The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-20
GOD BLESS FRANKLIN ROOSE'
WELT

GOD BLESS FRANKLIN ROOSE-
WELT
ADDRESS BY AMBASSADOR 10
SEPHUS DANIELS AT THE
ELECTORAL COLLEGE BAN
QUIET AT MAYFLOWER HO-
TEL, WASHINGTON, JANU-
AIRY 10, 1941.
When your chairman did me the
honor to invite me to have a part
in tonight's program because, as
he said, I was at n time "the
Boss of the President" he ex-
pressed the hope that I would re-
call the days when MIR. Roosevelt
was assistant-secretary of the Navy
and relate some incidents OF that
relationship in 1890 before our
rank changed and he became my
Boss in 1888. My answer was the
question: Did you ever know a
Roosevelt who had a Boss?" All
the same, he suggested that instead
of discussing public problems l
should give a personal and lntl-
mate picture of Franklin Roose-
welt, drawn from official and per-
sonal association. He added that the
members of the Electoral College,
and others, would prefer the low
down on the President before he
reached the exalted station When
man deem it lese majestic to speak
of the Chief Executive except In
terms betting the great office he
holds. THE people, he suggest
ed. would be most interested If
you would give the low-down on
that young man before he climbed
the highest rungs of the ladder to
world distinction
That suggestion appealed to me
until I reflected that, though he al
ways addresses me as Chief, time
has altered the relationship and he
is now my Chief, and I hold the
office of Ambassador "at the pleas
ure of the President" Therefore, If
I should dip into the past and lift
off the lid and narrate some spicy
incidents, how could I be sure that
tomorrow morning my official
head would be on my shoulders?
There are no 'low-doWns' in tn e
early or later public career of our
beloved leader. However, there
were many ~"high-ups" of ambl-
ton and achievement, too many to
enumerate.
I may be wrong, but it is my be-
lief that from the moment Grover
Cleveland put his hand on tn e
boys head and said to the youth
full Franklin, when his father took
him to the White House: "Young
man, v aspire to this burden
some office" the President-to-be
said to himself: Zone of these
days I will hang my hat up in this
big building and prove that it is
a jolly good place to live in" And
from that moment, though he
shared his secret ambition with no
one, Franklin Roosevelt, sub.con'
sciously had his eye fixed upon the
residence which he now occupies,
I doubt, however, if he ther
dreamed he would be given a lease
extending more than eight years.
The first time i saw Franklin
Roosevelt was at the Baltimore con-
vention in 1912. He came breezing
(no other word would describe his
entrance) into the Democratic Ma
tional Committee headquarters
with an upstate editor who h a d
called for a press ticket. In figure
and feature I thought my visitor a
Twentieth Century Apollo. Beyond
the physical attraction was a per
sona1 charm and an enthusiasm fol
the nomination of Woodrow Viii.
son which drew me to him. Though
a regularly elected district dele
gate. he was disfranchised by the
unit rule and he was forced to see
the solid vote of the Empire State
cast for a candidate who was MOI
his choice, but he more than made
up in effective championship or
the outside for the loss of his vote.
Roosevelt and McAdoo and Nor
genthau and a score of other sup
porters of Wilson protested in vair
against the application of the unit
rule. In succeeding years Roose.
welt helped to destroy that undemo'
cratic rule and the equally archaic
two-thirds rule in national conven.
tons.
In that chance meeting was
formed a friendship and an alliance
for the years to come Though mel
Their of us thought of it them which
has endured. I didn't feel that
morning / was meeting a stranger
Z had followed young Roosevelt's
career in the State Senate of New
York with admiration as he bat
tied against the election of a utility
attorney to the United States Sen
ate, as I had fought in like con
flicts in my state; when Bob Wag
ner and Al Smith and Roosevelt
were seeking to prevent the ex
ploitation of the natural resource.
OF their state for the enrichment
of those who would clip the wing.