Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-07-21
BEHIND
The NEWS
BY Paul
MaIIon

CHICAGO, July 2l-For years
- now | have covered national
political conventions as a re-
porter. At times II has been a
great strain on my faith IN
common sense. but | have never
before said anything about IT.
From long press association
experience in nonpartisanship. l
developed phlegmatlc, ele-
phantine. impregnable belief
that these quadrennial grand IL
I0sionS were human phenomena,
like the breaking out of a. boil
on a mans neck or the rise OF
blemiSh on the face. when
would soon pass, or AT least
could not pierce my faith In de-
mocracy and the inevitable DOM
ination of sense from the mass
mind.
THIS one here in Chicago,
i however, ends all that for
me. The glamour of milling,
footsore delegates assembled
from the AZ states into lew
hotels and an arena to express
the will of the party they repre-
sent. has always appealed TO me
as an accurate expression oil
the United States, its ways,
customs. heritage.
So eager and confident was
nv mind in this belief that l
accepted without hesitation the
farce of Madison Square Garden
in 1923, the usual nonsense or
platform writing. the breast
beating orators, the toollshneSS
Of candidates. without pur-
pose and such typical conVen-
ton manifestations.
r ALWAYS had enough sense
i 10 realize these things MADE
no sense in themselves, but l
had faith in the eventual eS-
sense. the final common denom-
inator, the ultimate average OF
these things as they worked out
in the end.
AS / say, this one has ruined
all that for me. l could strain
nv intelligence to the accept
ance of the illusion that Mr..
Roosevelt was really not IN
terested in his reelection, that
he is playing the part oil gooo
soldier, that he bowed TO the
will of the party in accepting
Wallace's cancellation, that his
letter announcing his decision
TO keep hands off the vice pres
idential matter came from the
heart.
Then how can I turn arounc
next day and believe the oppo-
site-that Mr.. Roosevelt or
dered the withdrawal OF AS
sistant President Byrnes. How
can any one faithfully report 10
the people the golngs-on the
fundamental guiding theories
and effects Of mass party
meeting which is not really one;
but only the carefully contrived
arrangements of one man. one
leader. who changes his NINA
from day 10 day.
AS the gruff old sage, In
dianas former Senator JIM
Watson, once put IT,. comment
ing on President Hoover VINO
was his leader:
"How are you going TO stand
behind a man with st. Nitus
dance
l give 1t up.
TINE trouble is not so much
i with the system as with
the manner in which it has been
corrupted for radio. for power
politics for Single-headed lead
ership. for domination.
Formerly you could look TO
the radicals and intellectualS TO
resist such authorltarlanlsrn.
But the radicals now are au-
thoritiarian. They Just want 10
be the authority. There are no
Democrats left, at least no be-
levers in the democratic theory
in positions of power and lead
erShip
For example. a Negro leader
here says there are no more
than s or 10 seated Negro dele
gates 10 this convention, and
admittedly the CIO controls no
or than eight Of the AZ state
delegations.
Yet they dictated, through
Mr. Roosevelt, the withdrawal
of Byrnes. who is admittedly
the only man physically and
menta ly capable of taking over
the leadership of the country IN
Mr.. RooSevelt's absence, and
this is said factually, not par
tiSanly. not conservatively. radi-
Cally or anything else. Every
body knows II.
cannot resist the feeling
that l have attended the wake
Of democracy.
Distributed nv King Features synd Inc.
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