The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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HYDE PARK.—Because I decided on Thursday of this week to change my mind since I felt the world situation was so serious we needed to give the people of this country the opportunity to vote for the best possible man and the best possible ticket that the Democrats could put in the field, I came out for Stevenson and Kennedy, signed a petition addressed to the delegates of our Democratic National Convention, and made a statement explaining my action.

Ordinarily, I would think it did not make much difference what I did, but my political mail is of very great interest at the present time. The people seem to want a man of maturity with proved administrative ability and experience in dealing with the heads of government in all parts of the world, and this man is quite obviously Adlai E. Stevenson.

Two things made me feel that a simple citizen such as I am had an obligation to speak out. One was a statement on the part of Prof. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. of Harvard and Prof. Henry S. Commager and Joseph L. Rauh Jr. They said that as Stevenson was not a candidate they were coming out for Kennedy. At the same time Chairman Paul M. Butler told a California group for Stevenson that, since Stevenson was not a candidate, they were not entitled to any headquarters space in the area where other Democratic candidates would be accommodated during the Democratic National Convention.

This led me to decide that it would be wise to ask Mr. Stevenson to clarify his position on being a candidate, and I hope in my next column, or perhaps before that in a statement, to be able to give you his answer.

In the statement which I made, giving my reasons for my own personal decision to come out at this time, I explained that it was not a question of being against any one of the candidates in the field at the present time. But I had the feeling that as an individual and as a party we were obligated to offer the best we had, and I named the ticket I feel is the best and strongest.

That Adlai Stevenson is not a declared candidate on his own initiative seems to me quite natural, but he has never shirked public responsibility. I feel sure there is a growing ground swell among a great number of people in this country indicating trust and confidence in Mr. Stevenson in our present critical world situation. I think we should recognize this, for it will mean greater unity and strength for him as a President.

I have not mentioned the other Democratic candidates because it seems to me that Senator John Kennedy is the one who undoubtedly stands out as having the greatest chance for the nomination. I realize, of course, that Senator Lyndon Johnson has a number of votes he can control and that in the convention there can always be maneuvering if there is not a quick decision. But the likelihood of a quick decision and the fact that Senator Johnson is so much needed as the leader of the Senate and that Senator Stuart Symington is, on the whole, looked upon as a very useful and strong Senator but has not developed great national strength have given me the feeling that our strongest ticket would be Stevenson and Kennedy.

I realize that I am being presumptuous in expressing my opinion when there are so many people with greater political knowledge and experience than I can possibly hope to attain, but sometimes the voice of the average person needs to be heard. And this is a time when I think it is well for the average person who has strong feelings to speak out.

E.R.

(Copyright, 1960, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Persons
Organizations
  • Harvard University [ index ]
         [ LC ]
Geographic
  • Hyde Park (Dutchess County, N.Y., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, June 11, 1960

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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Digital edition published 2008, 2017 by
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Available under licence from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

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MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

TEI-P5 edition published on April 28, 2017.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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