Evening star., 1947-01-24

draftee resorts to an impenetrable
silence on the subject or issues a
statement in which he denies his
candidacy, insists on his unavail-
ability but leaves open even the
smallest loophole, then he is deliber-
ately promoting, encouraging and
hoping to be drafted"
One unsuccessful example of this
sort of draft" occurred in 1923
when the late President Coolidge,
after having graphically declared
that ''I do not choose to run.
changed his mind at the last minute
and his most intimate friends-the
late Senator William M. Butler, OF
Massachusetts,. and the late Thomas
Cochran, member of the Morgan
firm-arrived in Kansas City fresh
from the White House with the
word that he could be drafted" !"
But it was then too late. The Re-
publican National Convention was
in session. The Hoover movement
had attained Zoo great headway and
could not be stopped.
The Roosevelt DraIt.
This draft" Coolidge effort did
not come out in the open but there
were plenty who knew the facts and
the effort was abandoned with the
greatest reluctance. OF course, the
outstanding example OF a phony
draft was that of the late MIR. Roose-
velt for a third term in 1910. That
was hypocritical and humbug
from the start. After having con-
vinced James A. Farley, then chair
man of the national committee,
and others that he did not want to
be a candidate for a third term, 1t
became apparent that Mr.. Roose-
welt, while posing as completely
aloof, was really encouraging and
directing the draft movement.
II was this that caused Mr.. Farley
to break with him. However, long
after this became apparent, Mr..
Roosevelt preserved the attitude OF
having no connection with the effort
to draft" him. despite the fact that,
under his instructions, Harry Hop.
kins and others of his intimates
were in Chicago, steam-rollering the
convention in his interest. in direct
and constant telephone communi-
cation with him in the White House,
carrying out his orders as to details.
All of this was well known. Yet
all through the campaign-and to
this day-the pretense that he had
been drafted against his will, that
he was anxious to get back to pri-
vate life, had yielded only to a
sense Of duty and the oyerWhelm-
ing unaninity of sentiment IN the
convention, was maintained. AS a
matter of fact, though the admin
istration weight made resistance
entirely futile, the convention senti-
ment was far from unanimous.
Certainly the unquestioning agree
ment that the Marshall statement
is final and Interchangeable, convinc-
ingly demonstrates that no man can
be drafted against his will.
Marshall Strengthened.
As has been pointed out, there are
q number of ways in which General
Marshall has strengthened himself
as Secretary of State by ending SO
completely all political speculation
about himself. Not the least of these
Is that he makes it easier for the
Republicans to continue the BIZ
partisan support of our foreign
policy which they had given Mr.
Byrnes. AS a possible presidential
draftee, the Republicans, as James
Reston points out in the New York
Times, would have faced this dilem-
ma-if they did not cooperate with
him, the foreign policy of the coun-
try would suffer; but if they sup
ported him, his personal prestige