Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-03
PeeIer Tells
His Reaction
To Mayor
Calls LaGuardio Replica
of President Roosevelt
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLEB

IF l were a resident OF the city
Il of New York / would vote
against Fiorello LaGuardia IN
the coming election not so much
because would expect William
ODwyer, the Democratic NOM
inee, to make a fine mayor. al
though / think he would be
pretty good. as because l am
anti-New Deal or New Order
and anti-Communist, and Mr..
LaGuardia is just lower-case
Franklin ID. Roosevelt, politi-
cally. temperamentally and
every other way, except that he
has not allowed any member or
his family to fatten up on the
spoils of office.
I am a reactionary, that Is
what l am and / would like To
see a political reaction get on
to a good start in our largest
city.
Moreover, ar, sick Of the
Hitleresque. personalized abuse
and vengeance which have is
sued from both the White
House and the New York City
Hall these last several years.
ID believe it degrades two OF
our highest offices and pro-
vokes intemperance in the
people,
At this point you may say
that i am a fine one to be OBJ
jecting to incorporate language
but the answer is that / am
not a public official and more
over probably have been afs
fected by the tone of Mr..
Roosevelt's speeches and our
mayors. being very young and
impressionable.
DUT, what the hell, m n
- and you can blame that
little vulgarity on our rulers be-,
cause ! never did swear. drink
or smoke before 1892 - il you
are anti-New Deal or New Or
der as TO the national admin
istration you can't consistently
support a half-siZe F. ID. r for
an office which. in domestic inn
portance, is second only to the
presidency. itself.
/ see where the World-Tele-
gram. which opposed Roosevelt
politically in 1910, and Captain
Patterson's Daily News. which
has been anti-Roosevelt on the
war issue and hot as fire in that
opposition. too. are both in
LaGuardia's corner in this cam
paign and / think that is about
the silliest display of editorial
confusion that / have ever seen.
Because LaGuardia is Roose-
welt without any reservations
that have been able TO discover
and the Little One is subject to
the same objections. pound for
pound. that are held a gainst
Mr.. Big.
LaGuardia Is no less pro-war
than President Roosevelt but /
am one who is inclined TO string
along with. but little behind
both Of them on that issue and
therefore, probably don't make
very good sense il you regard
the war as the one and only
issue.
But I don't regard the war an
the one and only.
/ am afraid and convinced
that war has been spelled out
for the United States OF Amer
ice by past events and Adolf
Hitler and. such being my belief.
want TO know that this sacrifice
will not be made for the purpose
Of creating hereby our own
efforts or political folly. the very
condition that the enemy is try
ing TO inflict on us.
/ WANT to see mayor in New
Il York and. presently. a presi-
dent in Washington, who will
not only repudiate communism
but run Communists and party
liners ragged just as LaGuardia
and the President now harass
Nazis. Bundists and those whom
they call Quislings or Appcasers.
The attempts TO change La
Guardias name from Little
Flower to Butch has failed and
the reason is that he just amt
the Butch type. He is a needler
and good Snowman and don't
let any one tell you he doesn't
like his picture in the papers
because his vanity eats il up.
The reason why he seems TO
be a Butch is that he fights
tomcat style and would just as
soon chew your nose off or
scratch out your eyes. in the
sense of repartee, of course,
whereas his opponents have
been mostly old style. standup,
Tom Figg political fighters.
But. like Harold Ickes. he will
tan-can If you give him the
laces across the mush in the
clinches and tromp on his toes
and push him around and he has
got by with his rough stuff. be-
cause most Of his opponents
have too much dignity and re-
spect for the office and public
opinion. ~--
A reporter stopped him one
day when LaGuardia, in that
pip-squeak voice of his yelled:
II am going to tell your boss
on YOU"
The reporter simulated La
Guardia's voice with a high