Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-10
New Dealers
Fight Revolt
From South
New Political Technique
Being Practiced
BY PAUL MALL0N

WASHINGTON Feo' "
w Some minor controversy is
developing belatedly now about
my conclusions, published several
weeks ago, that the South is in
a psychological political revolt
against centralized government
methods.
A left wing reporter, whose
name is not familiar 10 me. has
circulated nationally story that
he made trip to the South and
found my conclusions restricted
10 a few newspaper editors"
"Some business men," and pro
prietors of Florida tourist re-
SORTS" The South, he reported,
is sleeping as Soundly Demo-
cratic as always.
- Now comes the Nashville Ten
neSseean with an editorial ridi-
culing by notion that a majority
in the South is eXtre me ! y
aroused over inefficiencieS in
handling rationing, the Negro
and other problems, and stating
/ got the story from some indus
trial organization. whose name is
not familiar to me.
ON THE other side, the noted
" southern columnist, John
Temple Graves, finds me dead
right" and he is joined by the
Augusta Chronicle which says
keen perception, remarkably
observant because many OF our
own people are not yet fully
conscious of the development" of
this southern revolt.
There can be no doubt about
the truth of the story, for now
Washington Is beginning to act
accordingly.
The southern congr IS m n
who are as close 10 the inner
feelings of their constituents as
any newspaper editor or re-
porter have lately taken leader
ship 10 defeat Mr.. Roosevelt's
appointment of Flynn, TO re-
pudiate the admins tr [ ms
promise 10 Marcantonio, and. in
other ways, to act independ-
emily or antagoniStic to the left
wing of the administration.
For its part, the administra-
ton is soft-pedalling the Negro
problem, has called off the fair
employment committee hear
ings in which radical Negroes
were to air more complaints:
and Mrs. Roosevelt has avoided
subjects sensitive in the South
in recent weeks.
My southern conclusions were
reached not from talking to
editors or industrialists, but
from shopkeepers, people in
stores. service occupations, no.
tells, on the street-those who
recognized me from pictures in
the paper or otherwise, and
came up to tell me their trou-
bles. They were the common
people covering all walks of life.
MY INFORMATION on the
NI rationing similarly comes
not only from them, but from
the thousands of readers in all
sections who wrote me their in
dividual experiences.
The trouble with this ad-
ministration lately has been
that Mr.. Roosevelt has no one
around like Jim Farley who
maintains touch with the COM
mon people. He is much too
busy to be expected to do it
himself, and his advisers are
largely theorists who go no
deeper into the public mind
than clipping the editorial
pages Of the newspapers.
There has been no politician
around this government with
either Farley's faculty or friend
ships throughout the country
TO keep the government in step
with any one except the local
political bosses and Office holders
who would ignore a revolt if
confronted with one.
MIR. ROOSEVELT'S outside
ANl publicists likewise seem to
be struggling in difficulties,
especially with their campaign
10 stamp out all rationing criti-
cism by calling it unpatriotic,
whether or not it is constructive
and forces Improvements.
/ listened to the most widely
publicized Of the campaigning
radio commentators in his last
broadcast. He built up a pa
thetic picture of the food
situation of the army in Guadal-
canal, saying they were getting
along on little or nothing with
out complaint, and mentioned
that Seamen in lifeboats are
starving.
His theory was that similar
suffering at home should be
welcomed and encouraged.
THIS kind of foolish thinking
Il presumes that inasmuch as
murder is also common in other
parts of the world right now,
we should have murder at home
as a patriotic duty, and even
promote a little of it so we, too.
would know how others feel
when they are murdered.
But he Immediately took the
minds of his listeners from
Guadalcanal and the lifeboats
10 the Baruch dinner given 10
ILL., -