Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-06
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

ME question: Is, mas AOV. HOOSe-
velt's chance for the Democratic
presidential nomination been
Il diminished by what has gone on
between him and Tammany?
The answer, as Mr.. Dooley used to put
1t deliciously Is yes and no-but chiefly
no. Gov. Roosevelt has been very close
to that nomination for many months
and recent events have not measurably
set him back.
Presidential nominations are made by
delegates, some eleven hundred of them
in convention assembled. The writer
of this article will believe that some
one other than Gov. Roosevelt is likely
to get the Democratic nomination just
as soon as he sees delegates being COL
lected in behalf Of that potential
some one else" At present and for
many months past delegates have been
under accumulation on a Nation wide
being accumulated for any one else.
Gov. Roosevelt is the only candidate
who is a candidate outside his own
State. OF all the other potentialities,
each is limited so far to his own State.
Delegates in behalf of Newton D.
Baker are being accumulated in Ohio
only-and even in Ohio in only half
of Democrats who think Mr.. Baker
would be the best candidate really want
to translate their wish into actually,
they need to get busy. Delegates for
Mr.. Baker could be secured in practi-
cally every State-but no one is at
work securing them.
Similarly. Gov. Albert Richie of
Maryland is accommodating delegates
but in Maryland only. And so for all
SO far limited to their respective States.
If that condition continues, with Gov.
Roosevelt alone having friends active
in States other than his own, the
answer is plain.
Another question is, will the scandal
about Tammany and the unacceptable
necessity put upon Gov. Roosevelt to
have an attitude and policy about that
scandal-will that injure Gov. Roose-
welt? will it injure him, first. for the
nomination; and will 1t injure him in
the election, assuming he gets the nom
nation?
Open War Would Aid Chances.
The answer Is a partial yes. There IS
just one way in which the Tammany
scandal might fail to injure, or even
slightly help Roosevelt. That would
be in case Tammany should get angry
at Roosevelt for failing to protect them
and should openly, avowedly and con-
Spicuously make war on the Governor.
That would help Roosevelt in two ways
First. it would differentiate him COM
pletely from Tammany. would give him
immunity to that suspicion which,
| throughout the country tends to adhere
| to any one, even Gov. Roosevelt, who
| has anv association with the New York
! City Democracy.
Second, declaration OF war by Tam
many upon Roosevelt would make
Roosevelt free. in turn to make war on
Tammany. That is what the country
really expects from Roosevelt. The
| Governor so far has adopted strictly
| judicial attitude toward Tammany. He
has done just as much as any Governor
is called upon to do by the letter of
the law and by conformity to legaliSm.
That is rather less than the country
outside of New York expects. AS 1t was
put to the writer OF this article by
Wetsern Progressive: That is not what
we expect of a Roosevelt: We expect a
Roosevelt to be a crusader; we expect
him as Governor to act as prosecutor
of Tammany upon the known and suf-
fcient evidence" The Western Progress
sive Senator who put it that way is
just the type and reflects that part of
the Western electorate upon which
Roosevelt relies for help in the election.
There is no doubt that if Gov
Roosevelt, over a period of more than
year until the next election. attempts
to walk the narrow line of strict legal
ism during a period of cumulative dis
closures of Tammany corruption-in
that event he will certainly fail to stir
the enthusiasm of the country and may
even forfeit the adherence of many
who have been well disposed to him.
There can hardly be much doubt that
Tammany would really help Roosevelt
by declaring war upon him-and there
by making it easy for Roosevelt to de-
clare war upon Tammany.
We must consider of course. what
Tammany could do to Roosevelt by
answer is. not much. They could de-
prive him. as respects the presidential
nomination, of more than half the i'm
menSe delegation from New York State.
But for every delegate Subtracted from
Roosevelt by this sort of method and
in this spirit. he would get the loyalty
of more than a compromising number
of delegates from the South and West.
AS respects the election assuming
Roosevelt gets the nomination. Tam
many could, of course, knife Roose-
welt. Any knitting" by Tammany in
the election, sufficiently organized and
widespread to keep from him the nor
NAL immense Democratic vote of New
York City. would unqueStionably be
serious to RooSeveltS fortunes.
Drys Could Defeat Roosevelt.
Those who doubt the nomination of
RooSevelt-and the doubters are nu-
merouS and shrewd-enumerate, among
their reasons for Roosevelt, failing, an
assertion, or an assumption, that the
dry Democrats will oppose him vigor-
ously and unitedly.
Opposition to Roosevelt by the dry
Democrats, If united and vigorous. would
be- serious. The drys will have more
than third of the delegates and under
the usual Democratic rule one-third
can prevent nomination. The drys.
fundamentally and on paper. could
prevent Roosevelt's nomination But
the essential condition is that they must
all-literally all-be united in that pur-
pose. To be united they must be organ
lied and have leadership and a rallying
point, candidate of their own. So far
the Democratic drys do not have this.
The writer of this article is familiar
with what is going on among the Demo-
cratic drys-or rather, with what is
not going on, for the clear fact is they
are not taking steps that would make
them effective to prevent Roosevelt's