Browning chief., 1944-04-21
Washington Dig
Difficult Job C0nfronts
New Democratic Leaders
Chairman Hannegan, Pubicist Porter, Must
Rebuild Party Machine; Answer COP
Attacks on Bureaucracy.
By BAUKHAGE
Ne1Us Analyst and Commentator.

Jim Farley took over a pretty
well running machine built up by
Raskob. Farley did splendid job
OF keeping it spinning until 1886. It
was a Observation-Disclosures
for-President machine that far.
Then Farley got other ideas-one,
that two terms was enough for
Roosevelt, and the other was that
the next term, it would be Farley.
The machine changed to one
man dog which, for four years,
would only come when its master
spoke and it's master was Farley.
After the historic split, it fell apart
except as the states kept their seq
ments intact.
So all Mr.. Hannegan has to do is
to put it together again if he can
find all the parts.
That is the first job as far as the
Democratic offensive goes.
AS to the defense, they feel they
already have pretty clear picture
OF the Republican war plans as re-
Vealed in activities to date.
They point to the campaign that
won the Republicans another seat
in the House of Representatives
from the first Congressional district
OF Colorado. The Democratic candi-
date was young war hero. His
Republican opponent was a business
man. He had a very simple line
of attack. He hammered bureauc-
racy, he placed the present ills OF
the community squarely on the head
| of the administration-gasr rationing,
for instance.
The OPA Fight
The Democrats say this PATTERN
damning the administration ad-
ministering-has been revealed in
congress too. The fight over the
OPA is current example. Minority
Leader Joe Martin announced at the
beginning that nobody wanted to do
away with price regulation but that
present regulation must be i'm
proved. What the Democrats expect
is that the Republicans will drag
out the hearings as long as possible,
parade what they call "a chamber
of horrors" before the people, at
tempting to associate all the irrita-
tions, limitations and restrictions
which are annoying the public, on
the administration.
There are other obstacles which
are product of the time which the
Democrats have to meet. They are
realistic about them.
One is the fourth term, of course.
That may partially be offset by the
don't change horses in the middle
of a stream" argument which is
counted upon to influence a great
number of people who think it might
be disastrous to shift leadership,
whether you like it or not, while
the war is going on.
Another situation which the Demo-
Gratis face and about which there is
little or nothing to do is the great
migration of voters who have failed
to establish residence in their new
homes or who are in the armed
forces and will not be able to vote.
AS one Democrat put it to me: "We
know we are going to suffer more
than the Republicans from this
change of residence business. 1t
isn't the man and woman who lives
in Park Avenue penthouse who
moves to San Diego to work in an
airplane plant; it is the hill billy who
has, voted Democratic all his life
who moves to war boom town and
forgets to register"
Campaign Weapons
And" he added, "it is the soldier
son of families which have been re-
electing Roosevelt who isn't going
to get his ballot in from Kwajalein
atoll or Middlesex-on-sticks, Wangle-
shire, Hereford, England"
Here are two main dishes the
Democrats probably will offer the
voter!
The first, I have already men,
toned. Don't change horses
The second can be encompassed in
one woodwork! You can call it
security, or any other name that
smells as sweet. But the Democrats
count on the fact that the average
American fears another depression,
or at least temporary unemploy-
ment when the boys come home.
The argument is, "They (the Demo-
crats) did it before, they can do it
again the Republicans brought
you panic, the New Deal got you
through it."
Circumstances alter the best laid