Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-05-05
BEHIND
The NEWS
-ByPa
MaIIon

y
-ti,e t,so strongest pro-Roosereit
senators in the South, Pepper
of Florida and Hill of Alabama.
is being interpreted nationally
as the crushing AZ the anti
Roosevelt movement there ana
endorsement of 10 years IN the
White House.
Overdrawn generalitieS FREE
quently become popular inter
pretations in the haSty pubic
mind but The facts behind TINS
one require some specific dlNl-
sion
In truth. these primaries, IN
their background detail, furnish
an interesting understanding OF
the southern political anomaly
which always has puzzled the
rest of the country-namely,
how the South could talk one
way and vote another how IT
could elect pro and anti-Roose-
Welt legislators with equal ease,
or always be threatening 10
holt Mr.. Roosevelt and never
doing il. Here is the how ana
why. as ] gather IT.
Senator Pepper made lew
speeches. Those he made were
not important or particularly
fiery. He stressed mainly the
point that he was for the war
before even Mr.. Roosevelt lorlg..
inallv espouSing lend-lease) and
he also urged the army 10 keep
the richest Palm Beach hotel as
a hospital, although the army
earlier had turned 1T down on
the ground of cost and again
turned it down during the cam
paign.
Ills leading opponent was
IL straightforwardly against
is wears in the White House,
while Pepper chung TO the
Roosevelt coattails. He played
down. and out, his diStin-
euished record as the original
instigator also OF the poll tax
repeal movement in Congress.
His opponent tried to make
something of this distinctly
pro.Negro leadership, and there
was in circulation picture
showing Pepper with Negroes
.at-Seme- meeting eHtA West.
But three weeks before the
voting date. this issue dropped
entirely out Of the discussion
for some reason or other.
There were $4,000 federal en-
ployes in Florida. about one
third of whom may have been
recommended by Pepper for
their Jobs. As a senator. he
rather runs a personal service
bureau for Florida
To help HIM also, a rich
Canadian came in and did
much entertaining and the
Roosevelt political groups con-
tributed pressure on the radio
and in all ways possible
THE same elements were in
Il volved in Alabama, except
that Hill had once or twice
voted against Roosevelt poll
Cies, particularly farm subSi-
dies. and his hold on the coat
tail was looser but equally
secure.
In both cases, these men had
the backing Of the state ma
chimes. the ms in local poll
tics. This is generally a con-
trolling factor IN a one-party
community. 1t can elect pro or
anusRooSevelt men, or those
pro or anti-nearly anything
with equal ease
This time, Miami'S Rep Pat
Cannon, an anti-fourth termer.
won along with Pepper. In
view of this machine factor,
the size of the opposition vote
is surprising. AS Democratic
politicoS here put it:
They had trouble"
FLORIDA and Alabama in
Il recent years have been elect
ing men more favorable 10 the
Roosevelt economic policies
than. for instance, Georgia,
South or North Carolina or
Texas. 1t is erroneous, there
fore. to say the South expressed
itself in these results.
Undoubtedly, a majority of
primary voters in other south
ern states may be for 16 years
in the White House, depending
largely on what course the
Democratic leaders in those
states agree upon, but anti
Roosevelt senators presumably
also will be reelected.
The main theme of both
Pepper and Hill seemed TO be
that their reelection would help
win the war. They did not con-
tend that any one who was
against them was against the
war, as some politicians fool
lshly have attempted
More by inference than direct
contention, they tried TO create
the impression that their cleo
ton would better aid victory.
somehow by supporting Roosez
welt. but they were not specific
about any means they would
employ Their opponents were
not against the war or against
war policies
EHIS NAV be the basis later