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cn encima tne amet a ee Oe Ne Se cee amarante ea APRIL 14, 1947 by Herman Kogan PRit, 1 was April Fool’s Day for the A Republicans in Chicago. Having grabbed important Cook County offices from the Democrats in last November's election, a combination of over-conf- dence and dizziness tripped them up in the contest for the key city’s mayoralty, with the result that Democrat Martin J. Kennelly came through with a plu- tality of 275,000 over his bumbling Republican opponent, Russell W. Root. Although some Democratic observers were quick to detect a trend in the Re- publican defeat, actually Kennelly’s election has more. significance locally are ‘* Hwthan nationally. Last winter McCormick and Governor Dwight H. Green had handpicked Root because he was ready to respond to the slightest crooking of a big shot’s finger. Ao unknown precinct captain in an up- pet-middle-class South Side ward three years ago, Root had held minor state jobs; and whenever he opened his wide mouth he seemed to be reciting the lat- est Tribune editorial. Believing that old Boss Ed Kelly, or at least one of his protégés, would be Root's foe, the Re- publicans had prepared for another slaughter in Apcril. But that political wise man, Colonel Jack Arvey, Kelly's successor as boss of the Cook County Central Democratic Committee (see the NR, March 24), crossed them up. It was time, he said, the taint of professional politics as prac- tised in Chicago. And he chose Kennelly, A Chicago newspaperman for 15 years, Herman Kogan is the co-author of Lords of the Levee, « political bi- ography of Bathhouse Jobm Coughlin and Hinky Dink Kenna, Chicago's famed First Ward aldermen. During the war be served as « Marine combat correspondent. A adhetaiaea ether artantena dectentecamnrmneieinaitiad to pick 2 non-machine man, free from, the. : FO ar eR A NTR Yn three terete amar, The Republicans, caught off-guard, were bewildered. Here was 2 foe who had actually fought the Kelly machine in previous elections; a genial, silver- haired bachelor of 59 with lots of sin- cerity, ideas and audience appeal; a successful, wealthy, conventional busi- nessman; a candidate who said firmly, | in accepting the nomination: “I have not made nor will I make any com- mitments to anybody. We must get away from the idea that the govern- ment belongs to a party and realize that it belongs to the people.” As a result Root rode off in a dozen directions. He called Kennelly a “poli- tical faker” and a “shara independent.” He insisted that Kennelly discuss the “issue of the hour—the clouds of World War IIL” Before Negro voters the Re- publican speakers blamed the local Democrats for the Bilbos and Rankins. Representative Alvin O'Konski, the Wisconsin spellbinder, was imported to advise the Polish constituency that a- vote for Martin Kennelly would make Joseph Stalin very happy. In Jewish neighborhoods Root spoke for a “free Palestine.” “Curly” Brooks, McCor- mick’s Senator, bustled in from Wash- ington to let the people know that Ken- nelly's election would be the signal for . gq third World War. ‘ Root did manage to discuss local is- sues. But a good deal of his oratorical fire was concentrated on American for- eign policy, a matter ia which many Chicagoans have a deep interest except when they are looking for someone to clean up the streets and alleys, solve the traction mess, improve the woeful schools, reduce taxes and build houses. $ amateur politicos often do, Ken- Anat waged a clean, intelligent cam- paign. He stayed away from official party headquarters, had no manager, and came forth with concrete proposals for stimulating home building, solving the traction tie-up, constructing super- highways and subways and strengthen- ing the civil-service system. In the closing days of the campaign, a tragedy in downstate Hlinois put the torch to Republican hopes—if any still existed. An explosion in a Centralia mine trapped 111 men. GOP Governor Green’s appointees were charged with negligence in enforcing safety rules; a pathetic letter from miners before the blast had been seat by Green into labor- ious “oficial channels”; the papers started yelling for Green's impeachment. “The whole god- -danned house of cards is falling in,” grumbled a Repub- lican press agent a few days before. the election. \ cenatelindeenaminemte eat annette ea - woe ne ———~—s#ix-to 12 points highee-tiea-Kelly's-bz : Kennelly’s was a personal triump | : rather than a victory for the Democrati:. machine. His running mates, city cler.’: Ludwig Schreiber and city treasurer Jo°. Baran, both regular party men, ha = pluralities of little more than 100,00¢:, In the wards, Democratic alderme: were mowed down in two's and three’. In heavy Democratic sections, there wz? . little difference between Kennelly’s vol percentage and those of Kelly in earlie- elections; but in Republican wards th~ Kennelly percentages had leaped frors ever been. 3 An old-timer from the city's rollick:: ing First Ward put it this way: “Yor can’t win with just any guy. Them day- are over when you can put up som.- stooge. Maybe the people are gettird smarter.” of national Democratic leaders t! think that the Kennelly triumph was complete repudiation of McCormick isc’ lationism. Certainly, thousands switche'# allegiance on Election Day. That doe * not mean, however, that these thov - sands would refuse to vote for an isc lationist Republican Senator or Repre. sentative—or even a President. 5 It does mean that on strictly foca_ issucs the McCormick cry of nationalisry, amounts to but a whisper. It does mea: that the hackneyed technique of drag* ging in red herrings at mayoralty elec: tions doesn’t always work in Chicage Just as the election shoved Governc” “Pete” Green out of the running as - vice-presidential possibility and surel” damaged McCormick's standing wit 3 the Republican hierarchy, so has :; suddenly brought Kennelly to the atter : tion of the Big Democrats. Already there is talk of groomin™ him for “bigger things.” “A natural, | the boys call him. At the moment, Ker nelly is neither ready nor willing t : yield to such temptations. a For he has carved himself a might. . job of building a “Chicago whose great: ness will be unchallenged throughor - the world.” Unless he is very naive, hi must realize that one of the harde: | parts of that job will be to convinc’ the remaining members of the Demc ..& cratic machine that he meant what h- said about “no favors” and “no com mitments” and of being “the people’ mayor.” : Kennelly is no Fiorello H. LaGuardi:, ‘ bat he is the most hopeful, encouragin - thing that has hit the rough, tough tow .- in many decades. Even if ke fulfills on! | half his promises, he probably can sta‘ in City Hall as long 2s he wants to. _ Bo it would be an crror on the pat: