The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-01
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK,-A fourth term for President
Roosevelt would just about finish off the form
of government under which we lived when he
took Office in 1885, but even though the men
and women in the services undoubtedly would
give him big bulge over Tom Dewey in the
autumn election I say Congress had better
find some way to let them have their say.
In thus nominating Governor Dewey am
anticipating the Republican convention jbut 1
suppose nobody is going to dispute me-
Congress had better find way to let these
people vote because they would be awful sore
at Congress if not, and in the event that
Dewey were elected by strict home-guard
vote he would take office under a handicap
Of resentment and suspicion in the fighting
forces and his authority and prestige as COM
mander-in-chief would be badly impaired
There is some dissatisfaction with TIE conduct
OF the home-guard already, mostly because of
the strikes. This annoyance should be direct
ed against Mr.. Roosevelt himself because
he is ultimately responsible and the soldiers
sailors, marines, merchantmen Wacs and
Waves undoubtedly know it in a subconscious
way However. in their immediate view. John
L. Lewis as the devil in the coal strike and
old Green and Murray and the racketeering
Fays and De LorenzoS are responsible for the
five thousand and odd walkouts since Pearl
Harbor Most of these people grew UP under
President Roosevelt. A fellow Of say Is years
fighting in Italy or the South Pacific was
only a leggedy, buck-toothed kid when Mr.
Big walked in and had no mature apprecia-
ton of the nature Of the American system.
He has no perspective On the changes toward
fascism that have been wrought in those IL
years and he is going to feel that he has
been gypped of very important and precious
right if he doesn't get chance to vote.
Moreover in addition to the other advantages
which Mr.. Roosevelt enjoys with this great
block OF voters, he now appears before them
as their champion against lot of no-good
Republicans whose very sincere and valid
arguments on the question of states rights
will seem mean and tricky and inspired by
no other consideration than low politics. And
just as Hitler and Mussolini raised genera
ton in their own beliefs, the younger Anneri-
cans whose whole conscious intelligent life
has been spent under the influence Of the
new deal were taught not to be fastidious
about strict observance of the constitution
and the laws of their country, the less
so when strict observance would subject them
to a plain injustice and leave the election of
the next president to civilians who have made
little or no sacrifice and felt no physical pain.
This will be an awful handicap to Dewey
even if he should hop UP in Albany this very
day with a loud declaration in favor of letting
the fighters vote the federal ballot at least.
They all know Mr.. Roosevelt. He has shaped
their lives to a great extent he is their c.
inc and gaudy Snowman and they will be
more afraid Of a change of command in a
war which, in the military way and in the
matter of production at home, has been going
amazingly WE'LL than Of changes in their form
of government and the status Of the civilian
under government at home. They don't know
Dewey, they won't be able to read his cam
paign speeches and he won't be able to get
around among them to stand inspection so
the choice in their minds is bound to be one
between Mr.. Big and Mr.. Who
Like the Democratic National Committee, I
am anticipating the Democratic convention in
nominating Mr.. Roosevelt for fourth term
and assuming he will run, and for like rea-
sons. If Mr.. Roosevelt doesn't accept the NOM
nation he will defeat his own party because
there just isn't any other Democrat who could
lick Dewey. And if Dewey, the best vote
getter the Republicans have, should refuse to
run Notwithstanding his statements that he
is not candidate which are coy and not
bnding), he would be throwing down his party
and millions of people who really believe in
him and regard him as the only hope Of
saving what is left Of Constitutional govern
ment under law and restoring some Of that
which was done away with in the adolescent
days of the generation which is fighting the
war. "
II