Evening star., 1944-07-19

of platform it adopts. Mr.. Roosevelt
is the issue; Mr.. Roosevelt is all the
issues.
There isn't anything new about
that. 1t was true in 1896 and in
1910. 1t is even more true this
time. He isn't here and he will
not be here, but that makes no diff
ference The people in November
will vote either for or against Mr..
Roosevelt because they either like
and trust him or they dislike and
distrust him. Moreover, a relatively
insignificant number of voters on
either side will be changed by reason
or by events between now and
November,
Campaign Of Prejudice.
This is not to say that all the
party labor for the next four months
will be wasted 1t is possible to
do very effective work in registra-
ton, in getting the voters to the
polls, in building up enthusiasm, in
guarding against mistakes, in under
cover expenditure of money, in OIL
ing the local machines, and in many
other ways 1t is to say that most
OF the oratory will be wasted, most
of the literature will be worthless
and extremely few souls will be
saved by the political evangelists in
either party-fewer, even, than
usual. This is not campaign Of
reason-it is almost entirely cam
paign Of prejudice.
1t has become a general assump-
tion that if Mr.. Roosevelt is re-
elected it will be because Of the war
but that isn't so. The war is the
excuse for his candidacy and the
war along with himself as Com
mander in Chief will envelop this
convention from the start. 1t will
saturate the platform and highly
flavor every speech.
Nothing will be left undone to
rivet the wholly unsound but plaus-
ible argument that the winning of
the war depends altogether upon the
reelection of the Commander in
Chief" But once the Comman-
der in Chief is renominated it will
be seen that the reliance for his re-
election is not upon the war argu-
ment at all, but on certain very con-
crete and easily recognized polit-
ical assets that have nothing to do
With the war.
One has only to circulate around
these Chicago hotels to understand
what they are. 1t isn't only that the
presence of the CIO lobbyists and
the professional liberals al once re-
call Attorney General Biddle's IA
nous declaration that the New
Deal is political party tied in with
the labor movement under an able
political leader" but there are con-
spicuously in evidence others whom
the idealistic Mr. Biddle did not
mention but who nonetheless repre-
sent the Indispensable political base
upon which the Roosevelt chances
rest.
important among these are the
hard-faced extremely practical and
generally unsaVory machine bosses
from New York, Philadelphia, Pitts
hurgh. Jersey City, Chicago, Albany
91et other large cities, who have
va%ed fat on Federal patronage for
the past II years and are strongly
averse to any change in the presi-
dency.
Formidable Support.
Then, the presence OF many high
Federal officials recalls the TACT that
there are now on the Federal payroll
more than 3,500,OO0 persons-a vast
increase since 1910, an increase
which the practical politicians say
to large degree compensates for
the old WPA, a conceded factor
In the Roosevelt elections of 1896
and 1910
In addition, of course, there are
In the country great many emo
tional people to whom Mr.. Roosevelt
is a shining hero and who are un-
swervingly for him regardless OF
what he is or says Or does.
Take all these elements repre-
scnted here-the labor bosses, the
city machines, the State machines,
the Negroes, who, though far less
solid than in 1910 are still favor