Evening star., 1944-09-27

BY this time FRANK H. Aent'
% per cent of the voters know how
they are going to vote, and practi-
cally no souls will be saved by po.
litical oratory from now out.
To a considerable degree this has
been 50 from the start. Either you
are for Mr.. Roosevelt or you are
against him, and the number of
voters capable OF being influenced
by the position Of the candidates on
the issues or by attack and defense
is relatively negligible.
Both parties and both men ir
this campaign, as in most cam
paigns, have managed to avoid any
attitude contrary to the sentiment
of the people generally or to any
large group of voters in particular.
Now that the war in Europe is all
but won and postwar foreign policy
has been lifted out of politics by
Gov. DeWey'S declaration the whole
business very largely comes down to
the question Of whether the voters
want Mr.. Roosevelt, and the ele-
ments and individuals who adhere
to him, continued in power for
another four years or whether they
are sick of the New Deal crowd and
want a change in administration.
Sets Style for Campaign.
The relative efficiency of the party
organiza tons in getting their vote
to the polls will have considerable
to do with the result, but it is
doubtful whether speeches, either by
the principals or by subordinates,
will affect the situation one way
or the other.
However. the most recent Roose-
welt effort is notable because 1t
probably sets the style in which his
campaign will be conducted during
the next six weeks Clearly, it is
not going to be on a very high
plane; but then, that is no change
The Roosevelt campaigns have
never been on lofty level, The
New Deal formula for meeting
criticism and making political
speeches always has negatived any
idea OF accuracy or fairness.
This Roosevelt speech conformed
entirely to the formula. 1t ignored
the facts, abused the opposition,
abounded with feebly funny quips,
Jumped the whole opposition up as
liars and frauds attributed to ii
the lowest of motives and, smugly
sscribing to himself all wisdom,
foresight and virtue, denounced the
Republicans for Misrepresentation
while himself making various ugly
and misleading innuendoes.
In fact, he has committed practi-
cally every crime with which he
charged his opponents. In addition,
by the clear intimation that he
alone is At to make the peace, he
seemed to insist that the question
of postwar foreign policy remains
a political issue, just when most
thoughtful Americans hoped that
the Dewey attitude had taken it
wholly out of the campaign.
Unquestionably, the lesser fourth
term spokesmen will follow the
Presidents lead, and campaign of
bitterness and personalities appears
scheduled. Evidence of this was
given on Sunday by Mr.. 1ckes, who
Immediately following the Roose-
velt speech, INDUCED in one of his
tvpicallv coarse TRADES 1t strikes
the key for the whole fourth-term
publicity.
In his Oklahoma speech Monday
Gov. Dewey made it clear that he
did not intend to permit his op-
ponent and his literary aids, now
headed by Mr. Robert Sherwood, to
get by with this kind of stuff. But
ne did not touch upon the most
hrazen of the Roosevelt statements
for example, that in which he ele-
gantly asserted that he had never
learned how ito talk out of both
sides of my mouth at the same
time"
Record Refutex Assertion.
Certainly, the record refutes this
assertion 100 per cent 1t Is full
Of instances of presidential double
talk and there are innumerable wit
nesses. 1t was an astounding thing
for L man to say who had once
publicly repudiated the League of
Nations and now is one of its lead
ing advocates; who denounced those
who charged that he would take
the Nation off the gold standard and
then took it off as quickly as he
could: who vehemently assailed the
Hoover administration for deficit
spending and then created deficits
greater than anyone ever dreamed
But, going from issues to indi-
viduals, think of a man who assails
his opponent for double talk, after
the sort of double talk he gave Mr.
Byrnes last June and the sort of
letter he wrote Mr.. Wallace and
the sort of deal he gave Senator
Barkley! And these are not all.
Certainly, it takes supreme eff
frontery for a man with the Roose-
Velt record of inconsistency and con-
tradiction publicly to preen himself
as having never learned to talk out
Of both sides of his mouth and tc
criticize his opponents for so doing
The Republicans, of course, cannot
call the President of the United
States a liar and a fraud, but GER
tainly it is permissible to show
from the record that, coming from
him, this charge of double talk is
both ridiculous and hypocritical
And 1t should be shown, too, be-
cause 1t is as phony a pose as can be
imagined
. II the American people accept 1t
then there really is nothing they
cannot be given-no limit to their
gullibility. Gov. Dewey took full
advantage of most of the openings
Mr.. Roosevelt had given him, except