Evening star., 1944-04-14


these sugges- Frank r. Kent.
tions has any basis in fact or logic
Actually, they are so impracticable
as to be negligible and are inter-
esting largely because they exhibit
an unsettled frame of mind upon
the part of administration adher-
ents from whom they emanate.
To some degree this diminished
confidence in the fourth-term camp
Is traceable to phase of the Wis
consin result which has been
largely overlooked by the commen-
tators, but not by the practical
politicians. This is the size of the
anti-Roosevelt vote cast in those
primaries.
The spectacular character of Mr..
Wilkes campaign and the conse-
quencies Of his defeat so concen-
trated attention upon the Repub-
lican Wisconsin figures that those
of the other party were almost
wholly obscured. Yet, the fact is
that there was an anti Roosevelt
ticket in the field, which received
the votes of $1,000 Democrats. The
Roosevelt ticket polled 10000.
The significant thing about this
snti-Roosevelt ticket was that,
while avowedly anti-Roosevelt, it
was headed by no candidate, and
its only appeal was through the
slogan stop Politics and, Win the
War" The Roosevelt manager, who
is also Democratic State Chair
man and National Committeeman,
warned all Democrats that any
vote for the stop Politics" slate
was vote against Mr.. Roosevelt.
$1,000 Hostile Vote.
1t is naturally assumed that the
$1,000 Democrats who did vote for
that slate are against fourth term
and that a part of them, at least,
will carry that opposition to the
point of voting against the fourth
term candidate in November. Clear
ly, $1,000 hostile Democratic voters
are a sufficient number to give the
fourth-te -termers cause for uneasiness
when they reflect that in 1910 Mr..
Roosevelt only carried Wisconsin
over Mr.. Willkie by $4,000 majority.
Considering this-considering, too,
the increased Republican vote as
compared to the diminished Demo-
cratic vote, the deduction, which
was promptly made by the poll
ticians, that to carry Wisconsin in
November Mr.. Roosevelt will have
to combine the Willkie vote there
with his own, seems not only logi-
cal but unavoidable.
Probably, this reasoning is re-
sponsible for the recent New Deal
tsh talk about Roosevelt Willkie
ticket and for the forecast that Mr..
Willkie will bolt the Republicans
and support the President. Ger
tafnly, it seems clear that unless
the Willkie vote can be added to
the Roosevelt vote the latter can
not carry Wisconsin.
Apprehension lest the same situa-
ton apply in even more electorally
important States is enough to ac-
count for the coalition talk. How
ever, those who indulge in it ap-
pear to overlook several rather
sound reasons why such a coalition
or support is not feasible.
One of these is that while q man
In politics may turn his coat once
without damage it is much more
difficult to turn it twice and still re-
tain strength. Mr.. Willkie switched
from the Democratic to the Repub-
lican party before his 1910 nomina-
ton. To switch back to the Demo-
cratic party after an unsuccessful
effort to get the 1914 Republican
nomination would invite a vast lot
Of criticism and the loss of more
friends.
A second reason is because there
Is neither personal nor political
friendship between Mr.. Roosevelt
and MIR. Willkie. Nothing has an
noyed Mr.. Willkie more than the
allegation that he is an Imitation
Roosevelt" and a New Dealer at
heart" That is why his indictments
of the Roosevelt domestic admins
tration have been so severe, and
why, too, in his last speech before
withdrawal he made a scathing at
tack upon the Roosevelt foreign
policies.
Painful Swallowing.
Either to support Mr.. Roosevelt
or TO run on a ticket with him
would necessitate the painful and
public swallowing by Mr.. Willkie
OF a great many burning words.
Finally, If there were no others.
there is the reason that Mr.. Willkie
can only refuse support to the Re-
publican candidate as a matter of
principle. Only if the nominee and
the platform are such as to make it
clear that the principles for which
he has fought (chief of which is
postwar international cooperation)
have been abandoned by the party
only in that case could Mr.. Willkie
Justify a bolt. No one really thinks
that is going to happen.
The Dewey record on foreign
policy conforms completely to Mr..
wilkes own. The Dewey position
and his own on domestic affairs
are almost identical The only diff
ference is that in the foreign field
Mr.. Dewey has not been as aggres-