Evening star., 1942-07-23

Russia in danger of being knocked
out. with the Nazi submarines TAX
ing toll of our shipping and pre-
cIous cargoeS that outnumbers the
new construction of ships, with
Japanese troops occupying Ameri
can territory in the Aleutian
islands and with the lives of mil
lions of American boys being risked
in theaters of war all over the globe,
Mr. Roosevelt has time to carry on
a second front of political nature
In the State of New York.
Whether Attorney General Ben
nett of the State government at
Albany, a Democrat, is not as good
q man for the gubernatorial norhi-
nation as Senator Mead, Democrat,
Is something that in times like these
might be left to the politicians and
the political organizations Of the
Empire State. Just why it should
occupy one minute of the Presi-
dents time and why his name
should be brought into the lists as
Influencing the selection of a guber-
material nominee is difficult to un-
derstand in the light of the Presi-
dents recent statement that he was
too busy being President to talk
politics to callers.
Unions Might Be Clue.
Yet the evidence piles up that the
President does give some of his
time to politics and that he has
been playing an important part in
the selection OF a nominee for the
eovernorship in New York State.
Maybe there's another side to the
matter. If there is, few men here
abouts know it. 1t will be contended
that the President wants New
Dealer to win the nomination and
thus enable the New York State
Labor party to back such a candi-
date in order that Thomas E. Dewey,
probable Republican nominee, will
have stronger opposition. It may
be that Mr.. Roosevelt is getting
ready to tell the voters of New
York State not only whom to nomi-
nate for Governor but whom to
elect Maybe the reason is that
Mr.. Roosevelt is about to make an
issue OF Mr.. Dewey's alleged isola-
tionfst viewpoint before Pearl Har-
bor@ But there is nothing wrong
with Mr.. BENEFITS views on inter-
national affairs, and 1t is not clear
anyway what the Governor of New
York has to do with foreign policy
handled by the Federal Govern
ment.
What probably, is nearer the truth
about the motivating reasons for the
Presidents Intervention in New York
State politics by announcing that he
Is for Mead against Bennett is that
he wants to get someone nominat-.
ed, and elected If possible, who will
be q rubber stamp for organized
labor unions. Mr.. Roosevelt not
only is favoring unions but is a.
lowing his administration to back
up the existing political regimes in
most unions BY means of the main
tenance-of membership clauses.
Other Evidences.
Scarcely a day passes that there
In not some new evidence of the
close tieup between the administA-
ton and trs labor groups. The
other day, for example, reports were
allowed to circulate that Mr.. Roose-
velt would send some sort of COM
munication TO Congress asking for
power to stabilize wages and take
other restrictive measures in an at
tempt TO bring order out of the
chaos that is rapidly developing in
the economic front. The rumors
were current last week Just before
the War Labor Board announced its
decision In the Little Steel" case.
At that time 1t looked as IT, the
unions wouldn't accept the a. cents
. day and would insist on the sl-a-
day increase. The assumption is
that the labor leaders were being
threatened with restrictive legisla-
ton If they didn't fall in line. They
accepted. Now lots of excuses are