The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-07-15
Politics At The Front
BY RICHARD L. STROUT

|
of qualification at the timing of Mr. Roose
Velts fourth-term announcement. This report
er, you see. after dealing at length with the
D-Day invasion matter, took a plane from
England, arrived in Washington yesterday
morning as the birds were just starting to
twitter, and half dozen or 50 hours later
at the White House press conference, with
Roosevet's statement about the fourth term.
Mr.. Roosevelt is supposed to be a past mas.
ter of timing. Speaking personally, never was
this trait in better evidence than yesterday
The trouble with aviation is that it hurls
you from one world into another before you
can catch your breath. 1t was better in
| steamship days. You got adjusted on the
way across Yesterday I had a couple of
pieces OF Southern Nngland's buzz bomb
still Jungling in my pocket and was still try
ing to get oriented in the first six hours to
Americas lights, and food and carefree tenn
per after the grim gauntness of London and
the noise of the battlefront and then, presto!
l was precipitated into the midst of char
acteristic American political scene.
About the British scene, and more particu-
larly the Normandy warfront, let me say
something and get it over with. 1 have to
in any reporter, or any outsider for that
matter. That is humbleness. I don't know
that l can convey this impression to readers
but it is overwhelming in me. After seeing
what the American troops are putting up with,
and going through, there is engendered a
feeling of almost uncomfortable humility
l am just civilian Those boys are SOL
dlers and they are winning my war. They
are winning our war. That is my personal
testimony after seeing them at work, and
coming back now to America where the lights
are burning, and where everybody moves
around freely, and you can 60 to the movies
tonight or not you see fit. I don't know
how to repay the debt 1 owe them. Maybe
the only way as far as I am concerned is
to try to do my own job right, and hope in
some way to help others fashion a better
world when it is all over
1 suppose that is the test one has to apply
to Mr. Roosevelt's statement that he will run
for fourth term. I had almost forgotten
American politics when 1 was over on the
other side.
My wife sent me clipping from capable
and sincere coumnist just before the Repub-
lican convention that seemed rather funny
over there. 1t was one of those pieces about
the "eyes of the world being on the forth
coming doings of the G. 0. P. 1t spoke OF
the many foreign correspondents who were
on hand at Chicago. Actually, 1 am afraid
the London papers paid little attention to the
Republican convention. There were cursory
accounts, and an effort to tell the people
about unfamiliar Mr.. Dewey, but in most
cases these were brief and placed on the last
page. And I imagined the echo of Mr.. Roose-
vet's announcement yesterday won't sound
very much louder over there in London either,
against the roar of cannon on the Russian,
Italian and Normandy fronts, and maybe the
pilotless bombs striking nearer at hand
Even the American soldiers take only a
sort of casual interest in far-of American
politics. It sounds to them lot like the
baseball scores Mr.. Dewey says he isn't
candidate, and accepts the nomination. Mr..
Roosevelt explains he would much rather en-
ter private life, and announces he will take
the lob if chosen. Well, the soldiers note the
signs of the old political game with not I'M
sympathetic eye, but at the same time feel
it all rather remote They are busy on other
matters. For one thing, just staying alive.
In candor must report that a great ma
| iority of them, if they bother to vote would
vote. think, for Mr.. Roosevelt. But I am
not certain how ma will vote. The thing
thev are concerned with is the German NOR
tar over the next hill.
And so that leaves the responsibility on US.
It is responsibility to the boys at the front,
too We may not agree on candidates, but
nerhaps we can insist in this election on a
high level of argument, that name-calling be
eschewed and that the contestants rise to the
level of the issues they are discussing. This
| is time for greatness. And maybe you and
T. too, in some measure put ASIDE pre]u-
dices and passions and try to show ourselves
worthy at home of what the soldiers are do
inc for us aabroad-Christian Science Monitor