Evening star., 1932-06-27
RooseYelt's Prospects.

With the Withdrawal from Ine OeIuO-
cratic convention race of Senator
James Hamilton Lewis and the pro-
spective flowing Of the Illinois strength
TO the Roosevelt column Of delegates,
the nomination of Franklin D. Roose-
welt of New York, with or without the
abrogation Of the two-thirds rule, ap-
pears TO be more likely than at any
time heretofore. This important break
in the favorite son ranks occurred in
circumstances to suggest an arrange
ment effected in advance and timed to
ease the strain occaSioned by the
furious reaction to the proposal to
abrogate the rule. If the figures of
Manager Farley as to Roosevelts
strength are justified, the accession OF
a majority if not all of the Illinois
delegation will carry the New York
Governor so close to the two-thirds line
that his nomination on the first ballot
is a possibility.
If there were such an arrangement
as is now suspected for the transfer of
the Illinois delegation from that States
favorite son to the Roosevelt column,
the decision of the Roosevelt manage
ment last Thursday night to move for
the sbrogation of the two-thirds rule
was unnecessary and unwise. 1t was
particularly unwise in view Of the ex-
plicit statement made by Gov. Roose-
welt in 1924 on the eve of the Madison
Square Garden convention, when he de-
clared for the preservation Of the ira
ditional rule of the party. speaking then
as one of the managers of the Smith
candidacy for the nomination. Since
Thursday night no word has been heard
directly from Gov. Roosevelt on the
score of the abrogation of the rule,
though the dispatches from Chicago in
dicate that he has indorsed the move
for its Abandonment This willingness to
seek and to receive the nomination
through a change of rules at the
eleventh hour before the balloting is
certain to plague him as candidate If
he is nominated at Chicago.
The two-thirds rule will undoubtedly
be rescinded at some time or other,
perhaps at this convention. 1t was
conceived in political chicane a hun
dred years ago to insure the nomination
of Martin Van Buren, for Vice President
as the running mate of Andrew Jackson,
who had been named in advance Of the
Baltimore convention by a caucus. 1t
was continued without opposition to
govern in future conventions for many
years, and was only challenged toward
the end of the century. IT has led to
several protracted contests for the nom
ination, in Baltimore in 1912, in San
Francisco in 1920, and In New York in
1924 1t has caused great bitterness of
fectional feeling. The States in the
behalf of which it has been retained
are coming to feel that it is a doubtful
asset.
The movement to change the rule Of
the party conventions should not be
made as part of the movement for
the nomination of a particular candi-
date, should not be made without
warning in the course of the process
Of selecting a candidate for the imme-
date campaign. It is true that one
convention cannot make the rules for
it5 successor. Each convention makes
its own rules. But a declaration by
formal vote by this present convention
TO the effect that the majority rule
should hereafter prevail in the selection
Of candidates for President and Vice
President would undoubtedly have the
effect Of committing the Democratic
party to that procedure.
Had the Roosevelt management at
Chicago proceeded on this line to de-
clare for the majority rule for the fu-
ture while accepting the two-thirds
rule for the present convention, it
would have been in a much stronger
position than it is now. There could
then have been no question of good
faith, a que5tion which remains even
though a nomination by two-thirds is
now in prospect