Roosevelt - Dictator or Democrat Book

ROOSEVELT DICTATOR OR DEMOCRAT ROOSEVELT DICTATOR OR DEMOCRAT Ey GERALD W. JOHNSON HARPER BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON TO EVERT MAM WHO CAST AN HONEST VOTE FOR WILLKIE THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED WITH RESPECT ROOSEVELT DICTATOR OR DEMOCRAT CHAPTER I FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT will continue as President of the United States disregarding unpredict able acts of God or of the common enemy at least until January 20, 1945. As regards twenty-seven million of the countrys fifty mil lion voters, this is entirely satisfactory. They planned it that way. But there are twenty-two million whose only recourse is to make the best of it, for they planned otherwise. They preferred to have another man in the White House, and in dicated their choice at the polls in November, 1940. Ordinarily, this would not justify extended comment. The American electoral system envisages the defeat of at least one party in every contest. It is assumed that the defeated party will remain in opposition during the ensuing term, scrutiniz ing every move of the administration, alert to seize upon, capitalize, and exploit to the limit all its mistakes, swift to proclaim with the voice of Stentor the heinousness of its crimes. This may not be an ideal system, but it has worked reason ably well for a hundred and fifty years and is accepted as natural and right by most Americans. But these are not ordinary times. As Mr. Roosevelts third ROOSEVELT DICTATOR OR DEMOCRAT term began it was already apparent that the old rules are no longer applicable to the new situation. Events beyond our borders and far beyond our control are depriving the sup porters of Mr. Willkie of some of the rights and privileges usually appertaining to their status as the defeated party. la the face of a foreign menace, it is the American tradition to support the President, regardless of his party. In such cir cumstances, most men prefer to speak softly even of domestic policies with which they disagree for when the countrys ex istence is threatened, it is more important to preserve unity than it is to correct governmental errors. It is evident, therefore, that Willkie men are now existing in a state of suppression, which is only too likely to continue for a long time. It is not legal suppression. There has been no occasion for anything of that kind. The moment the election was decided the great bulk of the opposition, starting with its leader, accepted the decision in good faith and prepared to support the administration as against all foreign oppo nents. But the fact that the suppression is voluntary does not alter its character. Indeed, the voluntary suppression of ones impulses may be a much more severe psychological strain than their suppression by outside force. All things considered, the positioij. of those Americans who cast an honest vote for Wendell Willkie in the election of 1940 is not altogether happy. Their loyalty to the country compels them to support Mr. Roosevelt, and they are doing it, reso lutely yet not without qualms. Any consideration that tends to reduce those qualms ought to be, therefore, not only a 2 ROOSEVELT DICTATOR OR DEMOCRAT welcome relief to honest men in a difficult position, but to some extent a contribution to national unity. This purpose would certainly not be served by a partisan argument in behalf of the New Deal The season for partisan argument ended on November 6, 1940. But there is another objection to that sort of argument at this time. It is irrelevant. Mr. Roosevelt is no longer primarily the exponent of a par ticular philosophy of government applying to the domestic affairs of the United States. He lost that position with the outbreak of the European war, and became had to become, regardless of his personal preferences the spokesman of this country to the rest of the world. The details of Mr. Roosevelts record as the leader of an American political party have, therefore, lost some of their importance as guides to his future course...Read More