The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-23
Fair Enough

Editor's Note:-The Star and tn. News accept no
responsibility for the personal views Of Pugler
and often disagree with them az much az many Of
his readers His articles the good purpose of
making people think.
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
CHICAGO.-Up on the flying bridge which
juts out from the platform where the giants
sit to watch the antics of the little people,
Senator Alben Barley, of Kentucky, accord
ing to ancient formula, was viewing with pride
and pointing with alarm.
The little people stirred restlessly like things
on the quiet surface of harbor Down in
the alley, beneath the stands, amid the picnic
litter of that ribald and yet solemn American
political rite, the national nominating conven-
tion the members of the band were disap-
pearing around the bend to fall in for the
great, spontaneous ovation to the man-than-
whom. The statesman on the bridge had been
going on for long time and the surprise was
due any minute
Senator Barley is man rough-hewn like
preliminary study of one of Gutzon Bor-
glumS monumental great stone faces. He was
standing to the microphones, cleaning with
the sweat of his devotion and reading in enor-
NOUS roars the script of fateful act of
American history, already confirmed by Frank
Roosevelts demure acceptance of his fourth
nomination. He was now getting around to
the painful part in which he had to hunailiate
himself by eating the most manful words of
his entire career. blurted last winter in honest
anger at insult to Congress delivered by
the man whom he now had the privilege 10
nominate for an honor without precedent in
the life of the American nation.
On that occasion, Mr.. Roosevelt rejecting
the tax bill, for once went so far that even
the docile Barley, dull but hitherto always
reliable, snarled back with an angry speech
and, for few hours, quit his position as ma
jority leader of the Senate. In this sharp and
sudden test OF courage and conviction, both
quit miserably. The President, having fetched
calculated insult, crawled back, denying his
obvious intention. And Barley, reconsidering,
accepted sorry excuse instead of an apology
Barley was coming to that now. He had
postponed the issue well back into his Grafton
SO that, in the published accounts, it would
occur far down the text where few would
read it.
Senator Barley might disagree with his
great leader minor matters, he was ex-
planning, in general terms, and he might dis
agree on procedure or method, for, Thank
God, In this great democracy, man had a
right to hold and express an opinion. AS Vol
talre had said, he might disagree with what
you said but he would defend to the death
your right to say it. few words more and
the insult to the legislative branch had been
swallowed with muscular gulp in public
diluted to be sure with priceless phrases in
scene so AFFECT that a stranger could pity
the man and fear for a country in such hands
he Whooped on now and, at the Close his
nomination of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
left the little people momentarily unprepared
Ihey were not allowed to cheer a nomination.
They could only cheer a fact accomplished
long ago and acknowledged by the President
in letter last week to Robert E. Hannegan,
the puppet chairman of the party an affable
handshaker in an empty job.
The music came on with a crash and they
began to stretch in the aisles, carrying their
blue and white legends on the winning of the
war and the winning of the peace with Mr..
Roosevelt, and bouncing their state standards
on high in trudging procession whose dura-
ton the reporters began to clock from force
OF habit. Barley swabbed his face, stepped
pack and then stepped again to the fore to
pose for the photographers standing the
press benches and clamoring Senator. this
way, Senator Just one more, Senator
Barley was good at this. He would throw
out his right hand in an oratorcal sweep and
part his rugged features in a reasonably con-
vlnclng grin. Now to the left of the bridge,
for the photographers over there. Now back
to the right, with different placard in his
left hand. Hold it higher. Senator it hides
your face. A little this way, Senator
Sam Jackson, another obscurity like Han
negan, hailing from Indiana, crowded the old
hack for place in the pictures. He is new
and this convention gave him a miraculous
chance to get into the papers. He smiled inn
portantly initiating Barkley's wave and, once
when Barley paused for drink of water,
pulled out a low-comedy brown derby which
he cooked on his head to solemnize his
torical event while the little people shuffled
by below.
The little people do not know how very
little they were. Many Of them had never
seen a convention before and they came de-
termined to enact their spontaneous demon
stration. They seemed to believe literally that
they were deciding nominations and policies,
not knowing that Sidney Hillman and Phillip
Murray long ago determined that they should
nominate Henry Wallace for vice president
and were insisting on this choice against any
other preference of the little people.
so THEY SAY