Mr. Roosevelt and Mayor Walker The resignation of the Mayor
of New York before the enquiry into the charges of corruption brought against him had been completed will, of course, have repercussions far outside New York City and New York State. It was a misfortune for Mr. Franklin Roosevelt that as Governor of New York he should have felt compelled, While Demo- cratic candidate for the Presidency, to prosecute action against a man who represents the Democratic Party machine in New York City, Tammany Hall. It is all to his credit that he has acted as he has, and if courage had its just reward he would gain in the long run more than he would lose. But in the arena of American party politics normal standards do not apply, and what Mr. Roosevelt may, in fact, lose is New York State, with its 43 Presidential votes. That would go a long way towards making his loss of the Presidency certain. But it is too soon yet to be sure that the situation will work out that way. Mr. Walker's unwillingness to see the enquiry through suggests that he, like most people, has a pretty clear idea about the verdict, and the halo of self-assumed martyrdom may soon grow dim in spite of the efforts of Mr. Hearst and his Press to furbish it up. However that may be, the resolute assault on corruption in New York, and the steady improvement which the Mayor of Chicago, now in London, claims to be taking place in that city, are encouraging signs in America's public life.
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