Evening star., 1954-05-16
Roosevelt Bill Called
Demogogues' Delight
Writer Says Cure-AII Plan
Locks Friends in Congress
By Fronk R. Kent

Locks Friends in Congress
By Fronk R. Kent
The widely promulgated idea that
young Representative Franklin D.
Roosevelt, jr., will gallop away with
the New York Democratic guberna.
torial nomination this fall, thus put
ting himself. II elected. within reach
Of the presidency. does not seem as
sound as it did. Some Of his support
ers. while still feeling he will be named
by the State convention. concede the
picture Is not quite so beautiful as 1t
was.
Nor is the reason for this entirely
due to the damage done by the un-
Savory charges made by the wife of
his brother James. who is a candidate
for Congress in California. Recently
the names Of several other New York
Democrats have been mentioned in
connection with the governorship.
Among these is Averell Hartman
True. Mr.. Hartman is personal friend
Of Mr.. Roosevelt and would not will
ingly take the nomination away from
him. Still If the powers that be"
evince a preference for Mr.. Hartman
over Mr.. Roosevelt, Mr.. Hartman would
accept and Mr.. Roosevelt would be
forced to stay in the House, where he is
understood to be terribly bored and has
made no record other than q negative
one.
Those who know the New York sit
uation point out several things that
seem to detract from his desirability
as q candidate. First. they assert
there is no public sentiment for him
whatever and his only asset is his
fathers name. That was Jimmie's asset
in 1850 when the then Gov. Earl War
rem defeated him by more than a
million and q half in State where
the Democrats have more than o mil
he has no strength Of his own in New
York and can only be nominated II De
Sapio. the new boss Of Tammany:
O'Connell, the Albany boss. and New
York's Mayor Wagner agree that he
should be. Third. aside from the ma
chine, his chief support will come from
Walter Reuther. head Of the CIO; the
left-wing Americans for Democratic
Action, OF which his mother Is an
official, and the American Labor Party,
If nominated. he would. Of course,
have the support of Adlai Stevenson,
Senator Herbert Lehman and all the
radical elements in the State. It should
be recalled, however, that Gov. Dewey
has beaten this lineup (plus the Dem
ocratic machine) three times, and il
he can be prevailed upon to run against
young Franklin nearly all the experts
agree he would "eat him up." So would.
they say. Senator IveS-if Mr.. Dewey
adheres to his intention to retire to
private life. However. it is said young
Franklin dissents from this view very
strongly. indeed. He, thinks that as q
candidate he would "eat them up
Dewey. Ives or any one else
Those who have talked with him saw
there never was a more confident, not
to say cocky. candidate. The fact that
James A. Farley. former Postmaster
General former chairman of the DEM
ocratic National Committee and the
recognized authority on New York
politics. does not favor his nomination
and regards him as weak candidate
does not in the least shake young
Franklin's belief in himself Neverthe-
less, he won't get the nomination if the
belief in him of the above mentioned
bosses is shaken. They are the pow
ers that be-
Concededly, his cause has not been
advanced by the bill he recently in
troduced to restore prosperity, cure all
our economic ills, relieve us of high
taxation, solve our agricultural prob
lens. vaccinate against unemployment,
raise wages and promote many other
desirable aims and ends. The title Of
the bill is one Ito establish a COM
prehenSive program for maintaining
economic prosperity" Comprehensive"
is the right word. If Mr.. Roosevelt
has left anything out, it is not appar-
ent. The bill contains 27O printed
pages and IL subtitles. Many Of its
principles" have been taken bodily
from the CIO publicity and much Of
the language is identical. Undoubtedly.
the bill will please Mr.. Reuther, the
ADA and all the "spend. spend.
spend, tax, tax, tax" splinter parties
and people.
But there are several things that can
be said about it-one. that 1t has not
the remotest chance of passing at this
session or any other in the foreseeable
future: two, that no one, in Congress
takes it seriously and the odds against
any member of Congress ever reading
it through are heavy indeed; three. II
not the silliest bill ever introduced in
Congress- it is certainly one of them.
1t has been called the "demagogues' de-
light" and there is much therein to
justify the name. AS for its effect in
the campaign, certainly its tendency
would be to consolidate every con-
servative, Republican as well as Demo-
crat against its author