he commanded
the votes which prevented Senator
Pat Harrison, D., Miss, from sue
ceeding the late Joe T. Robinson as
Senate majority leader. The presi-
dent wanted New Dealer and got
Senator Alben w. Barley, D., KY,
for the vital senate post.
Barkley's chances were less than
fair until Mr.. Roosevelt moved in
to Yank wire here and there so
that a certain few senators voted
right-for Barley. Harrison lost by
a margin of one vote.
A year later Mr.. Roosevelt under
took to prevent denomination of
Senator Ellison D. Smith, D., S. c.,
Senator Walter F. George, D., Ca,
Senator Willard E. Tydings, D., Md,
former Rep. John j. O'Connor, D.,
N. Y, and Rep. Howard Smith, a
wing collared conservative from Vir-
ginia.
Some False Starts
There were some falst starts of
other purges-Bennett Champ Clark
of Missouri, Guy M. Gillette of Iowa
and, perhaps, Pat McCarran of Ne
vada, all senators. But for each rea-
son or another these never got Mr.,
Roosevelt's personal attention or
great interest.
Secretary of Commerce Harry l..
Hopkins was the New Deal relief
chief then and he put in a word
against Gillette, but it was not suffi-
cient. Only O'onnor, a Tammany
congressman from New York, fell in
1898.
But the incident rolled the party
and contributed to the bitterness
with which handful Of the opposi-
ton fought until the end against a
third term nomination. Tydings
baked and Smith did not even come
here. George was In the anti-third
term corner. O'Connor threatened TO
organize third party protest. which
probably would not get anywhere.
and there were others who had not
forgotten the purges OF other years.
Harrison, however. was aboard the
Roosevelt band wagon this time and
1t IL on such attachment 10 party
that the New Deal depends 10 pre-
vent 1850 detection In some Of the
states Of the so-called solid south.