In Chicago

Two years ago Franklin D. Roosevelt landed in Florida from a fishing trip and Mayor Anton Joseph Cermak of Chicago was fatally shot while standing by the running board of the President-elect's automobile. Result: a local politician, named Edward Joseph Kelly, was picked by Chicago's Democratic bosses and appointed by Chicago's City Council to fill Cermak's unexpired term. Last week Franklin Roosevelt again landed in Florida from a fishing trip (see p. 13) and Mayor Kelly, standing for the first time for popular election, polled more votes than any other Mayor of any U. S. city except New York ever polled. Mayor Kelly's vote not only reached 798,000; it was 75% of the total cast, giving him a 544,000 majority over his Republican and independent opponents. Furthermore he carried every one of Chicago's 50 wards.

This fabulous performance prompted even his bitter enemy, Hearst's Chicago Herald & Examiner, to recite the story of how "Ed" Kelly, son of Fireman "Steve" Kelly, was born blind; how he gained his sight at the age of 18 months when his mother washed his eyes with her own milk; how he became a newsboy at 9, an office boy at 12, a day laborer at 17. The New York Times, a thousand miles away, was prompted to print such a eulogy as it seldom accords even a great statesman. And Franklin Roosevelt, landing in Florida, was prompted to do some serious thinking.

The Kelly regime in Chicago has never been regarded by New Dealers as quite savory enough to be rewarded with more than a scant token payment of patronage and favors. Mayor Kelly's unexampled victory was probably enhanced by the disintegration of Chicago's Republican machine which has not recovered from the black eye given it by its scandalous crookery a few years ago. But Mayor Kelly also showed himself a magnificent vote-getter in an election marked by no noteworthy issue. And a political organization able to deliver 800,000 Democratic votes is not one that a President who wants to be re-elected in 1936 can afford to ignore.

In Mayor Kelly's South Side home his three adopted children (Twins Patricia and Joseph, 8, and Stephen, 4). celebrated their father's victory by coming down with measles. Father Kelly could not stay home to watch them. He was off to Washington to draw a draft on his new political prestige, to ask $265,000,000 of the $4,880,000,000 provided by the new relief bill in order to give Chicago a new airport, parks, elevated highways, sewers.

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