Evening star., 1948-04-11


earn him the undying gratitude Of
future historians and biographers
but for one failing. Every day he
dictated to . stenographer what he
had said to persons in the admins
tration and what they had said to
him. His Jim Farley's Story" has
the easy reading quality Of pulp
fiction it is full Of dialogue. Para
graphs in quotes follow one another
as the conversations 60 on. The
falling Is to record conversations
that seem important as the years
roll on.
Farley has little or nothing to say
Of the political effects Of the New
Deal program, measure for measure.
He has nothing to say about the al
most total enlistment of the great
body Of organized labor that fol-
lowed the workings of Section TEA
and the Wagner Act. Farley re-
lsented the fact that the President.
through his handling OF the court
fight and embarking on the purge,
had weakened the great political
machine which he had helped build
and which in 1885 functioned In the
carrying OF all but two States.
"A Spoiled Boy to Farley
Much Of the conversation recorded
with the President, with Garner
and with Hull-has to do with the
third term. It shows, as 1910 ap-
preached, what a political sport the
President was, to use the term in Its
biological sense. He alone Of the
New Deal liberals had started his
political career by carrying opposi-
ton election districts In q success
full campaign for the State Legisla-
ture; he alone had carried a major
State by increasing majorities for
Governor. OF the New Dealers,
Wallace and Ickes were Republicans
before they entered the administra-
ton. Harry Hopkins was q social
worker with Republican background
who had never stood political test.
Robert Jackson. was q Democrat
without any political evaluation in
his own State, New York. Frank
Murphy had been defeated in Mich
igan on the issue of the sitdown
strikes.
"At the end Of 1885," wrote Farley,
ut appeared that the Democratic
nominee for President Tin 1940)
would be Garner, Hull or myself.
This was the verdict of many polls,
the consensus of political leaders,
and the Judgment of political
writer's. OF the three, had reason
to believe Roosevelt would have pre-
ferred to see me nominated"
Farley blames the President for
keeping silent well into 1910 and
thereby creating a situation where
only he could be nominated.
"At heart" he wrote, "the Presi-
dent was boy, sometimes spoiled
boy. Although he had tremendous
charm and vitality, he had . few
petty attributes which were con-
tinually getting him into trouble.
One Of these was that he was forever
trying to get even with some one
for some slight, real or fancied.
Another was that he was motivated
on decisions, large or small, by his
heart rather than his mind, all too
frequently, and by lunches rather
than by reason. Surrounded by
genuinely loyal and able people. he
would have encountered far less
trouble"
The multiplicity Of problems in
which Roosevelt allowed himself to
become interested is suggested by
Farley's report OF the cabinet meet
ing of May II, 1910, two days after
the Sedan breakthrough. THE sit
uation in France was discussed and
Roosevelt said there was about q
$3.50 chance the French would hold
out. . - After the cabinet meeting
he asked me to talk to him about
George Starr, postmaster at Seattle,
who was up for reappointment."
Social STIFFNESS Denied
The item in the Farley book that
raised the most comment was his
report that Mrs. Roosevelt once said:
Franklin finds it hard to relax
with people who aren't his social
equals
Mrs. Roosevelt denied that and so
did another Irishman from New
York, Ed Flynn, who succeeded
Farley as national chairman Of the
party and who brought out his own
book, You're the Boss" He said
in an interview:
MY friendship with Roosevelt
was more personal than political.
Roosevelt was always human, and
he always liked stories and gossip.
He liked to let his hair down. Wed
gossip about this one and that one,
and I'd say whatever I liked to him
and he'd say whatever he liked to
me. The story that he couldn't
relax with people who weren't his
social equals is just silly The
Roosevelts were all gregarious to-
the point of foolishness. The people
that Mrs. Roosevelt brought to the
White Housel And he could relax
with all of them"
Hull, a kindly man in Anal judg-
ment, begins his memoirs by say
ing, "The President respected the
proviso made ina accepting his
offer to become Secretary of State:
namely, that would not be q
mere transmitter and receiver Of
messages to and from foreign gov
ernments, that I would have my
full share in formulating and carry
ing out foreign policy"
He then goes on with the story