Evening star., 1944-01-28

strategists admitted q change ir
personnel in the White House Is
desirable In order to nominate some
other Democrat, they would at the
same time be admitting the strength
of the Republican argument that g
change in the Presidency can be
made even in time OF war.
Along with the certainty that Mr.
Roosevelt will be renominated goes
q sincere confidence among the
Democratic politicians that he will
be reelected. They do not think
the country would change horses in
midstream." Strangely enough, they
concede that If the Republicans had
unity In their party and really NOM
mated their strongest man, the race
might be close. But while they don't
expect to see the same majority ir
the electoral college as in previous
Roosevelt elections, they do feel cer-
tain there will be a majority.
This feeling of assurance about
success has been heightened con-
siderably by the Willkie controversy
inside the Republican party. Demo-
Gratis of prominence who talk pri-
vately about the election and who
have a good knowledge Of national
politics say that they are quite sure
Mr.. Willkie will not be nominated
They believe the hard-boiled busi-
nessmen who control the Republican
party are as bitter against Mr.. Will
kie as against Mr.. Roosevelt. Chief
cause of this bitterness apparently
is that Mr.. Willlkie, who looked like
a good reactionary in June, 1910
when he emerged from the presi-
dency Of public utility company to
get the Republican nomination
turns out to have few liberal ideas
and actually might be friendly to
labor and might even 60 along with
certain New Deal reforms that have
public support behind them.
One Of the principal troubles with
the Republican party is that it has
in it SO many influential campaign
contributors who are businessmen
primarily and who never have un-
derstood national politics. The same
qualities which make some OF them
unbending in the face Of certain in
evitable social reforms often make
them unbending as against political
leaders who sense the popular de-
mand for legislation to bring about
those reforms.
Since the days Of Theodore
Roosevelt, the Republicans have
been torn between conservative and
progressive factfonalism, but at no
time since 1912 has the nomination
of a real progressive by the Re-
publican party chiefs been permit
ted. The first true progressive to
emerge since 1912 on the Republi-
can side is Mr.. Willkie, and the mo-
ment the conservatives discovered
his progressivism they turned on
him.
There is some reason to believe
that Gov. Dewey of New York has
progressive instincts and, If elected
President, would be found accept
ing many of the New Deal reforms
but with clarifying" rather than
"nullifying" amendments. Since the
New York Governor says he is not
a candidate, he does not have to ex-
press himself and hence the Re
publican businessmen cannot find
out how he really feels. The advice
from a political viewpoint doubtless
being given Gov. Dewey is that he
remain silent or abstract-at least
until after he is nominated.
Gov. Dewey's chief weakness,
however, is that while he may re-
veal signs of progressivism on do
mestic issues that would appeal to
progressive Republicans, he is in
clined to straddle on international
policy questions. He did this in
the preconvention campaign OF
loan IF he tries this wear to satisfy