Last week President Roosevelt's prestige appeared to have reached its
nadir. Of his most important Bills some had been defeated and some shelved. In Congress the Conservative Democrats were jubilant at his defeat and both they, and the La Follettes possibly in' alliance with the Committee of Industrial Organisation, were preparing to run anti-Roosevelt candidates in the Presidential election in i94o. Outside Congress the President and his policies were being fiercely attacked by representatives of industry, and his Labour Relations Board accused of bias and political prejudice. The stronghold of the Conservative anti-Roosevelt Democrats is the deep South ; and there could be no better oppor- tunity for them to show their strength than in the primary elections in Florida for the Democratic nomination in the November elections to Congress. They did so ; and their candidate was not only defeated but by an overwhelming majority. The results have been immediate. The Maximum Hours and Minimum Wage Bill has been resuscitated on a petition of the House of Representatives, and President Roosevelt may now find that the opposition to hint has relaxed. Congressmen and Senators have to face the elec- torate in November ; and the chances of anti-Roosevelt candidates will not be good if as Florida seems to show, the President remains the best judge of what the electorate wants.
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