Evening star., 1946-02-03
Politicians Concerned
Over Veterans Vote
Observer Sees Nation Entering
New Political Era
BIZ Raymond Moley

a New Political Era
By Raymond Moley
The most interesting political devel-
opment in 1916 win be the way in which
veterans participate in politics and cast
their votes. Politicians already are
quaking in their boots about it. Expert
enced campaigners are frank to confess
that they don't know what veterans will
do.
There are no reliable precedents on
the subject There probably will ba
over 100000 veterans Of the Second
World War able to vote this year, and
by 1913, the eligible veteran vote will
rise close to 10,000,000 Many of them
will cast their first votes in 1946. All of
them have been out of civil circulation
for time, and great number will
have been absent for four or more years.
They have been away in larger numbers
and for longer time than veterans Of
the Civil War, 1861-1865. And large
proportion have been thousands of miles
from the United States.
For many years after the Civil War,
the veterans vote was fairly decisive in
national elections. Fear of the votes Of
Confederate veterans caused the ex-
tremists in Congress to delay perilously
and unfairly restoration of political
rights in the South. Veterans pretty
generally took over the Republican
party. And military record generally
was an essential qualification for sue
cessful candidacy. This was true,
especially of presidential candidates,
for 80 years.
After the First World War, veteran
sentiment was pretty inert, except for
the issue of the bonus. But hundreds
OF political careers were started by an
appeal for sympathy on account of war
service. A major proportion of the
1000, 900 First World War voters still are
alive and in some respects they will be
emotionally tied in with the great army
of new veteran voters.
1t Is not reasonable to expect that
veterans will vote together. They will
be divided between the parties. They
will agree on very few public issues.
They will not even agree on the kinds
or amounts of veterans benefits.
But the fact that they are veterans,
that they offered their lives for their
country and that in nearly every case
they sacrificed something for military
service will influence their thinking.
Political appeals must be reconstructed
to attract them. People now in Office
will tell what they did for the absent
boys and try to shift to others the blame
for what was not done
kx +
Much OF the blarney which politicians
will address to the veterans will be lost
on them. 1t will come from both sides
and hence will cancel out Moreover,
these men have been sufficiently hard
ened by war to dismiss oratorical bait
1t well may be that men made acutely
conscious of sacrifices in the war and of
what they regard as unnecessary short
ages after they returned will be allergic
to people in Office. To a degree, this
was true after 1920
The most important factor to be con-
sidered will be the influence of veterans
in supplying candidates. 1t is interest
ing to note that Stassen already has
quite outshone the other Republicans
who sought the nomination in 1874
The young man from Minnesota may
not hold his lead, but there is no doubt
that he has it now.
There will be many other Stassens
whose names are now unknown to the
newspapers. They will emerge in the
next few months as candidates for all
sorts Of Offices. Hundreds will be elected
this year and will emerge as notable
figures. That is why we cannot tell
what candidates may appear for all
ofhces, from President down, in 1s4s.
The elections in ls4s will determine
which men will be prominent in 1s47
and 194s.
Not all these newcomers in politics
will be statesmen or prospective states
men. But if the mail I have received
from men in the service is any indica-
ton, there will be unusual men on the
horizon-men in whom the fires of war
have lighted lofty idealism and high
purpose.
We are entering a new political era.
The parties will find little use for the
slogans and policies learned before ls4l.
Politicians will find it necessary to over
haul all their past thinking and dis
card much of what has accumulated in
their bags of tricks. The new era may
or may not be more enlightened politi-
cally than before. 1t may have the
same proportions of idealism and self
ishness. The point Is that it will be
different and the politician who neg
Iects to reckon on change will not be in
politics long.
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