New-York tribune., 1918-02-11
Much in Favor of Assistant
Secretary, Little Against
Him, Leaders Say
Sound of His Name
Pleases Tammanv
Wagner Might Get Too
Many German Voters.
Gerard Too Few

FRANKLIN d. Roosevelt. Assistant s..
retary Of the Navy, is more Nke,y ;.
be chosen as The Democratic cand;d.,.
Tor Governor next fall than any otb.-
man. The Tammany district leads,.
are already talking about him in +.
friendly "ay and specializing on he
Vote-getting capabilities. ''
few of the controlling tnincs .h..
tend to shape the course of the Derna
Gratis in choosing their candidate ~
Governor already have been d;scn..oval
~ the inner circles of Tamma5v HI
More than that. they have been ag-eal 80
upon. 'efseo
First Of all. the men who sh.
Things IN the Tammany organ;z..;tps
have decided that the Democratic stanJ
ard bearer shall be "an upstate rnan
BY long and bitter experience the Tam
many leaders nave learned that il !.
useless to handicap the Democrat;c
party IN gubernatorial campaign hv
naming New York City man. They
dld 1t when they named William Sulzer
but they regarded the opening as er'
ceptional that year. and they do no,
Wlsh to try 1t again. This decision. il
adhered to. means the elimination Of
eN-Ambassa Gerard and Senator
Robert +. Wagner. both Of whom ave-
hlghIy regarded by the rank and file.
German Vote a Factor
Another factor that counts with tho
Tammany men is that the candidate
must be devoid of a local or stat
record that will put him on the de-.
tensite on the stump. The Tammanv
leaders are not without their apprehen.
slons of trouble either with Gerard
or Wagner. They figure it cut that
Gerard would get too few German.
American votes, while Wagner might
get too many. After narrowing the field
to the three possibilities" named, and
applying a short elimination process.
they come to Mr. Roosevelt. and the
more they think about him the better
they like him.
In order to give him "tne once over,
as they call it in Fourteenth Street.
Mr.. Roosevelt was invited last Fourth
of July TO give the long talk in the
Wigwam. lie had large audience and
made favorable impression.
In addition to other qualifications.
fancied or actlal. the Tammany lead.
ers like the sound OF his narne The
Tammany election district captain is
rever happier than when he has an
instant and apt answer TO question.
1t sometimes is not at all easy to
explain to an uninformed. or misin.
formed voter. who this or that candi-
date is. but if the captain had the name
of Roosevelt to conjure with, it would
be easy.
Might Dupe Voters
Some voters would be told that
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the Colo
nel's son. returned from the front,
loaded with honors, and turned Demo-
crat. 1t is still remembered in Tam
many thai when. years ago. Henry N.
Goldfogie ran, the voters in the dense.
~ packed Irish election districts were
told that his name vas Guilfoyle, while
in the Jewish districts he went as plain
Goldfogle. The voters are some sharp
er now, and not so easily duped. but it
is assumed by the Tammany wise men
that Roosevelt would sound good to the
average voter.
Another thing about it is that if the
cards arc played so that an upstate
man is named, Tammany can disavow
candidate. If Mr.. Roosevelt is chosen
he will be advertised as a real villager
from Hyde Park, Dutchess County
drafted by President Wilson because Of
his ability and political independence.
The story Of how Roosevelt and his
little band revolted from Tammany dc
tatlon at the time William T. Sheehan
wanted to be elected United States Sen
ator, and how Roosevelt finally brought
about the election of Justice O'Gorman,
who, whatever else he might have been,
was not the choice Of Tammany Hall, is
not very ancient history
Farmers Chafe Under Tax
/ Moreover, the Tammany men profess
to believe that Mr. Roosevelt is just the
kind OF candidate to run against
Governor Whitman. assuming shat the
Governor will make the race again.
They argue that the elnbattled
farmers, who never have abandoned the
habit of hating TO pay an Increased
state tax, may take il upon themselves
in this year of grace to punish Gov
ernor Whitman by voting for Demo-
crat.
All of these things. seemingly trivial
, when compared with stern things like
war and peril, tend to elevate the name
of the Assistant Secretary OF the Navy
to the position of top-liner on the
Tammany billboard. and, as a matter
of fact, his name is there to-day fol
the next gubernatorial campaign.