Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-30
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

presidential situation, the Re-
A publican part of it. For that
purpose let us begin, irrsley antly.
with text about Senator Borah of
Idaho.
In every presidential campaign since
and including 1916 newspaper readera
have read again and again that Senator
Borah of Idaho would be q candidate
TOR the Republican nomination. In 1915
he would be a candidate: again In 1920
and again and yet again In 1924 and
1928. Every reader OF this present ar
ticle whose memory goes back to pre-
viouS campaign years must have seen
that statement or intimation over and
over, in direct form, or in Implication
Of headline. cartoon and editorial
Yet the fact is Senator Borah has
never been candidate for the nomi-
nation. He has never tried to be one
He has never had a delegate or tried
to get one. Running for the presiden-
tial nomination has never been in his
mind as purpose The writer OF this
article has known Senator Borah. init
mately 1t may be said. since before he
entered public life, which was in 1907
When the Senator is in WASHINGTON few
days pass without my having prolonged
talks with him. II Senator Borah had
ever been a candidate. or intended to
be. or tried TO be, the writer of this ar
ticle would have known 1t. The fact
Is he has never been
Now the point of this, in its applica-
ton to what is about to be written. is
that in all presidential years much loose
surmise is printed, much vague and
preposterous speculation, much fantas-
TIC aScribing OF motives-in short. much
befuddlement for that part Of the pub
lie that really would like TO understand
national politics. AS it was done in
previous years, SO viii it be done in the
coming one. And so the aim of the
present article is to trim away from the
picture OF next year--the Republican
part OF tt-much of what Is inevitably
confusing to the reader.
Hoover to Be RenomInated.
Persons who take an interest in ma
tlonal politics and wish to keep them
selves well informed from now until
the presidential election next year will
do well to start from one fixed point
The Republican nominee will be Her
bert Hoover. That is q fixed program
today; 1t will continue to be a nxed
program until the Republican National
Convention. One solitary condition
alone could change it: that would be
Mr.. Hoovers elimination. present and
future, by any Of the contingencies list
ed by the Constitution: Removal,
death, resignation or inability"
Mr.. Hoover will be renominated prac-
tically without opposition He may be
opposed by Gov. Clifford Pinchot of
Pennsylvania. The writer of this ar
ticle thinks he will not: Gov, Pinchot
Is more likely to try for the United
States senatorship from Pennsylvania
and has q fair chance of getting it,
II Gov. Pinchot should oppose Mr.. Hoo
yer (which most probably he will notD
he might get as many as so to rs out
of roughly LOO delegates.
Young Senator La Toilette may run.
as his father always did, to preserve
the morale Of his local following in
Wisconsin. If he should. the Wisconsin
Senator might get four-flfths of the
delegates from his own State. and
hardly one outside. That was always
the experience of his father.
Senator Norris of Nebraska may run.
or may not. II he should he might
get about half the delegates from his
home State and scattering 10 or IL
outside. That was his experience In
1928.
Aside from these three, who can
think of any one else likely to contend
against Mr. Hoover? And II all these
the aggregate of their strength might
be as many as 100 delegates out OF
roughly LOO.
Frances Race Held Useless.
That is the sum OF the possible OPP
position TO Mr. Hoover for the nonlina-
ton. From time to time, newspapers
have said, and will say again, that Mr..
Coolidge will oppose Mr.. Hoover. But
he will not. That would be fantastic
and Calvin Coolidge doesn't do fastas-
tic things.
There is one ether to be mentioned,
II the list is to be complete. There is
one man, only one as yet, who has
actually announced himself That Is
a one time Senator from Mary
land. Joseph l. France, who has
announced himself and is holding
meetings and tanning the August
air up and down the land. The
newspapers report his meetings. France
won't have one delegate in the conven-
ton; not even one from his own State.
He was a candidate once before, in
much the same spirit. in 1920, when he
worked himself into self hypnOtized
conviction that he was the logical COM
promise between the two leaders, Wood
and Lowden, and he shed salty tears
because the Sure-footed delegation frcm
Maryland couldn't see, as he was sure
he saw, the chance to put their State on
the political map. Ex-senator France
is the only present avowed contender
against Mr.. Hoover, and he won't get a
delegate.
That is the blueprint of the Repub-
lican national convention. Every ex-
perienced observer and politician sees II
that way. The sum of it is Mr. Hoover
will be renominated practically without
opposition.
Age Counts Against Curtis.
Mr. Hoover's denomination for Presi-
dent is certain. AS to the vice preSi-
dency, there is room for real specula-
ton. The present Vice President, Mr.
Curtis, will hardly be renominatsd.
Much though his energy and vitality
deny it. Mr.. Curtis is. IN years. rather
an elderly man. Born on January Is.
1860 he will be over 70 when the Re-
publican nominating convention takes
place next year and more t1an 70 when
the next Vice President is inaugurated,
on March A. 1888. Neither the Repub-
licans nor any other major party is
likely under present-day conditions. to
nominate q man of that age for Vice
President The chief business of Vice
President is to be ready to be President
if the actual President dies; and man
who would be anywhere from 70 to n
on stepping into the presidency is just
too old. Any political party taking seri-
ously its responsibility to the country,
any party functioning as a major party
ought, any party taking seriously its
own chances for success, Is not going
to propose to put a man over 10 Ia the
White House, neither directly as 'Presi-
dent nor ccnditionally as Vice President.
In 1924 the Republican national con-
vention was on the point of nominating
Theodore Burton Of Ohio for Vice
President. At the last moment,
troubled whisper ran among the dele
gates, reminding them that Senator
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