Evening star., 1940-04-03

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Of the admins
tration would be Charles q. Ross.
provoked into making a reply.
Instead, the attack was ignored.
There was disposition in New
Deal quarters, at first. to sound off
against Mr.. Lewis, but shrewder
counsel prevailed. He was thus
defeated in his purpose of keeping
things stirred up, with the object
of heightening his influence over
the Democratic nomination and
platform.
1t does not suit Mr.. Lewis book
to be ignored. Like the head of
any revolution-though I don't for
a minute want to press the COM
parison any further-or like the
candidate for presidential NOM
ination who is out in front, he has
got to keep moving-keep making
gains-or see his power fall away.
Thus the strategy of the c. I. o.
president IN turning on the admin
lstratlon was sound even though
1t didn't accomplish the desired re-
suit.
1t is this same strategy to which
Mr.. Lewis now returns in his West
Virginia implied threat to start a
third-party movement If the Demo-
Gratis don't choose a candidate and
adopt a platform to his liking.
Would Rally Various Groups.
Mr.. Lewis says that If the Demo-
Gratis don't do this, he will call a
convention of various groups ito
formulate program that each and
every American can support"
Among the specified groups are
labor, the American Youth Con-
gress. organizations of colored
people, liberal agricultural" groups,
and, by inference. the Town
sendites, whose forthcoming con.
vention he is to address.
Mr.. Lewis is careful not to say
Tor certain that out of these het-
erogeneous elements he expects to
create a third party If the Demo-
Gratis fail him, but he leaves 1t to
be inferred that he might. It's the
Democrats. of course, that he is
shooting at; he regards the Repub-
licans as beyond the pale.
The words Of Mr.. Lewis are part
OF his continuing effort to throw a
scare into the Democrats and wiring
from them all possible concessions.
In terms of his objective. his
"third-party challenge" as some of
the headlines have it, is UNDER
standable. But that Mr.. Lewis
actually has in mind the formation
OF third party Is not to be believed
not unless you want to believe
that out Of soreness, or with some
distant goal in view, he would
rather have the Republicans than
the Democrats win in 1910. Con-
sidering the promises that the
Democratic platform is certain to
make, this is no year in which to
expect any large desertion to a
third party from the groups that
Mr.. Lewis names It might be
added that the Republicans, though
Mr.. Lewis considers them hopeless,
are going to do considerable
amount Of promising. too, with the
votes Of the farmers especially in
mind.
The 1924 Third Party"
The last time we had three
party contest was in 1924, when the
La Toilette Wheeler ticket took the
field against the conservative nomi-
nees of the Democrats and Repub-
licans, Davis and Coolidge. There
was political logic at that time in
putting up a ticket to which dis
sident voters could turn on eco
nomic grounds. Both men on the
ticket. moreover. combined courage
and deep convictions with great
political skill. Even so, they were
able to carry only one State-Wis-
consin. In popular votes they polled
1890 ,O00-a respectable total, but
far under their expectation Of
around 100000. The La Toilette
campaign simply made doubly sure
the election of Coolidge over Davis.
There is clearly far less reason
for a third party to hope for a
substantial vote this year than
there was in 1924. Senator Minton,
the Democratic whip of the Senate,
says that a ticket headed by Mr.,
Lewis would not poll 100000 votes.
1t is conceivable that such a ticket
would do better, but not conceivable
that it would have any appreciable
effect except to heighten Republican
chances by turning votes from the
Democrats. just as happened in
1924. Enough votes might be turned
IN close States to decide the elec.
ton in favor Of the Republicans.
Might Welcome Result.
It may be that in certain circum.
stances-including, possible, a third
term candidacy by Roosevelt-Mr.
Lewis would welcome that result.
He might welcome it as a first step
toward building up a labor party
movement In 1874. This would be,
one would think, his only prospec-
tive political gain from bringing
about a Republican victory.
But even if Mr. Lewis should
want, or should come to want, some
such result as this. there would
remain the question of his ability
to swing his followers, in effec-
tive numbers, back Of a long-range
program. Glance again at his list,
and I think the conclusion must
be that most Of them will vote
for promised benefits Immediately
ahead. and not the pot Of gold at
the end Of the rainbow. Mr.. Lewis,
naturally, makes his threat as fear
inspiring as possible, for he wants
to make the flesh Of the Democrats
creep. But his words sound more
horrendous than they are.