Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-22
MOVES HELP, ROOSEVELT
1882 CAUSE TWO WAYS
Governor Woos Progressives by Power
Stand, and Grips Dry South by
Position on RaskOb.


terpret accurately the currents that
carry man to the White HouSe-or
more often cast him on the shoals OF
failure.
Getting the presidency Cor almost
any other elective ofice) has become,
since the direct primary, a process OF
two steps, First you must get the
nomination; then you must win the
election. The inherent intricacy is that
the actions and issues helpful to get
the one may differ from the issues and
actions necessary to get the other. The
ensuing complication distressing to
candidate is that in thinking too much
about the one, you may lose the other.
In adapting yourself to get the nomi-
nation, you may disqualify yourself for
the presidency. The attitudes or the
actions of the issues which viii help
you toward the one, may work against
you for the other. In trying too hard
to get (for example) the dry vote or
the wet vote in order to achieve the
nomination, you may alternately so Of
fend the vets or the drys as to lose the
election. Or, in keeping your eye too
closely on the election, you may mcau-
tiously do a thing that deprives you OF
the nomination.
Straight Path Lacking.
GeLLlng IlUO TIE WIuLe r1OuSS IL oAlICC
the direct primary came, like entering
a Chinese home. You cannot walk
straight ahead into a Chinese house.
The Chinese arrange the doors OF their
houses with a view to preventing the
unwanted entrance to certain M-dtS-
posed genii or ink, or whatnot, who
are supposed to ride with the winds.
The winds, Of course, go in a straight
direction. If you arrange the doors OF
your house so that no wind can blow
straight into it, so that the wind must
turn at an angie-by that device you
confuse the jinX, who fall harmless at
the outer edge of your door sill. The
Of this defensive ingenuity
is that as you enter Chinese house,
you are obliged, at some part of the
process, TO step sidewise. After enter
ing the outer door, you are confronted
by a second door, or by q screen, to
pass which you must stop and make a
step to the RICH. or left. The process
has at least a remote resemblance to
the political device known as "side-
Stepping" In American politics, since
the direct primary, candidate must in
many cases learn to go forward and
sideways in the same movement.
The other step by Gov. Roosevelt,
likely to help him toward the nomina-
ton Though not necessarily toward the
election) occurred at the meeting of the
Democratic National Committee in
Washington this month. Chairman
Raskob Of the committee, who presum-
ably has the sympathetic support Of ex-
Gov. Smith of New York, took a step
designed to commit the Democrats to
completely wet position. Upon the news
Of what Chairman Raskob proposed to
do, the Southern drys in the party felt
outraged. They fought, and fought hard
but the one contribution that made
their fight successful (for the time be-
ing) came. surprisingly, from Gov.
Roosevelt of New York
OF all the sections of the Democratic
party, the one that might be supposed
to be most wet, the most devoted to
pushing the party nationally toward the
wet position, is New York. Yet here
was the New York Democratic o-ganiza-
ton, presumably upon the inspiration Of
Gov. Roosevelt. calling an extraordinary
meeting in order to adopt formal reso-
lutions disappearing what Chairman
Raskob was proposing.
Feeling of Dry South.
That step was and is likely to help
Gov. Roosevelt toward the nomination
without fundamental relation to the
election). The dry South felt itself be-
ing overridden bJ the wets-and to its
rescue came Gov. Roosevelt, himself a
wet, but by this action demonstrating
that he is not an extreme wet and
demonstrating that the dry South will
not find him intolerant toward them.
By this action Gov. Roosevelt largely
disarnled the dry South which other
wise, might have been expected to OPP
pose his nomination.
The interesting and extremely impor-
tant speculation is whether Gov. Roose-
welt, by the action that drew the South
toward him, may have at the same time
thrust ex-Gov. Smith some distance
away from him. Ex-Gov. Smith was in
Washington at the time. The one effort
news was to find out what Smith
thought about Coy. Roosevelt's action
and whether ex-Gov Smith regarded
himself as possibility for the Demo-
cratic presidential nomination. These
questions the Washington newspaper
men put up to ex-GoY. Smith in every
conceivable variation and refinement.
Out Of him they tried to drag, or cork
screw, or surprise. or infer. or deduce,
or divine, or surmise whether he disap-
proved Gov. RooSevelt's action, whether
he felt kindly toward Gov Roosevelt's
presidential aspirations, and whether he
WONAQ OCs all i
pry1ng OF the newspaper men eX-Gov.
Smith presented the easy wariness Of a
veteran Of thousands of such encounters.
The newspaper men did not find out,
directly. An epitome of their aggregate
feeling would say that they believed
ex-Gov. Smith TO have been frritated by
what Gov. Roosevelt did. The news
papers for several days. and since, re-
necteo the notion that there was politi-
cal coldness between the two.
In any event and all events the one
man-not the one man. the one force
that Gov. Roosevelt must consider, both
as respects the nomination and the cleo
ton. Is ex-Gov. Smith. 1t is trite and
commonplace to say that Gov. Roosevelt
would never be able to get the nomina-
ton against the outright opposition of
eX-Gov. Smith. He would not be able
to get 1t even against the silent OPPOSE
ton OF ex-Gov. Smith. He would hardly
be able to get 1t II eX-GoV. Smiths at
titude should be one Of merely detached
indifference.
Help Of Smith Needed.
Roosevelt. in order 10 win the nomi-
nation. must have Smith for him: in
order to win the election he must have
Smith not only for him but fur him.
(Thc distinction in shade of enthusiasm
conveyed by those two words is well UNI
derstood in ulinois.) EX-Gov. Smith is
by far the largest single force within
the Democratic party. He has the largest
personal following Of any person in the
Democratic party. Probably he has the
largest personal following in America
excepting only President Hoover and ex-
President Coolidge. How large ex-Goy.
Smiths personal following Is can be
proved by the figures showing the popu-
lar vote for the last three Democratic
candidates for the presidency:
Year. Candidate. Popular vote.
iSzo-5mlth ............... l5,Ol6,445
1Sz4-DaylS .............s.. S,5o6,5O5
1S1O-Cox ................. 9,l4T,35S
Those are really very impressive fig-
ures. They show that Smith is able to