Evening star., 1944-07-14

literally reeks with nobility. One
would never gather from Mr.. Han
negan that for months past, aided
by Mr.. Roosevelt's personal secre-
taries. he has been pulling every
possible wire to get this delegate
majority. -
And certainly, one would never
gather from Mr.. Roosevelt's letter
that he not only was fully aware
and approved of what Mr.. Han
negan and his White House aides
were doing but encouraged it. Yet,
there isn't an informed newspaper
man or politician who does not know
these things to be true.
Nor would one gather from either
letter that there are among the
delegates several hundred strongly
opposed to a fourth Roosevelt term,
who feel that it is against the ma
tional interests to re-elect him and
that the consequences would be very
bad for him, for the party and for
the Nation. Yet they will make no
convention fight because the White
House weight makes such fight
completely futile.
Big City Bosses Aid.
Neither do we gettrom the letters
any hint that the core of the Roose-
welt convention ma jority is furnished
by the big city bosses, whom Mr..
Roosevelt for years has been feeding
on Federal patronage-bosses like
Hague of New Jersey, the O'Connells
of Albany, Tammany Hall and Ed
Flynn of New York and Brooklyn,
Eddie Kelly of Chicago and Gu1ey
Of Pennsylvania.
Without the delegates controlled
by these bosses Mr.. Hannegan's
clear majority" just would not exist.
These are indisputable facts, but
the letters do not touch upon them.
Nevertheless they ought to be known
far more widely than they are. In
view of what Mr.. Roosevelt has been
doing, what Mr.. Hannegan has been
doing and what scores of other pres
ldential jobholders and aides have
been doing, these letters seem unc-
tuous, disingenuous and the result OF
cold political calculation.
The Roosevelt worshipers will
swallow them whole and think them
wonderful. But those who do not
shut their minds to the facts will
certainly gag. 1t is perhaps natural
that the letters should have been
followed by q renewal Of the predic-
ton that when the convention meets
the President will be on the Nor
mandy battlefield.
That would strengthen the strategy
Of the fourth-term managers, which
Is to keep the war always to the
front, put the emphasis heavily on
the Commander In Chief and rele-
gate all domestic issues to the rear.
There are many who feel that the
visit would be superb political
coup on the part of Mr.. Roosevelt,
which would fatten out his oppo-
nents and make it impossible for
them ever to regain the national
attention with their indictment OF
the administration incompetency
or warnings of the very real ma
tional dangers involved in a fourth
term.
Might Be Blunder.
However, it is reported, some OF
the more astute of the White House
aides feel the visit easily might turn
into a colossal blunder. So great is
this chance, it is said, that, keenly
as he wants to do it, Mr.. Roosevelt
will never put himself in such a po-
sition. For one thing, it is argued,
the Commander in Chiefs presence
on the battlefield would need to be
completely justified and it is just
impossible to construct convincing
case.
Clearly, there exist no reasons of
military strategy, no necessity for
conference or personal contact.
Instead, the time of the high COM
manding officers would be unneces-
sarily taken up by the visit of the
President. Their attention would, to
some degree at least, be diverted
from the vital business of beating
the Germans.