The Gags Begin w .. &

Democrats, even in the face of disturbing news from Texas (see above), were happy. Bob Hannegan felt so good he even talked of Twenty Years of Roosevelt. So confident were the Fourth Termers that they even began to belt Tom Dewey around, as though it were mid-campaign time. New Dealing columnists and cafe society wits began to hatch gags aimed at Tom Dewey's size (5 ft. 8 in.) and youth. Three current last week:

P:Columnist Leonard Lyons, whose political sources are almost 99% New Deal, reported: "Into the Democratic National Committee headquarters came a man asking to be registered for work in the campaign. He exhibited a photo of Dewey and his Great Dane, then said: 'I want to vote for the Big Man with the Little Dog.'"

P:Tennessee's tall, boyish Congressman Albert Gore offered a quip, carefully attributing it to a hillbilly constituent: "It's never a good idea to change horses in the middle of a stream. But if I ever come to that pass where I've got to consider doing it, I will sure draw the line at changing to a Shetland pony."

P:New York's PM cracked: "A man of Dewey's stature at the Peace Table? He's even head and shoulders below Victor Emmanuel!"

Probably Tom Dewey didn't mind too much: the second-running position is often strategically best until Election Day.

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