The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-07-01

He began ms Chlnklng Ire so Tar on the left he flirted with socialism. But he has been travelling slowly from left to right.
 If one tried to locate him on that l long trail now 1t would be at about the spot where Al Smith stood in 1928, save on the matter of power. He would be more at home on the Democratic side of the U. s. Senate than on the Republican.
 He is one of those Democrats who broke with his party over the New Deal-and after all the New Deal is far from the traditional position of Jeffersonians.
 Willkie is liberal in the sense that he hangs to all philosophical posi- tion of Victorian nberals-the great constitutional guarantees.
 But he goes further in that he believes in dealing with the eco- homie scene.
 He has an essentially critical mind.
 He is one of those men far from satisfied with the world as it is to- day or as 1t was in 1929. He is one of those persons who believes in do- ing something about things. MORE THE STUDENT
 THAN ROOSEVELT
 In this respect he is like RooSe- welt, but his approach is different.
 Roosevelt is impulsive, moves in response to sudden good impulses Willkie is more the student. He is widely read, unlike the President, who is in no sense bookish. He likes not merely to read but to write.
 What the impact of the present world crisis on his mind will be is pure guesswork. He will probably become still more conservative.
 But the Republicans have yet to learn what their candidate will do in this turbulent world. Oddly, Joe Pew, powerful Pennsylvania oil man politician, opposed him because he thought his reform ideas were like Roosevelt's, while liberal William Allen White supported him because he thought Willkie's foreign policy ideas were like Roosevelt's.
 I think both these gentlemen will find themselves wrong.
 He is 8 realist. He is tough-f fiber ed. He may make great liberal champion. He may make 8 resolute mast if things get worse. That re- mains to be seen.
 He is an administrator of high order of ability. He is hard, exact ing, takes advice reluctantly, toler- ates no let-downs by subordinates. There will be no power behind the throne.
 REPUBLICAN PARTY
 IN NEW HANDS
 He is utility man. His company is good one, but he will be plas- tered with the bad history and manners of every local power com pany.
 The Democrats are certain to make an ugly point of the telegram drive for him by utility and broker interests in New York.
 It is probable that Willkie had nothing to do with that and it hurt
 It is probable that Willkie had nothing to do with that and it hurt him more than it helped. But in politics 8 man must take the blame of all supporters. One point is of more than pass ing importance. The Republican party behind him is quite different from the one which nominated Hoover in 1892.
 Most of the old leaders are gone. Those who were here had little real hand in the show. The depression seems to have liquidated the old guard.
 In every convention there is a procession of veteran presidential candidates. With one exception all the candidates this time were up for their first tests.
 All the serious candidates were young men-Dewey under 40, Will kie 48, Taft 50. The chairman of the resolutions committee, Herbert Hyde, was around 40. The campaign managers of all the candidates were young men.
 F. l.