Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02
BY MARK SULLIVAN.


Smith Is for Roosevelt, either wants
him to have the nomination or is mere
ly willing to let him have tin that
case, Roosevelt pretty surely gets the
prize. But II Smith does not want
Roosevelt nominated, II Smith active
ly prefers some other .course-in that
case Roosevelt has not, to use a poll
tician's phrase for the ultimate Of i'm
possibility, "a Chinaman'S chance"
This condition. Smiths power in the
situation, has existed since Roosevelt
first entered the picture. To poll
ticians, smiths attitude weighs more
than all the other factors combined.
What has happened now is that GER
tain events seem to have revealed
Smiths mind. They seem to suggest
that Smith is willing to let Roosevelt
go ahead and get the nomina ton.
The events that seem to throw light
sort that politicians interpret as a
sailor interprets the weather. One of
these weather signs showed itself in
Massachusetts,. There, a Democratic
politician, Mayor Curley of Boston,
made a public statement saying:
Smith is > delightful man and
! dearly beloved. but he has had his
chance. He tSmith) has made a fine
| record for himself, but he could not
be elected and think Smith knows
that he could not be. He should,
think. announce his support of Frank
lin D. Roosevelt"
Importance Seen.
Now, as politicians interpret that,
they begin with the fact that Massa-
chusetts, Democratically speaking, is a
strong Smith State. 1t is the strongest
| Smith State of all, stronger for Smith
In nj arS az
no Democratic politician hoping to con-
tinue to exist as Sucth would take
step likely TO be regarded as offensive
by Smith. No such politician would
make o gesture likely to turn out, in the
future, to b. harmful to Smiths wishes
or purposes. Certainly no politician
who had been for Smith in the past,
no politician in Mayor Curley's position,
would have made the statement that
Mayor Curley made unless he assumed
quite confidently. first, that Smith
would not himself be candidate for
the Democratic presidential nomination,
and, second. that Smith would not have
any candidate of his own, any candi-
date whom he prefers over Gov. Roose-
welt.
| Curley's action. in short, is inter-
preted by every politician 10 mean that
Curley, before acting, assured himself.
either directly or by inferences. that
Smith does not want these Massachu-
sets delegates for himself or for any
favorite Of his other than Gov. Roose-
welt.
Rather more convincing, to politi-
clans experienced in reading such signs,
is what happened in Pennsylvania. In
that State is Democratic leader, Jo-
seph +. Guffey. Guffey is a more pow
erful leader in Pennsylvania than Cur
| ley IS in Massachusetts,. for Pennsyl-
vania has no such division into fac
q, tons as the Bay State has While
! Guney Is not at this time the Official
leader of the Pennsylvania Democracy.
no one doubts his capacity to speak for
the organization. Guffey has been a
! strong. loyal Smith man. was one of
| Smiths most important hackers in
1928 and 1924 as well.
Pennsylvania Favorable.
Under this state of facts, Guffey now
! formally declares that in the coming
! national Democratic convention. at
! least Sc out Of Pennsylvania 70 dele
! gates will be for Gov Roosevelt. The
/ significance Of this assertion, and its
effect in furthering Roosevelt's for
tunes. is not limited to the fact, very
| weighty in itself, that Sc PENNSYLVANIA
delegates will be. next to New York's
"a. the largest bloc in the convention.
The significance of it is not qualified by
any question about Guffey's ability to
deliver the 66-actually he has deliv-
cred some such number in every ma
tional convention during the past IL
years. (The whole Pennsylvania De-
mocracy, excepting a minority of dry
ones in rural counties, usually reflects
what Guffey wants.
The real significance of Mr.. Guffey's
action lies in the assumption as every
politician will assume, that Mr.. Guffey
would never have made such a state
ment without first satisfying himself
that It would not be objectionable to
Gov. Smith. This assumption Is sup
ported both by Guffeys known LOYALTY
10 Smith and by Guffey's own sense of
personal representation. II Smith
should resent this statement by Guffey.
II Smith should go after those Penn
sylvania delegates for himself, or in
behalf OF some other candidate-Owen
D. Young. for example-in any ~ j
event. Guffey would be ruined leader
ana Smith would get the delegates, for
smith Is even more powerful with the
rank and file of the Democracy of
Pennsylvania than the local Guffey.
In short. what every politician In
the country will infer from Guffey's
action is that Guffey either consulted
Smith in advance and was told that
Smith had no objection, or else knew
enough to feel sure that Smith doesn't
care.
AS things stand now. every Demo-
cratic leader in the country. State and
local, viii assume that Smith has no
personal program for the coming ma
tlonal convention which would exclude
the nomination OF Roosevelt.
There is always the possibility that
smith may develop, some time later
on. a program of his own, other than
nominating Roosevelt. He may come
10 Such program through reasons
arising In the future. But from now
on he would need to have convincing
reasons. It would be sensational in
deed Il. after what has happened,
Smith and Smiths friends should I'M
dertake to enlist Pennsylvania and
massachusetts, for a program other
than the nomination of Roosevelt.
Strength Indicated.
Roosevelt, with Smith not opposed
to him. should have substantially every
delegate from the entire New York
group Of States: New York with 81.
Pennsylvania with ~ (though a few
OF the Pennsylvania delegates win be
dry and anti-Roosevelt); Massac husetts
with "a. Connecticut with l6, Rhode
Island with and New Jersey with 80.
Inls New York group Of States. in all
Democratic conventions. commonly
acts together. In all these States :he
Democratic organization is wet: in ali
they have roughly the same point of
view about national affairs as New
York State. Here, in this one group.
are l84 delegates out of the roughly
LOO that the national convention will
contain
The New York group" of States
alone cannot nominate Roosevelt-they
have been a loser nfkaner thar, q udnr ~.