Evening star., 1932-04-24
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

| | LIOuRn nOL LEle IlIldl Chapter,
about the Democratic race. If
i Roosevelt carries Massachusetts,
and Pennsylvania, and does it
heavily, he will be very close to the
nomination. He will be at point where
those Democratic leaders who disap-
prove him will be obliged to make up
their minds.
We can visualize what will take place
on Wednesday morning, after the re-
turns from those two States are in. The
leaders who oisapprove Roosevelt S
nomination-and they include close to
all of what might be called the elder
statesmen of the party-will consult
with each other. There will be long
distance calls among them, and
wherever they are near enough to each
other, personal conferences. They VIII
ask each other, and on that day prob
ably give the final answer to the CEN
tral questions: Shall we let him have
it? Has he gone so far that to put him
aside now would be dangerous, would
create a real split in the party?"
They can prevent RooSevelt's NOM
ination If they are determined to. No
matter how great Roosevelt's victory
in these States, the leaders opposing
him can, under the Democratic two
thirds rule, avert his nomination. With
the veto power which the Democratic
rule gives to one-third the delegates,
they can stop him even If Roosevelt
has, as now seems probable, more than
a majority Of the delegates.
Under the peculiar conditions Of the
present situation the final decision will
come about, not primarily through the
relative weight Of Roosevelt and nom
Roosevelt delegates, but through an
appeal to the whole body OF delegates.
including Roosevelt's own. Some OF
Roosevelt's delegates are not commit
ted to him, legally or morally. Some are
completely open to listen with judi
cial mind to arguments againtS the ad-
visibility of nominating Roosevelt.
Privacy Will Rule.
What will happen, if the thing is
done at all, Is that Gov. Smith and
the other important leaders who dis
approve of Roosevelt. will give the
body of delegates their reasons. They
will do it, mainly, in private confer
ences. The conferences will be private,
not for any sinister reason, but on &C
count of many conditions. One reason
for privacy is that after all there Is
always the possibility that Roosevelt
may be nominated, in which event the
leaders do not want to be publicly on
record with criticism OF Roosevelt
which the Republicans can quote in
the subsequent mpaign-although ex-
Gov. Smith has pretty well burnt his
bridges in this respect.
The sum of which is that, depend
ing on Tuesdays outcome in Pennsyl-
vania and Massachusetts,, the leaders
opposed to Roosevelt may be expected,
next Wednesday morning or soon after,
! to make up their minds whether to let
Roosevelt have it, or whether, when
the convention comes, to try to per-
suade the delegates to do otherwise.
The attitude of the mass OF Demo-
cratic leaders and workers toward
Roosevelt requires careful statement II
1t is to be accurate. Most OF the major
leaders disapprove him. OF the three
living former candidates of the party
for President, Smith 1929 disapproves
Roosevelt publicly and strongly; and 1t
is commonly believed that Davis Q92D
and Cox Q92O) are reluctant to see the
nomination go to him. OF the really
important leaders, leaders in Nation
wide sense, hardly any favor Roosevelt.
Menace to Roosevelt.
Make list of the Democratic leaders
who determined the last three Demo-
cratic presidential nominations, InOSe
who nominated Smith in 1928, those
who brought about the nomination OF
Cox in 1920, and those who prevented
the nominations of both Smith and Nc
Adoo in the 1924 fight. These differ
ent groups of men who have dominated
the last three national conventions of
the party are all, for diverse reasons,
able men of powerful personality. Add
them all together and it will be found
that something like four out of five
now oppose Roosevelt. This condition
is a serious menace to RooSeveltS for
tunes. The fact that men of this type
disapprove him has weight of itself.
Also men who were able to determine
the nomination in 1920, 1924 and 1928
should be able to determine it in 1882
especially since they are now united in
purpose. They are united in purpose
both as respects preventing the nomin-
alton of Roosevelt and also as respects
picking some one man whom they think
better. That is, these powerful leaders
are not divided into little groups having
candidates of their own Their unity
makes them pretty formidable.
OF the lesser leaders, the little local