Jim & John

When the Drought brought Franklin Roosevelt and Alf Landon together in Des Moines last month, each one had yet to speak a word in direct criticism of the other. Hence not even political innocents were surprised that the Nominees met without embarrassment, conversed in warm good fellowship, parted with expressions of mutual admiration.

Last week, for its annual Forum on Current Problems, the New York Herald Tribune arranged a meeting which, judging from its participants' public attitudes toward each other, promised to be only slightly less electric than an interview between Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

In the vocabulary of Republican National Chairman John D. M. Hamilton, there is no more contemptuous adjective than "Farleyized." Tirelessly he has belabored Democratic National Chairman James A. Farley as a veritable monster of spoils-manship, a brass-conscienced destroyer of good government. Early in the campaign, Chairman Farley plaintively inquired:"We're both in the same racket. Why does he take digs at me?"Since then he has treated Chairman Hamilton to the ultimate political insult of silence, ignoring him with the contempt of a St. Bernard for a yapping Pekingese. Only when the Republican Chairman backed up his Vice-Presidential Nominee on the subject of banks and life insurance last fortnight did Boss Farley forget himself and roar:"Chairman Hamilton's statement is as ridiculous as other statements he has made during the last few weeks."

Some 3,000 pair of eyes were glued on the two chairmen as, each in a natty light brown suit with handkerchief peeping from breast pocket, they mounted the Forum platform in the Grand Ballroom of Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria one afternoon last week. The rivals grinned, clasped hands.

"Howdy, John," said Chairman Farley.

"Howdy, Jim," said Chairman Hamilton.

The two men, old acquaintances, sat down side by side, chatted amiably while news cameras flashed. Each one listened attentively, applauded warmly as the other delivered an unwontedly temperate state ment of his Party's case. Speeches over, they left the platform arm in arm.

Said Chairman Hamilton: "Good speech, Jim."

Said Chairman Farley: "Didn't do so badly yourself, John."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.