South Yorkshire Times, November 11th 1944
America’s Choice
President Roosevelt’s re-election for a fourth term as President of the United States is not surprising, but in all respects, it is gratifying. Without any disrespect to Mr. Thomas Dewey and his Republican friends, there is no doubt that this result has come as a considerable relief to people in this country.
Not that there was anything in any way sinister or undesirable about Mr. Dewey’s candidature. The Republican nominee came to the election with a reputation for integrity and strength of character; good qualities in a President. On the other hand, there is no gain saying that he has nothing like President Roosevelt’s international background. It may be argued that until Mr. Dewey has had the opportunities provided to the President Roosevelt by his office he cannot be expected to have his experienced grasp of external affairs. That is true, but it does not explain away the fact that, lacking these opportunities, Mr. Dewey is not at the moment such a desirable President, from the United Nations point of view, as his election opponent.
War has brought enormous problems, which have to a very large extent been admirably dealt with. Peace promises to create even greater problems. If these are to be successfully dealt with, it is men of the calibre of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin who are best fitted to cope with them. it may be no fault of Mr. Dewey’s that he has not yet acquired the international prestige or stature generally regarded as necessary for the handling of these vast impending issues of reconstruction, but this being the fact, there is cause for thankfulness that the American people have seen fit to leave the Tehran team intact.
Election for a 4th term, transcending even the unprecedented honour according Mr. Roosevelt four years ago when the third term Bogey was laid, ensures what will probably prove a most valuable stability in American policy at a critical time in world history. It was entirely in keeping with their hopes of some split, however small, appearing in the solid United Nations front opposing them that the Nazis had looked for President Roosevelt’s defeat. This does not imply that Mr. Dewey and his party are anything but wholeheartedly inimical for Hitler’s Germany, but the present line-up has proved so stonily uncompromising in its opposition that any change, however hopeful, would have been regarded as better than none. Probably Hitler banked on the negative potentialities of isolationism, a doctrine which still clings suspiciously about the skirts of republicanism, as faintly favourable to the stalemate for which the Nazis are now desperately and despairingly fighting. If so the defeat at the poles of a number of notorious isolationists has plainly shown the Fuhrer the way the wind is setting.
With Mr. Roosevelt firmly in the saddle for another four years, reinforced by a bigger majority in the House of Representatives, and at least as big a hold on the Senate, one of the main cornerstones has been well and truly laid for the architects of peace. After 1918 the unexpected withdrawal of the United States from the solution of the world problem which she had only half helped solve helped to create the conditions out of which the present war sprung. This time the auguries are fairer. What is important is that victory shall be forced quickly now, so that the peace structure may be solidly cemented while our transatlantic brothers are thinking in terms of global peace, as they have so effectively acted in terms of global war.