Evening star., 1920-07-07
|P[AY To WEST
SEEN IN RESULT
Roosevelt Counted On to
Swing Progressive Votes
in Fall.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 7.-Picking
a Vice President ordinarily is ABOUT
as interesting as inaugurating one
he is indistinct in the picture But
the selection of Franklin D. Roose-
welt, assistant secretary of the navy
to go along with Gov. Cox on the
democratic ticket was an episode IN
national politics of no minor I'M
portance.
Under the rostrum where nominal
ing speeches were being made TOT
half-dozen vice presidential aspirants,
George Brennan of Illinois, who is the
successor of the late Roger Sullivan;
Jim Nugent of New Jersey, Fred
Lynch of Minnesota, Wilbur Marsh OF
Iowa, Norman Mack of New York ana
Ed Moore. the campaign manager OF
Gov. Cox, gathered for conference
and in full sight of unlocking corre-
spondents held an informal debate on
the merits of Edward Meredith OF
Iowa, Secretary of Agriculture; VIC
tor Murdock Of Kansas. member OF
the Federal Trade Commission and
bull mooser of 1912, and cambridge
Colby, Secretary of State, and also
Roosevelt progressive.
Cox Left 1t to Managers.
Gov. Cox wisely left the choice to
the managers here. Mr.. Hearst would
have liked to see Colby named and
there was some thought that the sup
port of the Hearst newspapers would
be easily assured if Colby were
chosen. But while Tammany favored
Colby and gave indication of burying
the hatchet with Hearst in the COM
ing effort to re-elect AL Smith Gov
ernor of New York. the leaders argued
with Murphy that RooSeveltS name
20 the
ticket and that his selection would
please the McAdoo forces which had
been led by Roosevelt.
The western men-Meredith and
Murdock-were eliminated when it
was decided that on account of CoX'S
wet leanings the campaign had bet
ter be waged in the east. Roosevelt,
it was contended. would give assur-
ance to westerners that the ticket
was progressive. Furthermore, it was
Navy men. OF course, Roosevelt's
anti-Tammany record in New York
state will help get independent demo-
cratic votes for the ticket.
Name Counts for Something.
1t is an interesting sidelight that
many here ventured the opinion that
the name of Roosevelt would appeal to
those voters who may not exactly con-
fuse Franklin D. Roosevelt with Theo-
QOI 1OOStNSll, Uul viz Woulu COhSluCl
that all Roosevelts must be worth while
folks. AS a matter of fact, the vice
presidential candidate whom the DEM
ocratS have named is a second cousin
of the late Col. Roosevelt. 1t is a
coincidence that the colonel started in
as an assistant secretary of the Navy.
too, and resigned that job to go into
the war, after which he entered poll
tics on a large scale as Governor of
New York. The name of Franklin D.
Roosevelt has often been suggested
for Governor of New York, and the in
dependent democrats were this year
thinking of naming him for the United
States Senate to oppose WadSworth.
Franklin Roosevelt is popular with
the newspaper men in Washington,
who knew him throughout the war
as the man who was continuously
urging a naval offensive.s There has
been some talk that Roosevelt didn't
agree with JoSephus Daniels in the
management of the Navy Depa rtment.
but all thoughts of discord were
swept out of consideration by the
fulsome speech made by Secretary
Daniels for Franklin Roosevelt after
the latter had been named by accla-
nation as the vice presidential can
didate of the party.
Play to the West.
One after another the vice presi-
Dental aSpirants withdrew from the
race as soon as the conference under
the stage of the auditorium was over.
All the leaders and bosses agreed
that the ticket would be helped i'm
measurably by the addition of Roose-
welt, and, though some observers
noted confession of weakness in
the discussion about a western can
didate. the decision to fight it out
in the east is a bold one. The leaders
asked what vice presidential candi-
date could carry western states that
Cox himself couldn't carry and few
seemed to think the addition of Muir
dock or Meredith would contribute
as much as would be gained by the
political advertising already given
the name Roosevelt. and the known
executive ability and independence in
politics of Franklin Roosevelt
The vice presidential choice helped
soothe the disappointment of the Nc
Adoo group from the east, though the
westerners shook their heads and
shrugged their shoulders as they
faced the prospect of campaigning
for a man who won his nomination
through the support of wet states.
But the eastern democracy confident
ly smiled and said that the election
would be won or lost in the east
anyway.
1t is too soon to say which view
point is more logical, but the leaders
will probably find on consulting Gov.
Cox that he will wisely decide to
make as vigorous fight in the west and