Evening star., 1944-09-26
New Roosevelt Tactics
Seen Benefitinq Dewey
Capitol Hill Partisanship
Sharpened, Says Writer
BY David Laurence

ny Ddvfd Laurence
Just about two months ago-July 10 to
be exact-President Roosevelt wrote to
Chairman Hannegan of the Democratic
National Committee:
III the convention should nominate
me for the presidency - would &C
cept and serve, but I would not run In
the usual partisan, political sense"
But last Saturday night-September
23-President Roosevelt discarded that
pledge and made perhaps the most
partisan and certainly the most political
speech Of his career. Why did he
change? What was the reason for the
modification In strategy and tactics?
During the 1910 campaign Mr.. Roose-
welt waited and let his opponent cam
paign all through July and August and
then made a few speeches In the
autumn. This time the President Is
starting earlier. Why the formal entry
into the campaign In the third week in
September?
Last Registration Days.
The answer must be looked for In the
o
Mr.. Roosevelt devoted several para
graphs to discussion of soldier voting
and urged everybody to vote. He said
the politicians and candidates who
stand to lose" by soldier votes had handi-
capped or helped to prevent millions of
soldiers and sailors and seamen" from
voting. Then he remarked: you here
OF hou -
Irrespective of party you should register
and vote this November"
The last registration days In most
States are in mid October Mr.. Roose-
welt undoubtedly had to begin his cam
paign earlier because he wants to
achieve large registration on his side
in the next couple of weeks That ex-
plains the early start of the campaign
1t doesn't. of course. explain why the
speech was so political and in contradic-
ton of the July 10 promise.
The underlying reason for this altera-
tiOn in tactics may be related either to
the kind of campaign Gov Dewey has
been making-which is increasing in
ef1ectiveness-and the reports that are
| reaching here as to the excellent radio
delivery of the Republican nominee. or
| 1t may be related to the provocations
! given in the Dewey addresses.
| 1t has been apparent in the last few
weeks that the Democratic chieftains
have adopted the strategy of issuing
denials on almost everything Even the
! Clear With Sidney" remark, which Gov
Bricker. the Republican vice presidential
nominee, publicized, would normally
have been ignored as it should have
been by wise campaigners but the Demo-
Gratis actually denied that Mr. Roosevelt
said it and thus accentuated the episode
| Level of Campaigner.
1t had been supposed that Mr. Roose-
welt, following the lofty tone of his
speech in 1910 accepting a third term
and many addresses of similar nature in
that campaign, would in this fourth
term contest keep himself even more
remote from the vote solicitation
technique and the use OF a political
vocabulary. 1t was believed he would
try to remain in the stratosphere Of
tiiC SiicA SO's
Dewey would have hard time reaching
up to him. especially as the Commander
in Chief could wrap himself up in the
headlines of war news and peace plans
But nov Mr.. Roosevelt has descended
to the level of the ordinary political
campaigner and has brushed aside all
impressions that he is reluctant
nominee anxious 10 serve only because
he is "a good soldier and there's a
war on.
Mr.. Dewey will benefit from this
change in tactics. He now can strike
out boldly too in the most aggressive
political manner. The President has
every right. of course, to indugle in any
kind Of campaign he thinks Is likely
to win but as long as he appeared to be
accepting draft from the people he
was much stronger than he is today
For now he appears as Just a seeker for
political power in the same old way and
for the fourth time
The die is cast and even II he wins
the election he will find that partisan
ship on Capitol Hill especially has been
sharpened by last Saturday night 5
speech at time when Partisanship
should have been diminished in the in