Evening star., 1940-10-05
The Political Mill
Flynn Winning Confidence and Friends
Among Democratic Leaders of West

He insists that Mr.. Willkie has
agreed with the Presidents domestic
policies as they apply to labor, the
farmers and national defense, and
with the Presidents foreign pol
icies as they apply to England and
the totalitarian powers. There is
no issue" says Mr.. Flynn, in this
campaign, except that Mr.. Willkie
wants to be President and his
wealthy friends want him to be
President The third term, in
these unusual times, he does not
regard as an issue at all.
A few minutes after he dropped
out of the clouds to attend a lunch
con of party workers in Portland
yesterday, Mr.. Flynn was telling
them that Mr.. WILKES campaign
pain and disgust you hear so
plainly" he said. come from Re-
publicans who were mislead by
the interests which foisted Willkie
on the Republican party. Willkie
supporters have been waiting for
him 70 pull the rabbit out of the
hat but he can't do the trick.
Willkie just isn't miracle man"
And then Mr.. Flynn launches
into the power problem, an issue
of tremendous interest to the people
of oregon and Washington, where
the Great Bonneville and Grand
Coulee Dams have been constructed
at Government expense. He de-
scribed Mr.. Wilkes recent Port
land speech on the power question
as astonishing" and added; lit was
conceived of political expediency
and delivered through political
error Mr.. Willkie in that speech
said he favored completing these
great power projects and letting the
people then decide whether the
power was to be distributed by
public or private agencies.
Pictured Wealth's Champion.
Il can imagine the shock that
speech was TO Mr.. Wilkes former
employers, said Mr.. Flynn, referring
to Mr.. WILKES former presidency
of the Commonwealth e. South
ern Power Corp.
Never does Mr.. Flynn let an op-
portunity go by to inform his listen
ers, any listeners, that Mr.. Willkie
was an executive officer of a great
public utility company and that in
his eyes. Mr.. Willkie is the champion
OF wealth against the laborer. The
last, indeed, is the theme song of
the Roosevelt campaign against Mr.
Wllkie. 1t crops out in many ways
but it always crops out-that Mr.
Willkie is the candidate of wealth
and Mr.. Roosevelt the candidate of
the people. If Mr.. Roosevelt wins
reelection. it will be on that theory
rather than any other.
Mr. FLYNN. when he does not wish
to answer questions. just does not
answer them. He does it in way.
however that removes the sting. He
SAYS, for example. that he does not
care to discuss the row which has
been raised by the commissioning of
Elliott Roosevelt. son of the Presi-
dent and of draft age. as a captain
in the Army. Nor will he discuss
the retention of Miss Perkins as
Secretary of Labor, and some of the
other more embarrassing problems
of the New Deal administration.
Mr.. Flynn. apparently. has done
a good job during his visit to the
Democratic party leaders in the
Midwest and West. He has made
friends and made a good impression.
Despite his announced supreme con-
fidence of a Roosevelt victory, he
has warned the workers that they
must be on their toes, that they
must not let overconfidence cause a
let down in their campaigning.