Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-11
CONTINUED From Third Page.)


T. Robinson. The Illinois delegation
will come committed either to Senator
James Hamilton Lewis or to Chicago
Banker Melvin A. Traylor, probably, as
it now seems, the latter.
The aggregate Of these and some 9TH
erS would be more than enough to hold
Roosevelt" as the saying is. II Gov.
Roosevelt's fortunes continue to go
probably most of these States and their
favorite sons will assent to his nomina-
ton. But II anything happens in the
meantime to impair Roosevelt's avail
ability; II, for example, some develop
ment about Tammany should become
an obvious handicap TO him, in that
event the united strength of these favo-
rite son delegations will be available to
give effect to the judgment Of the lead
ers that the party had better nominate
somebody other than Roosevelt.
Roosevelt and Roosevelt's friends
cannot very we'll stop this favorite son
development He is a little short Of
having that degree of popular strength
which would cause the people in Mis-
souri,. for example, or in any of the 9TH
er favorite son States, to rise up and
say. in effect. that some of these favorite
son candidates are 'phony" and that
the State ought to get behind Roose-
Welt Something of that kind happened
in connection with the first nomination
of Woodrow Wilson. On that occasion,
in 1912. Wilson acquired such momen-
tum and such popular favor that the
Democratic voters in some States threw
over the local "favorite son" program
and sent delegations directly loyal to
Wilson Roosevelt, in the present cam
paign, has not as yet acquired enough
popular strength TO bring this about.
Code Of Politics Holds.
1t is also true as the code Of politics
goes. that Roosevelt cannot encourage
State rebellions against favorite sons
About this sort of thing there is an
unwritten law that no candidate can
afford to flout. When Senator Jim
Reed of Missouri, for example, says
that he would like to have the dele
gates from that State. Roosevelt and
the managers of RooSevelts campaign
and Roosevelt's followers within the
State made haste to bow to the situa-
ton. They may feel perfectly GER
tain, as practically every observer feels
certain that Reed is not a real can
didate, in the national sense; that Reed
hasn't the fainteSt chance of getting
the nomination for President, and that
probably Reed himself so understands.
Nevertheless. if so eminent a Democrat
in any State as Reed is in Missouri feels
that he wants to take the State delega-
ton to the national convention for the
purpose of influence upon the platform,
or of influence upon the nomination
in that state of affairs the rigidly OBJ
served rule is that any candidate out
side the State is careful to keep hands
Off The public may not see why it
should be so, but the politicians know
the rule and abide by it as one of
the strict canons of their calling.
To buck" Reed in Missouri or any
other "favorite son" in any other State
arouses resentments too perilous to per-
NIT. There is sense of fraternity
among politicians about this sort of
thing. Reed, instead of having. per-
haps, a passive attitude toward Roose-
welt. would at once become the New
Other fsvorite sons would unite with
him in the sense of fraternity. other
leaders, little local county leaders,
would feel that the invader of a favor
lite sons State does not quite play the
game"
In short, Roosevelt and Roosevelt
managers are obliged to let the favorite
son play go on. Not all of 1t Is mere
political stage-play. Some of the
IdVOrlUe SOILS are peTleCJly sincere ana
completely determined. and even per-
fectly hopeful candidates. Unless Roose-
welt should become so popular and
acquire so much momentum as to cause
large bodies of voters in some States to
upset the favorite son program, 1t will
result that the aggregate of all the
favorite son delegations will be enough
to hold veto power over Roosevelt
In convention in which it takes two
thirds to nominate
Roosevelt has one real risk. The
active. directing leaders of the Demo-
cratic party are determined to make