Evening star., 1932-04-10

cumulates in advance OF the conven-
tion-in a Republican convention, with
its majority rule he could; in Demo-
cratic convention, with its two-thirds
rule. he cannot. Neither can Roosevelt
depend as yet upon getting the norni-
nation by a convincing demonstration
OF popular support among the voters.
1t has not yet been shown that RoCs9-
welt has started any such wave OF con-
vinced and loyal popular support as
! that with which Woodrow wilson, Tor
! example, was able to swerye the Demo-
cratic convention of 1912 from another
course.
1t may be that Roosevelt, in his COM
ing appearances in various parts OF the
country, may be able to make this KIND
OF impression, may stir the public to
point where it is determined he must
have the Democratic nomination, may
acquire such a quantity OF support
among the people as to make 1t danger
GUS for the party leaders to deny him
the nomination. This may happen yet;
1t has not so far.
The delegates Roosevelt has acquired
up to date have come almost wholly
through the action of local party or
! ganiZationS. They have come chiefly
/ through conventions or other perfume
! tory primaries in which the people were
| iiStlesS. The total number of individual
| voters who have gone to the polls to
cast a ballot for Franklin Roosevelt in
| these past weeks has been not over
100000. AS against this 1t must be ed
mitted that wherever there were warmly
contested primaries, or wherever pop
ular interest was stirred up, Roosevelt
got an impressive vote. In Georgia
some $4,000 Democrats went to the polls
for Roosevelt; in the small State Of
North Dakota, 10000. Maybe Gov
Roosevelt has the potentiality of du-
| plicating this in other States, In pri-
marieS yet to come.
Most of the party leaders, however,
do not think so. They think it is in
their power, and they think 1t Is their
duty as leaders, national and local. to
make up their minds whether Roose-
velt is clearly the best nominee. They
think this, absolutely without prejulice
to Roosevelt. They are not opposed to
him: they like him personally-but they
want to be convinced beyond the Shad-
ow of doubt that he will be the strong
est candidate If nominated, and the best
President if elected. For the purpose of
arriving at that judgment they will
watch Roosevelt closely next Wednes-
day.
There is still among the Democrats a
good deal of that spirit which, in Ken
lucky, Alabama and some other States,
continues an ancient custom of inviting
aSpirants for the presidential nomina-
ton to appear formally before the State
Legislature. The Democrats like to
look 'em over" and regard this looking
over, this subsection of the aspirant's
personality to the test of personal in
spection, as legitimate and highly use
full part of the process of selecting a
presidential candidate.
Leaning to Be Determined.
Roosevelt's speech next Wednesday
night will be listened to. and his record.
past and future up to July l, next, will
be examined with minute care to find
just where he belongs in that political
spectrum which begins at one end with
conservatism and ends with what Is
called progreSsivism by those who like
it, or by radicalism by those who don't
Many Democratic leaders have got
the impression, and are troubled by
evidence-not much of it originated
with the Governor himself-that seems
to place him in the latter half of the
spectrum. That impression Is harmful
to the Governors fortunes. He can
hardly be nominated if the party
leaders as a whole come to the con-
NlSblOll lIldt I1S VIEWS Ou pllUIlC QutS-
t1onS are too close to those acceptable
to Senator Wheeler of Montana, for ex-
ample, and therefore too far away from
the views of the East. OF all the
Democrats in the Senate. the two who
most often emerge IN the newspapers
in close association with the name of
Franklin Roosevelt, as going out
through the country to make speeches
for Roosevelt, or as giving newspaper
statements in favor Of him, or as other
wise identifying themselves with him.
are the two who, justly or not, are most
often described as radical, Wheeler of
Montana and Dill of WashingtorE Some
of the cynical say that the association
of these two Senator's with Roosevelt
originates not so much with the New
York Governor as with the Senators
Indeed, those who wickedly assume a
personal interest to be the commonest
motive for political actions, say there
is a race between Wheeler and Dill for
the vice presidential nomination, as
suming that Roosevelt gets the left
hand end of the ticket
Wheeler has been a vice presidential
candidate beforehand that detail of
his record is taken seriously by Demo-
cratic leaders and workers everywhere
Wheeler's vice presidential candidacy
in 1924 was not Democratic; en- the
contrary, it was designed to prevent
the election of the Democratic ticket
in that year, for it was as the running
mate of the late Senator La Toilette on
his third party ticket that Wheeler
ran. To the public in general this
may mean little; to all Democratic
leaders, however, and to the consider
able body of Democratic voters who are
earnestly orthodox and partisan. 1t means
a good deal. In short, it is almost in
credible that the Democratic National
Convention should give its vice presi-
dental nomination to a man who once
ran on the ticket Of party that op-
posed the Democrats.
Stunned Radicals.
The association of extreme progress
sives in the Democratic party with
Roosevelt may be of the same nature
as the association of extremists of an
other day with a former Roosevelt,
Theodore. When various types of the
extremists of 1912 buzzed too closely
and too conSpicuouSly in the neigh
borhood of Theodore Roosevelt, he
| thrust them away from him and in the
! public eye drew himself off from them
| by few phrases sufficiently pungent
| to call the attention of the country
to the diSsociation.
The Democratic leaders will want to
know most clearly just how far Roose-
welt personally goes in the direction
Of some doctrines identified with his
! conspicuous supporters. Wheeler of
Montana has introduced in the Senate
a measure proposing free coinage of
silver in precisely the same terms and
| at the same ratio, l6 to !, that William
Jennings Bryan made famous in 1905
| That Gov. Roosevelt should favor this
! particular kind of silver movement, that
he should hope either to be nominated
or to be elected, If he were identified
with this issue phrased in this way, is
/ quite unbelievable
In any event, the Democrats will seek
this week to find just what is Gov.
Roosevelt's position on the national
issues that must surely be put into the
| platform in June; and, more than
that, what is the Governors tempera-