The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-22
AsPeglerSeesH
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, By King Features syndicat,

BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, By King Features Syndicate, Incl
George Sokolsky, my colleague in punditry,
recently laundered a shirt for Governor Tom
Dewey He explained that Irving Ives, the
freshman republican senator from New York,
was speaking strictly for himself and not for
Dewey in opposing legislation to restrain the
r~ascality Of goons and thieves who run many
Of our unions. Sokolsky wrote, Il know for a
fact that Dewey is not supporting Ives abor
position at ALL"
Knowing both Dewey and Sokolsky and how
Sokolsky works, 1 daresay that Dewey told
him so. l assume that Ives has worried Dewey
by his opposition to the republican policy on
unions as represented by Senator Taft and
that, i'll this respect, Dewey wants to dis
own hum. Many of our citizens and some
speculative writer's drew the inference that
Dewey was trimming on the republican man
date received in the election of last fall to
write laws which would drag the parasites
off the body of American labor and set the
citizen free. Sokolsky says this is not true
and that Ives is off the reservation. I will
take his word for it-and Dewey's.
Now, if you will 60 back with me to some
events of last August, 1 will megaphone to
you some points of amusing but sad impor-
lance IL cur politics.
When the republicans were nominating their
AHoi AoL oSlotOl, DeWey waited Lieut.. zen.
Hugh A. Drum, retired. Notwithstanding all
the hypoc1itical clamor against religion as a
consideration in politics. every politician
knows, and so do many of the voters, that
religion is in many cases the first considera-
ton. Franklin D.. Roosevelt and other presi-
dents have bowed to this political rule. one
PLAIN result of which is that we always have
one Catholic and one justice of the Jewish
faith on the Supreme Court of the United
NJ IT. a. yh@ hoyo toIoy O4l
Roosevelt, with religion the first considera-
ton.
General Drum is a Catholic. Mai. Gen.
William j. Donovan, who opposed Drum. and
Dewey. for the republican senatorial nomina-
ton, is a Catholic, too. Dewey knew he could
not handle Donovan. who has a habit of being
his own man, and. as head of the party, the
governor opposed him. Dewey was absolutely
confident that he would win for himself. but
1t was conceded that he would have to tow
rope his senatorial candidate, whoever that
candidate might be, in the contest against
Herbert H. Lehman. Mr.. Lehman had made
a good reputation as a governor. but, more
over, the practical fact was recognized by
both democrats and republicans that he would
poll an enormous Jewish vote in the city of
New York, as he did. Because Jews and
Catholics get along we'll in New York politics,
the republicans, having no Jewish personality
comparable to Lehman, decided to pick a
Catholic. That would just about equalize
things in the field of religious consideration.
InaSmuch as DeWey's personal strength
would be a factor in the election of the
republican candidate for senator, the mana
gers of the republican machine insisted that
he deserved a man who would stay hitched
and loyal. Donovan was not, and no great
friend of Dewey. A smear was issued against
Donovan charging him with hostility to or
gained labor. That show of hostility had con-
sisted of his performance of his sworn duty
as d public prosecutor in sending to prison
some union criminals who mad dynamited a
passenger car on a struck railroad % years
ago This smear appeared OF help Donovan.
A whispered insinuation then started that al
though Donovan was a Catholic, he was not
a "good' Catholic and therefore would be
opposed by the good Catholics, especially
in Buffalo. The republicans injected the re-
ligious issue against one of their own party.
Donovan disposed Of this by quiet reference
to the fact that he had recently received two
Papal decorations for his Humanitarian
works In the second World War. He had re-
ceived the Congressional Medal of Honor for
valor in the first one.
After some haggling, General Drum casual
ly ~ it be known that he never had been
a candidate at all. Donovan couldn't beat
Dewey's strength, so in the end the republi-
cans picked Irving M. Ives, who had served
q long tIlllG III liz AlOoIy lSSioAoeoAS ohN
had puttered in labor legislation there. Ives
is a protestant. Dewey carried him on his
c%oattails.
Then Ives went to Washington and in his
first few months struck out on his own indie
pendent course on union legislation. A hand
made senator threw down his boss.
Would Donovan have been more perverse?
We dor't know, but the point is that for all
the mounting of platitudes in adherence OF
"religion in politics." religion nevertheless Is
played upon constantly by both parties. 10
be sure, it is exploited in the positive sense
by the nomination of men whose religious
pull is carefully reckoned in their favor and
not in antagonism to any religion or religious
groups But Jim Farley would be the last to
DENY that the delicate business of balancing a
ticket with a due proportion of protestants.
Catholics and Jews, and, nowadays, an oc-
casional Negro, is most important in the quail
i~ficatiors of a state chairman. l once sat in
the private business office of a democratic
state chairman of New York and heard him
turn down his own brother, a Catholic, for a
place on a county ticket with the explanation
thai. the ticket was perfectly balanced and
must lot be disturbed. But next time, may
be.
We live in a world of political lies and
false p-etenses.