Evening star., 1942-07-29
President Declares
He Never |ndorses
Primary Candidates
Tells Policy in Reply to
Query on Cosey's Race
For Senate in Boy Stote
BY GOULD LINCOLN.


President Roosevelt at his press
conference yesterday was asked il
he indorsed the candidacy of Repre-
sentative Casey of Massachusett!
for the Democratic senatorial nomi-
nation in the Bay State. He replied
that he is not indorsing anybody in
any primary anywhere.
1t has been generally taken for
granted here that Mr. Casey woulc
receive the Democratic nomination
to run against Senator Lodge, Re-
publican, who is up for reelection
in November.
The President recently gave Sen
ator Mead, Democrat, of New York
his blessing in his contest for the
gubernatorial nomination there.
Candidates for Governor are nomi-
mated In New York in party con-
vention. not in primary election.
There seems to be no doubt but
that If Mr.. Casey is the Democratic
choice to oppose Senator Lodge he
will have the tacit support of the
President.
Remarks to Mead Confirmed.
The President confirmed at his
press conference the quotation he
gave to Senator Mead when the
latter visited him last week, to the
effect that if he, the President, were
a delegate to the New York Demo-
cratic State Convention he would
cast his vote for Senator Mead.
At the same time the President
pointed out that Senator Mead had
spent only two minutes with him.
talking about his candidacy, and had
spent l8 minutes in Secretary Mar
win McIntyre's Office. The implica-
ton was that the President was Civ
ing little or no time to politics,
Notwithstanding many newspaper
stories picturing the Chief Executive
AS engaging in politics in big way.
At the same time the President
was being questioned about Mr..
Casey, House Majority Leader Nc
Comack was issuing a statement
attacking Secretary of War Stimson,
on OF the two Republicans in Presi-
dent Roosevelt's cabinet, for sending
letter to Senator Lodge commend
ing the Senator for his service as
military observer on the Libyan
front. The Stimson letter was sent
to Senator Lodge soon after the
latter returned to this country.
Politics Laid to Stimson.
Mr.. Mccormack charged that
Secretary Stimson was playing poll
tics when he wrote the letter on
War Department stationery and that
Senator Lodge also was playing
politics when he made the letter
public. Mr.. Mccormack sought to
distinguish between the War De-
partment and the Secretary of War.
declaring that the department was
not responsible for the letter. but
that the blame attached only to
Mr.. Stimson.
Sees Cause for Resentment.
The action OF Secretary Stim-
son In injecting himself into the
politics Of Massachusetts, by writing
the letter he did to Senator Lodge
is unfortunate from many angles"
said Mr.. Mccormack. "All per-
sons, particularly those with sons
and relatives in the armed forces,
resent the effort of any person to
use such a letter for reelection
purposes.
"One Of the unfortunate results
OF Secretary Stimson's letter is to
create the impression that he has
injected the War Department into
politics. I have received letters to
that effect. That is not so. The
ofncers of the Army had no knoWl-
edge of the letter until published
and resent it very much. In pri-
vate conversation they deplore the
action Of Secretary Stimson in send
the letter and condemn Sanator
Lodge for its publicity.
Il urge all persons not to attach
any blame to the War Department,
but to blame Secretary Stimson
who using his stationery as Secre-
tary of War, sent this letter in his
individual capacity 1t must be re-
membered that Secretary Stimson
and Senator Lodge in politics are
both Republicans and the unwar-
ranted and perniciously political &C
ton of Secretary Stimson must be
viewed from this angle.
Decided to Leave Army.
IF a Democratic member of the
cabinet were to write such a letter
he would be condemned for inject
Ing politics into the war and dis
rupting unity. Is 1t right for a Re-
publican member of the cabinet to
do this and wrong for a Democratic
member to do the same thing?
I'VE must bear in mind that SEN
etor Lodge did not have to leave the
Army The directive of the Presi-
dent simply provided that one either
had to be a member of Congress or
member of the Army or Navy. He
could not be both. Senator Lodge
elected to remain a member of the
Senate. I have no quarrel with him
on this decision, but I resent the ef-
fort to create the false impression
that he was ordered back to the
tc 1t