The Washington times., 1931-09-16
AIMEE'S RIVAL FOR PE4ARA0HS LOVE WILLING TO SETT
R|TCH|E SPEECH.
SEEN J|BE At
ROOSEVELT /.

Capital Wonders If Maryland
Governor Is Trying to Stop
New Workers. 1892 Parade
By WILLIAM C. MURPHY, jr.
Governor Albert c. Ritchie, Of
Maryland, projected himself as
the rallying point of the stop.
Roosevelt" element in the Demo
cratic party by his Atlantic City
speech yesterday opposing Gov
ernment ownership and Federal
regulation of public utilities.
No doubt exists in political cir
cles here that Ritchie's speech
sets him up as an opponent Of
Governor Franklin Roosevelt, Of
New York. for the Democratic
presidential nomination next year.
Speculation Is Rife
The buzz Of political gossip
which arose as the import Of the
Richie speech reached Washing.
ton consisted chiefly of specula-
tiOn as to whether the Maryland
Governor was playing a lOne-hand
or whether he has been chosen
as the favOrite of those power.
full conservative Democratic in.
tereStS which look askance 1T
ROOsevelt's water.power policies.
Is Ritchie to receive the back,
ing of the Smith-RaSkob element
now in control Of the Democratic
national machinery? Is Ritchie's
candidacy being encouraged as
a method of heading off Roose.
velt and, possibly clearing the
way for some one else such as
Smith or Owen D. Young? These
were some of the questions asked
but not answered. 49,.
The New York governor is ap-
parently SO far ahead in the pre-.
convention maneuVering. accord.
ing to reports reaching the Capt.
tai, that it is not believed Ritchie
would have a serious chance Of
winning the nomination unless he
can have the support of those
somewhat numerous but disor.
ganized groups which, for one
reason or another, wish to stop
Roosevelt"
History Repeats Self
The Democratic situation Just
now has much in common with
that confronting the Republicans
just before the 1928 convention
at Kansas City. Then there was
a multitude of candidates talking
about stopping Hoover" but, be.
cause they could not get together
on one opposition candidate, their
project collapsed like a punctired
toy balloon before the balloting
started.
Some Democratic leaders here
believe the nomination of Roose.
velt would kill the party'S chances
to line up support from business
interests which are represented
as less than satisfied with the re-
suits of the Hoover prosperity"
campaign Of 1928. To these lead.
ers Ritchie might appeal as e.
candidate who is safe and sane
on economic questions and much
more outSpoken against prohibi.
tion than Roosevelt has been.
The opposing school or thought
is disposed to regard business sup.
port for the Democrats as o pot
Of gold at the end of a political
rainbow which the party has
been chasing since the Civil War.
RaskOb Conservative
National Chairman Raskob, in
his tumult-making speech before
the Democratic National Com
mittee last March, left no doubt
that he favors a platform con.
servative on economics and az
gressive against prohibition. That
harmonizes with Ritchie's ex.
pressed views. It also harmonizes
with the paragraph in Ritchie's
Atlantic City speech-generally
interpreted as aimed directly at,
Roosevelt in which the Mary
lander condemned those who
would make public utilities a
political football and added:
"And without meaning to
question anybOdy's sincerity, 1
may be permitted to wonder
whether gentlemen who dis
course so extravagantly and
paSsiOnately on the subject are
not really laying down q bar. g..
rage or a smoke screen with
which they hope to hide other
issues; such, for example, as
prohibition, about which they
may not think IL politically
wise to speak 80 boldly"