Evening star., 1943-01-18
Ed Flynn Has Been Friend
OF Roosevelt for 78 Years
Retiring Party Head
Is Pleasant, Quiet,
But q Real Fighter
By the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, Jan. 18.-Eghteen
years ago an obscure New York pol
itician paid courtesy call on a man
who had given up politics for the
insurance business.
They had met before. yes, but then
and there a really firm friendship
began.
The insurance man was Franklin
D. Roosevelt, then recovering from
infantile paralysis; the politician
was Edward J. Flynn, now retiring
as Democratic national chairman,
whose nomination to diplomatic
post in Australia has lathered the
Republlcans-ands some Democrats
into fine political fury.
Mr.. Flynn. as Bronx County
leader thought it would be friend
ly gesture to call on the man who
few years earlier had been the
party's unsuccessful vice presiden-
tial candidate.
Other Visits Follow.
Other visits followed. The mems
friendship grew, and in 1928, when
Alfred E. Smith sought the presi-
dency, Tammany leaders decided to
run Mr.. Roosevelt for Governor to
strengthen the party State ticket
Mr., Flynn was the intermediary be-
tween Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Smith.
The beginning of the story of Mr..
Flynn's appointment to diplomatic
post is bit confusing. President
Roosevelt usually announces his own
appointments. Then the man so
honored starts talking. This time
the reverse was true.
Mr. Flynn called a press confer
ence in New York on January and
proudly told reporters Of his new
and important task in the far Pacific
as Minister to Australia The White
House was never more silent for four
days.
Then on Monday Mr.. Roosevelt
sent to the Senate Mr.. Flynns NOM
ination and made public letter
which he had written to Dear Ed
die" on Friday.
1T was Just a comedy of errors
on both sides" said Mr. Flynn.
Ed Flynn is strapping, 6-foot
Irisman who rode to political sue
cess by teaming with a winner still
in the making-Franklin D. Roose-
welt.
Once Desperately Poor.
Even now there are reporters in
the Bronx who say they can re-
member Mr.. Flynn when he was a
| lawyer and SO desperately poor he
used to smoke their cigarettes be-
cause he didn't have any of his own.
That, Of course, was years ago and
in definite contrast to the Flynn of
( today, with home on Spuyten Duy-
VII Parkway and a country place
at Lake Mahopac, Putnam County.
N. Y. 1t was the simple matter of
paving Belgian courtyard at his
, country home that has caused him
the most trouble.
Early in 1912 Paul J. Kern, de-
posed president of the Municipal
Civil Service Commission. charged
that Mr.. Flynn had used some
5000 city-oUned granite paving
blocks to surface his courtyard and
that city employees had done the
work
Mr. Flynn, vacationine in Florida,
declared, Il am afraid Kern is suf-
fering from delusion of self-im-
portance and self elf-righteousness
which has unbalanced his mind. l
had no knowledge of or responsible
. ity for the situation ne is trying to
capitalize"
Reimbursed City.
While several investigations were
in progress Mr., Flynn reimbursed
the city, and later a Bronx County
grand jury exonerated him. Mr.
Flynn sold the estate in July, but
his present ambitions are being buf-
feted about by some Senators Sen
ator Bridges, Republican, OF New
Hampshire already has called him
Paving Block Flynn"
I In the Senate Thursday, Senator
Bridges demanded that the For
eign Relations Committee investi-
gate various charges against Mr.
Flynn. Open hearings have been
set for Wednesday.
He declared that Mr.. Flynn.
/ through the law firm of GoldWater
& Flynn. represented Mr. Serge
Rubinstein, who at the time of his
retainer with Flynn had large jap
anese interests and that this Mr
Rubinstein was closely associated
with this country until two weeks
before Pearl Harbor" Mr.. Rubin
stein, Senator Bridges added. also
presented a gift of money to the
Japanese government at time
when our relations with Japan were
clearly strained
The Senator also charged that
MFR Flynn, as chancellor of the city
of New York. invested public funds
in the State Title & MORTGAGE Co