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Show Why F. R. Plays Sphinx I , Siltnct on Third Tarrn'nivoyt Anti Naw Dealer ... I By BEBTBAM BENEDICT "The very first thing he ought to do In 1940," averred Robe, manufacturer and self -confessed economic royalist, "Is spill the beans about a third term." "I hope it's the very last thing he does in 1HO," retorted Rev. Dr. Henderson. 100 per cent new dealer. "Anyhow, the last thing before the Democratic convention" conven-tion" s "But the American people aren't children, to be teased and mystified. Especially when there's no point to It" "All the point te It In the world," objected the Roosevel-tlan. Roosevel-tlan. "That's why" "The only point to It Is to satisfy sat-isfy his swelled ego. And his overweening yen to play politics," poli-tics," interrupted Robb, doggedly. dog-gedly. The two were holding forth at the last luncheon meeting for 1939 of the Friday Chew-the-Rag dub, and, as usual, no quarter was being asked or given. Would Lea Central '"Now be reasonable, Robb. You know perfectly well the moment-he announces he's not running run-ning again, that moment he loses control over the Democratic -parrr" . "You can't expect me to shed tears over that Even if I were a Democrat which, thank heaven, I'm not I'd say that would be the best thing ever happened hap-pened to the party." "Look at It from his angle. Assume, As-sume, Juet for the sake of the argument the Democratic party ought to stay liberal." "You mean, ought to stay half-.baked half-.baked Instead of beginning to listen to the Voice of Experience." Experi-ence." "As long as they react well, call them the conservatives In the party. As long as they're afraid he'll run himself, they'll make any concession to him to avoid that" "They've been making 'concessions 'conces-sions to him for seven long years," said the economic royal-. 1st, "and now look; at the darned -thing!" Party Opponents ef F. D. B. "The Cotton Ed Smiths, the Tydlngsea, the Martin Dieses, the Carter Glasses, all hate his guts. So do the" "I'have a sneaking suspicion," Robb interrupted again, "that Carter Glass and he really like each other under the akin, but won't admit It" "All right the Garners, then, the John W. Davliei, the Ras-kobs. Ras-kobs. Suppose they're really scared, up to the very convention, conven-tion, he'll run again? Then they'll say, 'All right we'll take any liberal you want provided It isn't you.'" "Wouldn't that be Just too fine and dandy for the country?" commented the manufacturer. "And that wouldn't be all of It" the new dealer went on. "All the Democratic boys who want to turn the party over to big business again they'd have to say, also, 'We'll let you write the platform, too, mister, If only you don't run yourself." Few More Tears "Four more years of treasury deficits. Wouldn't that be simply sim-ply divine, too!" "But suppose he were to announce an-nounce early In 1940 say at the Jackson day dinner on January 8 that he was stepping out of the picture?" "Then every real 100 per cent American could hardly watt for January t to roll around," said Robb, smacking his lips with gusto. "Then all the reactionaries in the party would gang up to nominate nom-inate their own stooge," the new dealer went on lmperturbably. "Most of the anti new deal possibilities aren't stooges," protested pro-tested the conservative. ?Gar-ner, ?Gar-ner, Tydings, Wheeler-' Jesse Jones, Byrd, Clark. They're real" men, every one of them." When Fear Is Bemeved "Then, too, the boys In congress con-gress who vote for liberal laws only because .they're afraid of him why, they'd all thumb their noses at him. Because they'd know he'd have no more power to punish or reward after Jan- -uary 20, 1941." "Using patronage to cram a program dowa congress's throat lent decent." ' "Then we've had nothing but Indecent presidents, Democratic or Republican, for a good many ' years," retorted the clergyman. "If he's keeping the country guessing Just because he knows otherwise he'd be licked la an out-and-out fight" the anti new dealer retorted In tuny "then he's cowardly to boot "No, only astute. Mighty astute. as-tute. And another thing. Take the liberals In the administration administra-tion who might get the nomination nomina-tion if he doesn't Wallace, Hop-kin" Hop-kin" "You take them, doctor I " wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot 10-foot pole." ' " , Douglas, mayb Hull I said "maybe,' maybe .Farley again I said maybe,' Murphy, Ickes. A it la, they all work to-gether to-gether now with and for the chief." Hew A boat John U Lewis? "I only wonder you don't add John U Lewis to the list" "But suppose the chief says he's out? Then any one of these others is eligible. Then they'll all begin .to work at cross purpose. pur-pose. Then he'll have lost even hi. Mnimj over the, Iff l"!; f ers." ' "His fifth cousin. Theodore, didn't pull any hocus-pocus like this. Right after he was elected for his second term, T. R. an- ! nounced he wouldn't take a third." r "Yes, and later T. R. admitted that was a mistake. Perhaps the greatest political mistake he ever made. And T. R.'s fifth cousin -has studied T. R.'s career under a microscope." "What was a mistake about It?" the anti new dealer wanted to know. "Same thing would happen now. Congress thumbed Its nose at the first Roosevelt all through his second term. Even though the president's party had a big majority." "Why, I always thought Teddy Roosevelt was Just as popular during his second term as his first. Leastways, he certainly , could have had a third term it he'd wanted. Bucked T. B. j "He was popular with the people, peo-ple, not with congress. Congress ) knew It was his last term, so " they laughed at him. The rec- ' ord shows T. R. got less out of congress his second term than In his first" "T. R. didn't have any trouble getting Taft nominated to take ' his place," the economic royal- ' 1st pointed out "Because Taft was a eonserva- i tive. T. R. couldn't have put a liberal over. As It was, all the t Hopefuls were pulling wires ,. I not to put T. R.'s program over, but to get themselves nominated." nominat-ed." "Well, other presidents, too, I were frank and above-board about their Intentions. Take , - ' Rutherford Hayes. He said even ' , , before his first term began he I wouldn't take a second." "That was because lots of people peo-ple thought the. election was stolen for Hayes In the electoral college. Hayes simply had to re- V fuse to succeed himself." CeoUdge Refuted to Bun "And Calvin Coolldge. Now there was a straight-shooter. Al- I most a whole year before the national na-tional convention, he said he i 1 wouldn't run again." !'' "Coolldge didn't quite say 1 that," the new dealer remarked. "Well, he said he didn't choose to run again. That was Just his Yankee way of putting it" "Yes, but he refused to eiabo-rate. eiabo-rate. He only said he wouldn't go after another nomination. He ' didn't say he wouldn't take it if It came along." "At least Coolldge said something some-thing ahead of time," rejoined the economic royalist "I would -not mind so much if this fellow really went after a third term, ! as I mind all his hush-hush about i It. That's the whole trouble with him, it Isn't so much what he ' 1 does as how he does It" Copyright 1940, 'Editorial I Research Reports. I |