NOVEMBER CONTEST

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 36, 11 August 1936, Page 9

NOVEMBER CONTEST

ROOSEVELT SHOULD WIN

BY A CRUSHING MAJORITY

DEMORALISED RIVALS

President Roosevelt is entering the great electoral campaign of 1936 with a bright and winning smile, writes W. f. Bulteck from New York to the "Daily Mail." In the many crises which have marked his administration of the New Deal his habit of "smiling through" has often been described as artificial;, but today his gaiety is a natural reflection of a situation which could not be more encouraging—for him. Not only has all party opposition to his re-election evaporated but the once great Republican Party is leaderless, planless, and distracted. In the Democratic primaries only one solitary antagonist—oddly enough a New York lawyer, Mr. Henry Breckentfdge. whose chief title to fame is that fee is the legal adviser of Colonel Lindbergh—dared to enter the lists tfeainat him. Mr. Breckenridge opposed Mr. Roosevelt in three States—Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. In the two last named he was defeated re- , spectively twenty and five to one, i "while in Massachusetts his defeat was jso overwhelming that no one bother- ! Ed even to tabulate the figures. Hence, it was certain that when the Democratic National Convention met at Philadelphia it would not be a deliberative but merely a ratification assembly. ■ THE REPUBLICANS. In striking contrast with the -Democratic Convention was the convention of the Republicans at Cleveland, which had to decide between many candidates, including hall a dozen "favourite sons" of individual States. "Anybody except Hoover" appeared to be the dominating sentiment of the thousand delegates and their thousand alternates. , ' Mr. Landon, their nominee, owes his strength to a phrase. In American politics phrases frequently play a great part. In this instance the phrase is that Landon is a "Kansas Coolidge." Big business interests worship this type of man. ■ The fact that the Republicans are | compelled to take for their candidate jan obscure and mediocre Governor !of a Mid-Western State—on the theory, j of course, that he can capture the Midj West from Roosevelt —reveals the j poverty of this once predominant party I in the matter of leadership. Looking beyond the conventions, the prospect is as certain as anything can be in politics that Roosevelt will be re-elected—probably by a crushing i majority. ; The demoralised Republicans seem ! to be without any concrete issue. ; Their latest blunder 'is causing j Homeric laugJiter in the Democratic camp, for by it they have deprived themselves even of the "brain trust" issue. Very solemnly the Republicans have set up a brain trust of their own. HIS MAIN SUPPORT. , In an eighty-page pamphlet entitled f "What We Must Do to Save Our Eco- ■ nomic System," it describes the popu- : lation problem as "fundamental," and ; the most dangerous form . of laissezi faire as "that which leaves the quan- ' .tity and quality of our population to' (blind biological forces which are j cruder and more dangerous than so--1 called blind economic forces." Though the Republican Party has | been fulminating for the better part of | three years against the "regimentaI tion" of the nation by the Democrats, its brain trust urges further regimentation by birth control to limit the number of the unfit, by sterilisation to discourage "mere biological urge," and by restriction of marriage where congenital reasons exist. But first and foremost it advocates "limitation of employment to our own people" by prohibiting all immigration to the United States. ONE CONCLUSION. In one delectable sentence it sets forth in support of marriage restrictions that "If no one will marry until he can afford an automobile it is certain that no children will be legitimately born except in families that can afford automobiles." The Republicans' appeal will be to ;the upper classes, whereas Mr. Roose- ! velt's strength lies in the great body of American middle and lower classes. •Perhaps the biggest factor in his favour is the colossal sums of Governl | ment money to be turned loose before 'the November election. Of this almost £500,000,000 consists of the soldiers' bonus.. Farmers benefit payments and public works account for further large amounts. With these huge sums being poured into the channels of trade in the next six months it would seem to be impossible for American business to go sour or to stagnate during the pre-election period. Hence untoward developments which might threaten the complete triumph of Mr. Roosevelt are not expected.