Show l I NEWS BEHIND H I N D THE NEWS 1 11 Written ri for The TI Telegram r B By Ray Tucker WASHINGTON WASHINGTON-V Vi Vice I c e President President President dent Garner enjoys a distinct advantage advantage advantage ad ad- I vantage over President Roosevelt If it the two should hould join battle for control of the congress and the Democratic party party party-as as a almost I 1 m o 0 s t every practical politico expects Its It's the difference between being a friend and an acquaintance of the boys on Capitol Hill The legislators even his most sympathetic supporters see the president only infrequently and then only for formal visits he is much too busy with a hundred other problems to hobnob with them But Jack turns the gavel over to a senator shoves his hands in his deep pockets pockets' and strolls through the chamber and corridors His office is a social center for members of both bodies seeking advice After hours he holds a levee at his hotel room During the controversies over government reorganization and taxation his nightly guests were men like Representative Lindsay Warren of North Carolina the presidents president's spokesman for the re reorganization reorganization reorganization re- re organization bill Representative Fred Vinson of Kentucky Mr Roosevelt's taxation expert and Majority Leader Sam Rayburn They like Jack they admire him and they find it hard to disagree dis dis- disagree disagree agree with his hard headed conservative conservative con con- philosophy Meanwhile Mr Roosevelt was closeting himself himself himself him him- self with left wingers wingers wingers-Berle Berle Hopkins Corcoran who Corcoran who have al almost almost al- al most no Influence on Capitol Hill James Roosevelt has cast aside his political swaddling clothes and is ready to step out as an adult politician with high am am- It is understood that the presidents president's son on will soon make an oratorical sw swing ng through Massa Massa- Duane Wilson an extremely able newspaper ex man has been quietly attached to young Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roose Roose- velt's entourage He doesn't show up at the sons son's White House office office office of of- fice except at very odd hours and his presence within the secretary's secretary's sec see secretariat isn't generally gener generally ally aUy known Lately however he has been assembling material for fora a series of explosive speeches which Jimmie will deliver not as 83 the presidents president's son but as a Bay state voter and office seeker Young Roosevelt will attempt to prove through statistics gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered from Secretary's Ropers Roper's and Secretary Perkins Perkins' departments that northern factories make a aI I mistake when they move south In search of lower taxes wages and other costs He will submit economic economic economic eco eco- arguments that in the long longrun longrun longrun run it will profit them to remain right where they are Behind son James' James decision to rush to the defense of New England's England's England's En En- glands gland's economic and industrial system at this time lies his de determination determination determination de- de termination that he must make his bid for political preferment now or never He had expected to hold off a few years but he figures it might be fatal if he waits until 1940 A frequent and favorite visitor at Jimmies Jimmie's office the last few weeks has been Paul Dever at attorney attorney attorney at- at torney general of Massachusetts Though originally chilly to the proposition Mr Dever is supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed to have succumbed to the suggestion that he run for governor governor governor gov gov- with James as his candidate candidate candidate candi candi- date for lieutenant governor The present gubernatorial incumbent Charles F. F Hurley has go got in bad with the White House having dared to oppose the president on child labor and power In his latest blast he declared that the governorship of Massachusetts cannot be dictated to by anybody I miles away That sounded like a hot fling at Jimmie Young Roosevelt planned to serve another two years as assistant as assistant assistant as- as vice president But now it begins to look as if the Roosevelt name and fame may be dimmed in national politics two years hence and If he wants to make a start hed he'd better get going now The Republicans have been fooled fooled and and fooled themselves themselves- so many times in recent years that they wont won't tell teU you the time without holding a huddle So in their public statements they have deliberately reduced private estimates estimates estimates esti esti- mates of next falls fall's gains in house seats For publication they guess that they might pick up from 40 to 60 places in addition to the 90 they hold now That would still leave them a party in a miserable minority especially as it Is mathematically impossible for them to recapture the senate But privately their most conservative and cautious look for fora a gain ranging from 75 to Provided the economic slump continues they would not be surprised surprised surprised sur sur- if they became the domInant dominant dominant dom dom- group in the lower chamber On gloomy days some Democrats v agree with them But heres here's what most people forget If they retain their Ther- Ther band of 90 they need only about 70 new seats to checkmate checkmate checkmate check check- mate F. F D. D R. R for the dying years of his second term On all major questions about 60 Democrats vote with the G. G O. O P. P and between them they would muster a a. majority majority majority ma ma- against the White House That's why F F. D. D R. R will campaign campaign campaign cam cam- as vigorously for election of new deal Democrats next fallas fall fallas as if he were running himself It will be the overture overture- to 1940 President Roosevelt's young brain Cohen Corcoran Coyle Hopkins etc privately express their gratitude for the treatment which the old guard in Wall Street and on CapIto Capitol Capitol Cap Cap- itol Ito Hill have dished out to the administration during the last four depression months They figure that their enemies drove F. F D. D R. R back into their arms F. F D. D R. R Rs R.'s apparent indecision and inactivity in inthe the face of the economic slump worried them They figured that the other c crowd r row o w d J Jones ones Garner had Garner had sold him the idea of withdrawing completely from the field of reform and public public pub pub- lic lie aid He seemed to have discarded discarded dis dis- dis carded their ideas You could cut the gloom in their camp Then as Mr Roosevelt so frequently frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre complains business re refused refused refused re- re fused to cooperate with him they continued to discharge men and cancel orders Democratic conservatives conservatives conservatives con con- junked his power wage-hour wage tax and reorganization measures He saw no spirit of cooperation there So he has turned again to the reformers the reformers the s spender p pen e n d e r the s-the s the brain They noticed if nobody else did that Vice President President President dent Garner was omitted from the list of high officials invited to attend the recent conferences on relief and pump priming A harsh bitter note creeps into the presidents president's voice when he re refers refers refers re- re fers to dictators these days and he never did mention them in kindly tones The reason Two of his pet bills supreme court reform and government government government gov gov- reorganization were reorganization were de defeated defeated defeated de- de on the ground that they were designed to make him a dictator Its It's a personal grudge now as well as philosophic Copyright 1938 for The Telegram |