Evening star., 1940-05-03

VIC PiColuCilCy. NOW NILS. LOuS.
worth is doing her political and
drawing room best-which, on both
counts, is considerable best-to
make Bob Taft President.
Whatever ones politics, there's
something appealing in this latest
evidence of the happy ending of
the Roosevelt Taft feud and some
thing, too, as Mrs. Longworth sug-
gests, to stir ones pride in a demo-
cratic system where hard blows are
given and taken without lasting
wounds of the spirit"
Friend Active for Dewey.
If Mrs. Longworth's support Of
Senator Taft adds piquancy to the
pre-convention Republican CAM
paign, SO also does the fact that one
Of her warmest friends, Mrs. Ruth
Hanna Mccormick Simms, the
daughter of Mark Hanna, is equally
devoted to the cause of Tom Dewey.
Washington rumor has assigned to
the dynamic Mrs. Simms the role
of chief financial "angel" of the
Dewey campaign. This part she has
disavowed; she has, however, poured
her abundant energies into the cam
paign, of which she is co-manager.
If Dewey is elected he will owe as
much to Mrs. Simms as to anybody
else and undoubtedly she will he
one Of the powers near the throre.
It's odd to see these two Cd
friends, Ruth and Alice, fellow ccE-
spirators in the fight that kept tl,c
United States out Of the League G.
Nations, now on opposite sides OF
the political fence.
Back in 1927, when Mrs. Simms.
then Mrs. Mccormick, p'as the r.
publican national committeeman. :,
from Illinois and was getting rec,
to run for Congress (she was electe ,
to the House in 28, wrote that
she and Mrs. Longworth were the
| cleverest two woman politicians at
the Capital. There was then this
difference: Mark Hanna's daughter
was in the thick of the fray, the
boss of sizable political machine
In her home State; T. RS daughter
used her influence strictly behind
the scenes. Time has wiped out the
difference. Mrs. Longworth, on the
firing line for Bob Taft, will 20 to
the Philadelphia convention as one
OF the delegates at large from Ohio.
Disagrees, Too, With Brother.
But it isn't alone with Mrs. Simms
that Alice Longworth-pontically
and for the time being only
finds herself in disagreement. Her
brother, Theodore Roosevelt, jr., is
in the Dewey camp. They are in
dividualists, these Roosevelts, both
the T. r. and the F. D. R. variety.
If Col. Roosevelt goes to the Re-
publican convention, as he will if
he follows his custom, there ought
to be a good shot for the news
photographers in Alice carrying a
banner for Bob and Ted whooping
it up for Tom.
Mrs. Longworth's sympathetic
picture of Bob Taft gives a good
idea of the man. Il hasten to add,
in self-protection, that this friendly
word OF mine concerning Mr.. Taft
is not to be construed as telling
the Republican party whom it ought
to nominate) He is hard worker:
he gives the impression of entire
sincerity: he sticks his neck OUT
on virtually every issue that comes
along; quizzed by reporters. he has
the refreshing quality, upon occa-
sion, of frankly saying II don't
know" instead of throwing of q
lot of inanities.
Though he Is no speech-making
genius, and he doesn't pretend to
be, some Of the reports that went
out from Washington after his
Gridiron Club "f1op"-which Mrs.
Longworth mentions - gave a
wrong impression. His speeches are
adequate. They are not polished and
slicked up. but they express clearly
enough what he has to say. In the
Senate debate over the arms en-
barge, when, breaking with the ma
jority of his Republican colleagues,
he voted for embargo repeal, he
gave thoroughly good account of
himself. No master of the witty
comeback, somewhat on the pom
derous side, he has yet managed
by certain ingenuousness to es-
cape serious damage even at the
hands Of such an expert heckler
as Senator Tob Connally, who has
made him a special target.
Defends as Own Speeches.
He may make some poor
speeches." says Mrs. Longworth,
but, she adds, and you can imag-
inc the malicious CLINT in her
eye, "at least they are his own.
Look at the record Of the glamour
boys. Look at the record of the
glamour President"
What are Senator Taft's chances?
Mrs. Longworth doesn't 60 into de.
tails. She only asks the reader
not to be fooled" by his sedate
methods. Quietly and methodically
he is going about the business Of
getting the nomination" That says
about all that can now be safely
said. His managers claim he will
60 into the convention with $50 to
375 delegates. They say he will have
more than Dewey. 1t is expected
that Herbert Hoover will control the
votes of around 100, that the Lam
don-Knox combination will be able
to swing a substantial block, that
the millionaire oil man Of Pennsyl-
vania, Joe Pew, will have the dis
posal Of the rs votes of that State.
If you knew what these poll
ticiaps were going to do you would
probably know the name of the Re-
publican nominee. You might know
1t II you had the confidence of Mr..
Pew alone.