Evening star., 1940-07-17
In the RUNNING

The President, for all practical
purposes, has extended welcoming
hand to the draft Roosevelt" move
ment. His opportunity to refuse a
third-term nomination has come and
gone, and there is no longer any
doubt that he will be the Demo-
cratic presidential candidate.
That much was made plain last
night when, through Senator Bark
ley, he told the convention that he
has no "desire or purpose" to be re-
nominated for the Office of Presi-
dent, statement which, under pre-
vailing circumstances, is susceptible
only of the Interpretation that Mr..
Roosevelt will accept the nomination
which surely will be offered him.
But the Presidents carefully chosen
words-singularly reminiscent of
what he once scornfully called
weasel words"-cannot fairly be
understood as representing a simple
surrender to the draft movement.
There is another side to the story;
and that, too, should be made plain.
Senator Barkley said that the
President "in no way whatsoever"
exerted any influence in the selection
OF delegates or upon the opinions Of
delegates to the convention. His
statement is open to challenge.
The draft Roosevelt" movement
has not been a spontaneous affair.
1t was started by members of the
Presidents official family-men like
Attorney General Jackson and Sec
retaries Ickes and Hopkins. It has
been carefully and persistently nur-
tured by them, as well as by lesser
New Dealers and such machine poll
ticians as Mayor Kelly of Chicago
and Mayor Hague of Jersey City. In
one way or another delegates from
many States have been pledged to
the third term. In Illinois, for ex-
ample, the Presidents name was en-
tered in the primary by other per-
sons, although the practice in that
State had been for candidates to
enter their own names, and Mr..
Roosevelt did not Withdraw.
Throughout the whole process Of
building up this draft" engineered
principally by his closest political
lieutenants, Mr.. Roosevelt remained
silent, and it is idle to deny that by
his silence he strongly implied as
sent to what was being done. And
yet Senator Barkley says that the
President "in no way whatsoever"
has exerted any influence in the Sc
lection of delegates or upon their
opinions.
The truth of the matter is that the
President, by his labored passivity,
has indirectly exerted a tremendous
influence in the selection of delegates
as we'll as upon their opinions. Nor
can it be said that the President was
powerless to prevent this activity in
his behalf. When similar agitation
for third term for Theodore Roose-
velt was started in 1907 he sent a
circular letter to the members of his
cabinet which said: II have been in
formed that certain officeholders in
your department are proposing to 60
to the national convention as dele
gates in favor Of renominating me
for the presidency, or are proposing
to procure my Endorsement for such
denomination by State conventions.
This must not be. Such advocacy of
my denomination, or acceptance of
an election as delegate for that pur-
pose, will be regarded as a serious
violation of official propriety and
will be dealt with accordingly !"
Franklin D. Roosevelt might have
done likewise.
The Presidents silence during the
past year, however, has done more
than encourage third-term advo-
Gates to believe that he would accept
denomination; it also has operated
most effectively to forestall the can
didacy of all other prospective nomi-
nees. As a result, when Mr.. Roose-
velt's statement was read to the
delegates last night, they had little If
any real freedom of choice. They
were granted truly hollow privilege
when they were told that they are
free to vote for any candidate, be-
cause the Presidents aides have seen
to it that, for practical purposes, he
! is the only candidate.
The atmosphere Of this Demo-
cratic convention would have been
fresher If Mr.. Roosevelt had un-
equivocally declared himself in or
out Of the running. As matters now
stand, his nomination for a third
term, in the judgment of many Amer
leans, will have about 1t a quality of
artificiality which cannot fail to be
cause for profound regret.
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