Evening star., 1943-11-29

Roosevelt for third term believes
the political factors on the horizon
today warrant prediction now that
the President will be renominated
and reelected in 1914 by substan-
tial majority in the electoral college.
This view Is based upon a convic-
ton that the isolationist wing of the
Republican party is daily growing
bolder and bolder and, unless
checked in the next six months, will
virtually hand the election to Mr..
Roosevelt on platter.
Independent Vote Rules.
From three to six million Ameri-
cans in the Northern States hold the
balance Of power in national cleo
tions. They are independent voters
who used to be Republicans before
1882 but swung to the Democratic
side because they felt the Republican
party was not progressive or broad
visioned in meeting the problems of
economic depression. They con-
tinued their support in 1896 because
they felt the Republicans had a
negative attitude and no construc-
tive alternative. In 1910 they devel-
oped toward the end of the cam
palgn a distrust Of Willkie because
Of the isolationist support he was
receiving and which he failed to re-
pudiate.
These same independent voters,
many Of whom by 1910 had become
anti-New Deal, did not want to en-
trust the presidency to a man who
was In any way beholden to the
Midwest isolationist groups. The in
dependents have since discovered
that Wendell Willkie would have
risen above his isolationist sup
porters, in fact that his renomina-
ton in 1914 is being bitterly fought
already by isolation1sts from coast
to coast because he has dared since
1910 to concur in the foreign policy
OF PRESIDENT Roosevelt.
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey is being
groomed as the Republican nomi-
nee by men influential in the Re-
publican organizations. He has
made great record In public Office
and Is an excellent radio speaker.
In many respects, he might prove
en- abler man than Wendell Willkie,
especially on the administrative
side, due to his experience in gov
erning the State Of New York. But
he has placed himself in the awk-
ward position OF not being an
svowed candidate for the presidency
SO that movement to draft him is
already under way through the
customary maneuvers Of organiza-
ton politics. Such a status con-
veniently enables the New York
Governor to avoid taking issue ag-
gressively with the isolationist wing
of his party. 1t means a minimum
of political antagonisms are incurred
In pre-convention months and that
when the nomination is attained
generalities are accepted by all in
side the party as satisfactory so as
not to destroy party unity" 1t
remains to be seen whether Gov
Dewey will wish to continue in that
position.
For the strategy of the Democratic
party would be to put such candi-
date strictly on the defensive. The
American people would be asked to
recall that Warren Harding in the
1920 campaign seemed to agree by
means Of ambiguous statements with
both the pro and anti League Of
Nations factions in the Republican
party but when election came he
refused to resubmit the covenant
OF the league to the Senate and
went over whole -heartedly to the
isolationist side.
Boring From Within.
There are millions of Americans
who dislike the New Deal intensely
and believe also that fourth term
for any man would be mistake.
Both these objections would tend to
be regarded as relatively minor,
however. compared to the posi-
bility that the United States may
have another straddler on foreign
policy in the White House and thus
aid in bringing about the circum-
stances in world affairs that lead
to third world war.
The isolationists are already bor-
ing from within the Republican
party. They are reviving the 1920
antileague campaign documents OF
the Republican party and beginning
to eXcoriate the memory of Wood
row Wilson. They are revealing
also by the stop -Willkie" move
ments in various parts OF the coun-
try that they intend to punish Wen
dell Willkie for attacking isolation
ism. The opposition to Mr.. Willkie,
of course, Is not altogether on in
ternational issues. Lots OF these
groups look askance at the rise of
the first real progressive on the Re-
publican side since the days of the
Progressive party in 1912. Many
Republicans Of the conservative and
isolationist school Of thought are
often heard to remark that they
would rather vote for Mr.. Roose-
velt for a fourth term than for Mr..
WIkie. Most Of them probably do
not really mean this but their re-
cent tactics amount to the same
thing for II they keep the party
split, and nominate a straddler on
foreign policy, this can only result
in throwing the election to President
Roosevelt.
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