Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
.HE writer of this article has
made himself familiar with the

/
i leaders about their party's
nomination for the presidency.
| Democratic leaders" is, of course, a
broad phrase. 1t is used here to de-
scribe the largest number Of national
leaders
To what is put down here as the
beliefs and intentions Of the Demo-
cratic leaders, there are, Of course, ex-
ceptions But thu phrase as used here
applies, speaking roughly, to the major
leaders of the party, TO men who could,
if they should choose, command fully
two-thirds of the delegates to the next
Democratic convention.
They can command this prepotent
degree of power if they choose to exer-
else command of it-and If they are
agreed amcng themselves AS respects
what is said here they are in agree
ment. But the real question and the
very interesting question is whether they
will exercise the power they have.
Three Others Stand Out.
The Democratic leaders" using the
phrase in this qualified sense, do not
| favor the nomination of Gov. Franklin
Roosevelt of New York. That is per-
| haps too strong a way of expressing it.
| Their attitude is one which may let
! Gov. Roosevelt 60 ahead and take the
|
| doing. Certainly the attitude of the
party leaders is not one OF determined
and aggressive opposition to him. They
doubt. rather mildly. whether he is the
best possible nominee. This is rather
| too weak a phIasing for their state of
mind. They think he is not the best
possible nominee. There are at least
! three men. each of whom they think
would make either better candidate or
I President fhrpo-f
at least-wiom they would prefer in
clude Newton D. Baker. exGov. James
M. Cox of Ohio and Owen D. Young.
To these three preferred by the DIM
ocratic leaders over Gov Roosevelt
should be added a fourth. The Demo-
cratic leaders with practical unanimity
believe that ex-Gov. Alfred E. Smith
of New York would make better Presi-
dent. though they do not believe he
would make a bitter candidate
The attitude of the Democratic lead
ers toward the apparently likely nom
ination of Governor Roosevelt is not
one of opposition; it is one of doubt.
1t is not one of doubt whether Roose-
welt would make a fair candidate or a
fair President. In both respects they
think he would do we'll enough. The
going seems TO be good for the Demo-
Gratis next year and the party leaders
, with a candidate whom they consider,
| relative to others, only fair.
In one respect, however, the doubt of
| the Democratic leaders about Roose-
! welt is a much more concrete thing.
| They oubt-indeed they do not doubt
| they the convinced that it is a mis-
| take for the party to let the nomina-
/ ton be foreclosed at this time, roughly
| 10 months before the convention and
roughly IA months before the election.
On this point they are really gravely
troubled
If Roosevelt gets, as he is rapidly
getting. to a position where the nomi-
nation is assuredly his, then he-and
/ the Democratic party-Wnl pass
| through a period of year or so dur
| ing which the country will be accepting
Roosevelt as the Democratic nominee.
F., This the Democratic leaders acutely
dep!ore. and with good reason.
A full year is terrifyingly long time
for any man to stand before the coun-
try as a candidate for the presidency.
He runs the risk of countless accidents.
innumerable missteps. The public will
watch him with a scrutiny they do not
put upon other men. Little groups and
factions. fanatics or persons holding
strong prejudices about one public
question or another watch the candi-
date with minute suspicion. to find his
attitude about the one point that IS
their particular obseSsion. II Roosevelt,
by some chance action, shows himself
to be, for example, in favor of strong
military preparedness, he becomes the
one man whom paciflsts will determine
to keep out of the White House. If he
shows himself to be for some degree of
armament reduction. then he becomes
the one man whom preparedness ad-
vocates are determined to keep out OF
the White House.
Easy to Excite Animosity.
! 1t is the same as to countless issues
and controversial aspects of public af-
| fairs. If he favors organized labor. he
eXcites animosity in one group; If he
takes, Intentionally or thoughtlessly. a
step offensive to organized labor, then
| he excites animosity in that group.
And so as to the World Court, interna-
| tional debts-practically every ques-
! ton or issue on which men take sides.
| Thus long before the presidential nom
| nation is made. the nominee who Is
| too early assured of the role accumu-
! lates a multitude Of determined oppo-
sitions for his later campaign for the
presidency.
To take account Of this constitutes
the most practical - and legitimate -
sort of politics To forestall such a
condition is the wise strategy of every
party leader They all know that the
length of a normal presidential cam
paign between the two parties is great
enough.
In any presidential year, the roughly
four months between the presidential
nominations in June or July, and the
general election in November Is always
a period of intense strain to candi-
dates, to party managers to leaders big
and little. Each dawn they pick up the
newspapers to see If any misadventure
occurred the day before. Each morn
ing they breathe a prayer that they
may get through the next "a hour;
without observation-disclosures of the
sort typifled by the phrase Rum. Ro-
manism and Rebellion" which, uttered
by an incautious zealot during the last
week OF a campaign. defeated Blaine
and elected Cleveland.
In short. the four months of nor
NAL presidential campaign Is Ions
enough a trial of the nerves of any
candidate or any group of party Iced
ers. In Roosevelt's case this perioC
Is apparently to be p, olonged for full.
year. If the public comes to accep
Roosevelt as the certain Democrat,
nominee, as the public pretty nearly
justified in doing. then for full yea
or so he runs the sort of risk her
described
OF all this, the Democratic leader
are aware. They are aware Of it as
danger. and they say they are going t.
prevent it. But they are not. so far, ii
fact taking the steps that would pre-
vent the present or early assurance o
the nomination of Gov Roosevelt.
: To the writer of this article tn
Democratic party leaders say. not tina
they will prevent the nomination o