Evening star., 1940-07-20
Contest Of Men Seen
In Coming Campaign
For the Presidency
White Declares Churucte,
Estimate Of WiIIkie by
Public q Potent Factor
BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.
CHICAGO. July 20.-The adjourn
ment of the Democratic convention
two days ago sends 1t receding into
the perspective of the past. The
issues of the campaign are made
and are clearly emerging. Even
now the Democratic pow-wow is
almost as remote as the Republican
convention.
In his radio acceptance speech
after the vice presidential nominal
ton of Secretary Wallace. President
Roosevelt made it clear that so far
as the vital issues of the campaign
go, which will surely revolve around
foreign policy. the Democratic plat
form and Senator Burt Wheeler's
isolationist victory are now in the
incineretor-gone and forgotten.
The President in his acceptance
speech recanted nothing of his
promises to help Great Britain in
every safe way possible under the
law. Probably he will be asking for
change in the law before Septem-
ber. The ring in his voice and the
confident assurance with which he
crammed Wallace's nomination feet
first down the necks of the protest.
ing deep South and the subservient
city bosses, indicates that Mr..
Roosevelt's assurance is not broken.
To Make Own Campaign.
He will make his own campaign
He will make no speeches and let
no other Democrats say anything
that will amount to a hill Of beans
On the other hand, Mr.. WILKES
utterances in the last 60 days have
been as definite as those of the
President in favor of aiding the
Allies. More important than the
utterances of the two leaders, the
authentic polls of public opinion
show definitely that the American
people will support the points OF
agreement between Mr.. Roosevelt
and Mr. Willkie in the matter OF
foreign policy.
AS to the New Deal, Mr.. Willkie
has said time and again, as Mr.
Hoover and as Mr.. Landon and as
most responsible Republican leaders
have announced, that the New Deal
in principle will stand. Labor will
be, protected by Federal authority
in collective bargaining. Some sort
of a floor for wages and ceiling for
hours of labor will be maintained
also by Federal law.
Wall Street will live under the
basilisk eye of Federal control, and
public utilities will submit to Federal
regulations now on the statute
books. Bank deposits insurance will
continue until wiped out by the next
panic. And so on down the line.
Still it will be the Presidents job
to prove that Republican fingers are
crossed when they say they will
maintain the principles of the New
Deal. 1t will be Mr.. Wilkes job
and that of his partisans to con-
vince the people that the basic
principle of a third term is more
menacing to the American institu-
tions than the threatened mild
modification of administration in
carrying out the New Deal.
Hot Campaign Subjects.
The stress of the campaign is
bound to come on the question of
foreign policy. The fall of France
has pushed American popular SYM
pathy toward the Allies far for
ward in the last 80 days. The Nazi
blitzkrieg upon England, when 1t
really starts. will inject our foreign
policy as a paramount issue into
the campaign.
In formulating the issues around
our foreign relations, the inevitable
differences of opinion of citizens and
their various emotional urges in the
matter of helping the Allies will
surely furnish grounds for a hot
campaign. Foreign policy and the
third term will give the people
plenty to think about.
Moreover, two colorful personal
tiles like those of President Roose-
welt and Mr.. Willkie will dramatize
gorgeously the honest differences OF
opinion between them and their
individual followers. It will be In
the nature of things a contest be-
tween men.
How Willkie will handle himself
in front of the opponent whom he
SCOTS at as "the champ" no one
can predict. He Is handicapped by
a natural candor which makes him
speak his mind honestly in spite
of his immediate self Interest. He
cracks jokes easily, perhaps danger
ously. He does not wear the poll
ticians' habitual mask Of restraint
He cannot easily talk the political
double entendre, saying one thing
prompously and meaning another
which curiously the American peo-
pie have come to expect in their
political leadership.
Indeed Mr.. WILKES fine qualities
of courage and unquestioned intel
lectual capacity may be the very
qualities that will betray him in his
contest with the most adriot leader
this generation has seen.
Willkie Must Prove Character.
Even now that the issues are
emerging-foreign policy and the
third term-it seems evident thai
the outcome of this campaign viii
hang upon the final estimate which
the American people make about