Evening star., 1932-06-26
HARMONY SEEKERS
BACK ROOSEVELT
Delegates From Rural Area
Want Quick Nomination
to Avert Row.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


CHICAGO, June 25.-The ground can
be cleared little by saying that almost
no worthwhile opinion here believes
Smith has any serious chance to win
the nomination. There Is some such
opinion in disinterested quarters. but
the amount of 1t is so small as to be
almost negligible.
opinion about Roosevelts chances is
complex. A considerable amount OF
judgment believes Roosevelt will win
readily. Practically an equal amount
thinks he will be stopped AS between
the two, the opinion favoring Roose-
velts success seems to grow. The desA-
cations now arriving include men from
rural communities and small towns in
the West and South These favor
Roosevelt. Even more than they favor
Roosevelt. they favor avoiding a row.
They associate the idea of a row with
Smith. Because they wish to avoid q
row and resent whatever tends toward
row, they feel the best way to avert
all that Is to nominate Roosevelt and
do 1t quickly. If Roosevelt should be
stopped by the powers opposed to him,
the bulk of Judgment here thinks that
the most probable heir to success Is
Newton Baker.
RooSevelts managers have made many
mistakes. A serious one was to announce
their intention to do away with the rule
requiring two-thirds to nominate. One
would infer today that some of the
Roosevelt managers now recognize this
to have been a mistake and may back
away from 1t. They are still free to
say they did not intend to abolish the
rule for this convention, but only for
future conventions. That position would
encounter comparatively little resist
ance.
The two-thirds rule is not a rule
but precedent. As such it has been
uninterrupted for a hundred years.
What may happen on Monday is that
the Committee on Rules, dominated by
the Roosevelt forces, will make a mo-
ton to the effect that the rules of
this convention shall be the same as
the rules of previous conventions, ex-
cept that the presidential nominee shall
be chosen by majority vote instead Of
two-thirds vote.
This motion can be carried by mere
majority vote. II the Roosevelt-domi-
mated committee makes that motion
and stops at that and stands by that
there will be a real fight. Roosevelt
will have given an opening to his op-
ponents, and his opponents are men
such an opening. Smith and his asso-
ciates against Roosevelt are more ca
pable of emotion-rousing oratory and
more Shrewd and reSourceful in parlia-
mentary battling The Roosevelt forces
can escape this by saying they merely
wish the change to take effect in future
conventions. Many Democratic leaders
think the two-thirds rule should be
abolished, but only in this way through
one convention repeating it for future
conventions. The same leaders feel
sincerely that changing the rule for
this convention after the delegates to
it have been elected would be case
Of changing the rules after the game
has begun.
The Roosevelt forces claim they have
enough delegates added to second-choice
delegates to win by the two-thirds rule.
In other words, they say they are go
ing to change the rule, but will re-
frain from taking advantage Of the
change at this convention.
(Copyright, 1922