The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1940-08-08

carries them. and
also carries Illinois, West Virginia,
New York, California, plus the three
little states of Arizona, Nevada and
New Mexico, and Washington, he
will have 272 electoral votes, six
more than enough to elect! On
form, all the states mentioned are
heavily Democratic. All went heavi-
ly Democratic in 1888, a year OF
sharp Republican gains. Note that
this leaves out Montana. Minnesota,
the Dakotas, Utah, Colorado, Ne
braska, Kansas, Iowa, Wyoming,
Oregon and Idahol
Willkie can carry every one OF
this last list. plus all New England
and all the states from the Mlssis-
sippi to the Atlantic north of Mary
land and Kentucky, with the excep-
ton of Illinois and New York, and
still LOSE
SOUTH MUTTERS
The South is muttering against
Roosevelt. There is no doubt 4
that. But it is not sound judgmt ut
to figure on any electoral votes
there. So it boils down to this, that
Willkie must carry New York or be
defeated
Meanwhile Roosevelt and the adj
nninistration, with the strategic adj
vantage SO clearly with them, may
be counted on to play as safely as
possible. This means that from now
until November, for example, no ac-
ton by the government may be ex-
pected to upset the continued i'm
provement in business due to huge
armament orders-and expected or
ders. Roosevelt found this policy
highly successful in 1886, when BUSH
ness was improving. There is no
reason to vary it.
Both parties will continue to make
war medicine-for ballots, not guns
in congress. The Republicans
plan to keep. it dragging along.
They want to ride herd on the Pres
ident, to create the impression that
only their restraining influence will
keep him from some overt act which
would plunge us into war. But also
they want to put the administration
on record as resisting any changes
in the various bureaus and agencies,
notably the NLRB, which they insist
are hampering business.
FEARED THIRD PARTY
President Roosevelt's scrapping-
before the ink was dry--of the war
issue plank in the Democratic plat
form he himself had dictated, clears
the way for campaign on purely
domestic issues. The purpose of the
weasel Words-to prevent Burt
Wheeler and Champ Clark from
starting q third party--had been &C
compliShed. Now the President
stands on his record. just a little
hit more beAigerent toward Ger
many and Japan than Willkie, agree
ing with him precisely on all pos
sible legal aid to Britain, and four
square with the Republican nominee
on increasing our national defense
to the utmost.
ON DOMESTIC ISSUES
The lines of the campaign on do
mestic issues will be fairly simple.
Willkie will insist that the present
administration has demonstrated its
inefficiency and extravaganza, and
hence cannot be trusted to produce
the taxpayers moneys worth in
spending billions on the army and
navy He will NOT attack the so
cial advances and New Deal objec-
tives for the benefit of the underdogs
but insist that their administration
should be intelligent, and particular
ly that there should not be barn
burnings to get rid of rats. 80
Roosevelt and the New Dealers
will harp on their accomplishments
In social reform, and insist that to
turn the government over to the in
terests" would mean to wreck them.
They will say that whatever Wilkes
personal views, he will be as help
less as Harding and Hoover to pre-
vent sordid Wall street-controlled
throttling OF the little business man,
the consumers, and all the rest of it. |
And they will ring the changes on
the notion Of Wall street utility
holding company executives in the