GOVERNOR RITCHIE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19667, 8 December 1933, Page 13

GOVERNOR RITCHIE

A CHARACTER ANALYSIS Governor Albert C. fi.itchie, who has taken the stand against Mr James Rolph, the Governor of California, in the controversy over the San Jose lynchings, is one of the best known figures in the Democratic Party, now in power in the United States. Governor Ritchie's State, Maryland, was also the scene of a recent lynching, and as part of the South has no very good record in the matter of mob Justice. He himself is liberal-minded enough. Tall, handsome, strong in personality, Governor Ritchie was not so long ago a Presidential possibility. When the Democratic National Convention, which nominates the presidential candidate, met at Chicago, Governor Ritchie was one of those to whom the anti-Roosevelt faction looked as "a man to stop Roosevelt.” But it was his fate to be merely a possibility, just as he was considered to be likely to receive nomination if Mr "Al” Smith did not obtain endorsement four years previously. Ritchie is one of the ardent believers in State’s rights. It was one of the seeds of the American Civil War, this motion of a State's right to choose its path; he prefers to call it “local self-government." He is also the opponent of bureaucracy. His success in the chair of the Governorship is evidence of the popularity of his ideas at home—he Is now in his fifth four-year term. By many he was considered to have one of the finest legal minds in the country. But at the r.ge of 36 he deliberately gave up law to apply himself to politics. In his State he has had no rivals of his own stature. A political observer has given this character analysis of Ritchie:— “The truth about Ritchie is that, without being brilliant and with none of the attributes of genius or the outer earmarks of greatness, he has an extraordinarily fine mind, high character, a breadth of view, and very real ability. Clear-headed, practical, logical, i.uick of comprehension, trained to reason accurately, and wellinformed, when Ritchie concentrates on a problem whether of law. politics, business, or State, he does about as good a job as can well be done. “Even his enemies in Maryland—and of course he has enemies—do not question his ability or his character. Conceding them, they maintain that Ritchie is not really a big man, that he is cold, selfish, unappreciative, ungrateful, insincere, not really concerned about principles except its they seem politically expedient for him. . . The truth is that Ritchie does not pretend to be a big man. He does not pose as noble or pure or unselfish. He does not pretend to burn over the wrongs of the people or sweat with anguish when the right fails to prevail, as It very frequently does, or to be filled to the ; bursting point with high ideals and j lofty purpose. . . This not bee. use |he has no ideals—he has-—or because they are not high—they are—but he simply i-. not constructed to exhibit them."