Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-07
Continued From First Page.)

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Franklin d. Roosevelt, IL he wishes.
from filing his name In the Ohio pri-
| mary and that of Illinois If he or his
friends wish to do so. But there has
been a kind Of unwritten law among
candidates to keep cut Of States where
"favortte sons" are running. This has
been the practice first because it is
difiicult 10 defeat q favorite son candi.
date in his own bailiwick and second,
because II Is good policy 10 have these
favorite sons willing TO do business with
strong candidate when the conven-
ton meets. N.eeident Hoover cast aside
this rule = 1923 when he went into
the Ohio primary. 10 run against the
died In the midst Of the primary cam.
plisn. but his friends kept up the fight
which ended with Mr.. Hoover having
the big majority OF the Ohio delegao
ton. At that time there was A kind of
league among the senatorial aspirants
for the Republican presidential NOM
nation to head of Mr.. Hoover by lining
up a lot Of favorite-son delegations who
could be handled In the convention
against Hoover. The Hoover supporters
determined to smash the plan il they
could.
Smith Demonstrates Strength.
In the 1928 e-convention campaign,
former Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New
York. went into q lot Of the prefer
entail primaries and won In nearly all
hat he entered, If not all, demonstrating
his great strength as a candidate for
the Democratic presidential nomination
The Democrat who repeats Gov. Smiths
performance in these primaries next
year will be a hard man to. defeat in
the national convention. In the first
t.
preferential primaries will have DEM
onstrated his strength with the voters
themselves. The Democrats newt year
are more intent upon picking a WIN
ming candidate than they are in PLAYING
q game for any particular mans per-
sonal ambitions. They want to elect
a President. They are likely to throw
aside all other considerations at the
convention and pick the man who has
shown the most strength. This makes
the preferential primaries all the more
important in the race for the Demo-
cratic nomination next year.
It becomes increasingly important
also that candidates for the nomination
get into the race early for State dele
cations. Nothing succeeds like success.
II Roosevelt. for example, or Richie.
preferential primaries early next year
his stock would mount amazingly It
Is generally expected that, Gov. Roose-
welt will put the matter to the test in
the primaries and that Richie may do
likewise In number of the States
Certainly If the rest Of the candidates
hang back and leave the field in these
primary States to one man it will not
get them very far. Sitting around and
theorizing while another man is getting
the votes and the publicity in these pri-
maries is not likely to be a real help
to any of the candidates. 1t just hap
pens that the States in which primaries
are held have few favorite son candi-
dates. which makes such a game as
was played in 1928 against the Hoover
nomination by the Republican Senators
practically an impossibility.
Democratic List Elastic.
The list Of presidential possibilities
In the Democratic party is elastic. It
may grow at any time. Here. however,
is at least tentative list: Roosevelt of
New York, former Gov. Smith and Owen
D. Young, also of New York; Newton
Buckley and former Gov. Cox, all of
Ohio: former Senator Jim" Reed of
Missouri. Senator Joseph T. Robinson
Of Arkansas, Gov. Richie Of Maryland.
Senator Lewis of Illinois, former Gov.
Harry Flood Byrd and Senator Carter
Glass of Virginia. Senator Hull of Ten
nessee. Senator George Of Georgia and
Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi
There are fifteen. There may be others
and probably will be unless the swing
Is decidedly to one candidate some
time before the convention opens.
The name Of former Gov. Smith has
been repeatedly used in connection with
the Democratic nomination next year
Gov. Smith. wise man, is saying moth
ing at this time. 1t will be interesting
to see what attitude he will take when
the time rolls round for the first of
the presidential preferential primaries.
II he himself enters his name in any
Of these primaries. or If he permits
others to enter him, he will be immedi-
ately hailed as a full-fledged candidate.
Many of the Democratic leaders insist
that Gov. Smith has not the slightest
intention of permitting his name to go
before the voters or before the next
Democratic National Convention He is
saying nothing, however, they insist
because 1t is obvious that if he took
himself absolutely out of the race he
would merely lose a very great influence
which he is likely to WELD in the ma
tional convention.
OF the Is prominent Democrats listed
as presidential possibilities some of
them are obviously favorite son candi-
dates of the most local kind Take for