Evening star., 1940-07-31

j m. II lett
some herculean deeds to shoot at.
The new man. moreover, comes in
at time when Democratic pros
poets are clouded with uncertainty;
when, as it now appears, the Demo-
cratic cause is going to demand
redoubled effort and ingenuity on
the part of its managers. Maybe
there's an unseen tide running that
will sweep the President on to
another great victory and the
national chairman to the glory that
was Jims. But the chairman can't
bank on it. He has got to look
possible defeat in the face. No
wonder at least two of the men
considered for the job, the able and
astute Senator Byrnes of South
Carolina and the Presidents New
York friend, Frank Walker. have
shown decided reluctance to be
drafted.
G. o. P. Of to Running Start.
Not much Importance can be
attached to the way things are
going now, but whatever strategical
advantage has been gained rests
with the Republicans. Their cam
paign got off to a running start
with the prompt selection of capable
Joe Martin as chairman; their pub
lcity mills are going full blast;
e-for-President Clubs are en-
ticing the independent vote; the
candidate himself, though ostensibly
on vacation, is hard at it and is yet
to make any tactical blunder.
To date, the Democratic campaign
has been marked by a complete alb
sence of the up-and-at- EN- spirit
with which the party legions left
their Philadelphia convention of
1886, after the tumultuous meeting
on Franklin Field, and went out to
do battle for Roosevelt The politi-
cal Importance of Chicago's sores
has perhaps been exaggerated. Even
so, they are one of an accumulation
of liabilities which give the Repub.
licans ground for hope They ac-
count in part for the lethargy with
which the Democratic campaign has
begun.
In Roosevelt and Wallace. the New
Dealers have their victory. but they
are yet to prove, in terms of prac-
tical politics, that they know what
to do with it. The old exultant
spirit of four years ago may be
| recaptured; it must be, to a very
large extent, If the drive to gain a
third term for the President is not
to bog down. But crusading spirit
is not enough in politics. Bryan
inspired it in his party in 1896 but
Mark Hanna corralled the votes for
Mckinley. To the zeal of the indi-
vidual-even of the individual Job
holder-must be added organization.
That was where Jim Farley came
in.
Machine Not Yet Stocked.
Four years ago the machine had
full steam up and a master hand at
the throttle. This year the machine
is yet to be stocked and the hand to
guide 1t has not been chosen.
There were some New Dealers at
Chicago who let their victory 20 to
their heads. They said-these ex-
tremists-that it was a good thing
for the party that Farley was going
out Of the national chairmanship;
he was shrewd and able, they said.
but he was an old-line Democrat at
heart. The party would be better
OIL with national chairman COM
pletely in sympathy with the New
Deal. Get rid, they said of all the
commanders of the party who were
not OF the true faith. Thus, in their
folly, they spoke of the national
chairman, the while they had COM
mon cause with Hague and Kelly.
This, to repeat, was an extreme
view. and it was not shared by the
President or Mrs. Roosevelt.
One wonders, now. whether even
the most ardent of the party purg-
ers wouldn't like to have the sure
and experienced hand of Jim Farley
back at the throttle.