Show Washington M rry Go Roand Ickes Ponders r Role o of Judge Maker By Drew Pearson WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Secretary Secretary of the Interior Harold L L. Ickes do does s not usually consider himself a Judge maker but ho he Is quietly and unofficially assuming that role in order to get rid of the tho governor of the Virgin islands The governor is Charles Harwood Harwood Har Har- wood who has been i in the hair of many Virgin islanders to say nothing of Secretary Ickes' Ickes own sparse loc locks s for several years Governor Harwood has complained complained complained com com- to Secretary Ickes that when he was appointed he thought it was understood he would not have to spend too much time in the islands He spends considerable time in Washington For some time Ickes has hoped to get rid of the governor but there is one major diff difficulty culty Harwood is one of President Roosevelt's o old oldest I d c est s t political friends He served in in the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York state assembly bly when then taking his first plunge into politics was elected to the state senate from Dutchess county Harwood and the president have been good friends ever since in addition to which the Virgin islands governor has been a substantial substantial substantial sub sub- contributor to tho the Democratic Democratic Democratic Dem Dem- party Therefore since the secretary of the interior cant can't get rid of his governor of the Virgin islands in any other way he would like to see sec him made a justice of the U. U S S. S court of appeals appeals appeals ap ap- ap- ap peals for the District of Columbia Columbia Columbia Colum Colum- bia where Judge Fred Vinson's scat is vacant A good many people have In InI Inquired Inquired In- In I of this columnist regarding regarding regarding regard regard- ing t the c fact that ho was offered the alleged Hopkins letter some weeks some weeks ago but did not publish pub pub- lish Ush it Here are more details The letter was offered by Joe Lieb who says that he organized organized organized organ organ- the first Roosevelt for President club lub in 1932 and now v c claims aims that he was the organIzer organizer organizer organ organ- izer of the first MacArthur for President club dub The reasons why this column decided against pub publication were First it seemed Inconceivable that Hopkins would write a a. letter let let- ter terr of that kind since all his conversation and efforts have been to promote F D R for a fourth term not not Willkie second the letter was a copy and looked phony on the surface third it was offered by a man active in trying to smear Willkie by making making making mak mak- ing it appear that he was se secretly secretly secretly se- se linked up with Hopkins and the White House the chief tactics I This is one of of old guard Republicans as far faras faras faras as this columnist has been able to to d determine e However Howe t there is absolutely no secret d deal al between between between be be- tween Roosevelt and Willkie Their relationship Is one of mutual mutual mutual mu mu- respect but not cordial admiration The president appreciated Willkie's public cooperation with him on foreign policy but buthe buthe buthe he has lias never been enthusiastic over Willkie's unofficial ambassadorial ambas ambas- ambassadorial trips to various parts of the world perhaps because they tended to crowd him F D R from the limelight And when the president learned that Willkie Will Will- kie de had an invitation from the Australian government ent t to visit that co country he is reported to have stepped In with a hint to the Australian government that Mrs Roosevelt take the trip instead Some time before this the president had offered Willkie the job of civilian defense di director director director di- di rector which Willkie refused refused- partly bec because use he didn't think he should hould accept any post in the Roosevelt administration Uon partly because he felt that the civilian defense job was an almost hopeless hopeless hope hope- less one which could not be straightened out easily and which would only hurt him po po- Willkie's friends suspected suspected suspected sus sus- the president of having ulterior political motives in offerIng offering offering of of- fering him this Job But w while h fl the e the president do doesn't relish too much political strength on Willkie's part it itcan can be said that he is most anxious th that that t Willkie continue his bi bipartisan bipartisan bl- bl partisan support of or his is foreign policies Therefore when Marquis Mar Mar- quip quis Childs published a a magazine magazine maga maga- zine article detailing various wisecracks which the president purportedly had made about W Willkie the he president took th the I trou trouble Je to write Willkie a long tong letter Better taking up the points inthe in inthe inthe the article one by one and carefully carefully care care- fully refuting each one of them It was the kind of letter you write to a man whose respect you consider important and nd want to keep The war department has re received received received re- re many letters recently from ministers and private families families families fam fam- suggesting that instead of sending casualty messages by bytel tel telegram gram to bereaved families they be sent to a committee of p pastors In e each ech ch community o one i of whom would then deliver the mc- mc message age and seek to soften the blow of the tragic news So far however the war department department department de de- de- de has taken the position that it should continue delivery of ot the casualty casually messages by Western Union messenger er boy Army officials argue that delivery delivery delivery de de- de- de livery by a clergyman would cause confusion and delay and that a clergyman might not be available at the time or he might lack proper and Immediate Immediate immediate Immedi immedi- ate transportation Copyright 1944 by United Feature Syndicate |