Evening star., 1932-07-03
ANALYZE
ROOSEVELT IN RACE
Opinions Vary on His Fitness
and Chances to Win Against
Hoover.

Comment on the nomination Of Gov
Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Demo-
cratic standard bearer from some of the
leading daily newspapers Of the Nation
follows:
Albany Knickerbocker Press.-The
record Of Mr.. Roosevelt as governor
does not warrant any thought that he
would be more competent man than
Mr.. Hoover. He has not been a strong
and Steadfast executive, but rather a
vacillating and uncertain one. Mr..
Roosevelt. though he has an engaging
personality, an honored name and is a
very fine gentleman, has nothing con-
structive to offer. If he were elected
uncertainty would continue. This Is not
a time for changing pilots.
Boston HeraId.-The Democrats have
chosen a man who, by the admission Of
friends long associated with him, is de-
flcient in the qualities Of leadership and
craftsmanship and is inferior in char
acter, ability and intellectual impact to
such rivals as Smith and Baker and
Ritchie Not since 1896, when william
Jennings Bryan GRATED himself into q
nomination, has the party selected a
standard bearer in whom the country
has so little confidence The suspicion
that Gov. Roosevelt is a slippery oppor-
tunist who will break the rules of the
game when it is to his advantage to do
so has been pretty well confirmed by
the tactics in Chicago.
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
The anomalous feature Of the contest
over the Democratic nomination was
that Gov. Roosevelt, who himself Is a
man of breeding, family and wealth,
brought up in q conservative Eastern
environment, had the support of the
elements in the party that in an earlier
generation would have supported Bryan.
The influential, conservative leaders
who would have held aloof from Bryan
also held aloof from the Governor. The
reason, OF course, for this division along
the lines on the former split Is that
Gov. Roosevelt has flirted with the
radical wing and is looked upon with
suspicion by responsible Democratic
leaders, who realize that this is not a
time for rash excursions into new ex-
periments
Philadelphia Public Ledger.-It is no
secret that Mr.. Roosevelt's frequently
hostile attitude toward large businesses
and industries, which he has unjustly
charged with receiving exclusive bene-
fits from governmental agencies at
|
and his advocacy of Govrnment own
ership and operation of the public
utilities have not appealed to the
conservative business leaders Of the
country" And his recent exhibition
OF peculiar political strategy, or what
ever 1t may be called which caused
sudden and surprising reversal of his
supposedly firm stand on the issues of
the two-thirds rule and prohibition re-
hnx Wa l1k - -
dependable and reSolute leadership
Denver Post.-The Democratic Ma
tional Convention has done its best to
insure the reelection Of President
Hoover. 1t has driven the Eastern and
Southern States out Of the party. In
nominating Roosevelt, despite the de-
termined and unrelenting opposition of
Smith, the Democrats have alienated
the powerful Smith following in the
East. In adopting dripping wet plat
form, they have made 1t impossible for
dry Democrats in the South or any
Where else to support the Democratic
national ticket. In nominating Roose-
velt McAdoo got revenge on Smith for
being deprived Of the nomination eight
years ago, but Smith will get his re-
| Venge next November when President
Hoover Is reelected
| Galveston Texas News.-The fact
that Roosevelt had more delegates than
all the other candidates combined when
the Democratic convention opened Is
the strongest argument for his nomina-
ton. The Democratic candidate will be
elected, II he Is elected at ALL by the
rank and file of voters, not by few
| politicians. Roosevelt obviously Is the
| favorite Of the rank and file. His nomi-
nation shows that the Democratic party
Is growing in political wisdom. The
New York Governor Is a man Of preSi-
| Dental caliber, and his election on the
STRAIGHTFORWARD platform adopted at
| Chicago seems assured.
Portland Oregonian.-RooSevelt prom
ises to be a cultured and gentlemanly
opponent, but rather weak choice for
the Democratic party to have made
when the elements Of discomfort, which
he must attract to win, demand ex-
treme measures, whether or not they
| are unSound. The malcontents need
I wild proposals, whereas Hoover. being
in power and with the responsibilities
OF power upon his shoulders, must de-
pend entirely upon those who will rea-
| son through and confess the facts and
admit that "he kept us out Of worse"
Omaha World Herald.-Very soon
| now the people will be given to know
whether the great New York Governor
is the timid, the irresolute, the vacllat-
ing, the compromising the self-seeking,
the unprincipled politician that his
enemies in both parties have painted
him to be. They will find before many
more suns have risen and set that they
have raised for themselves brave and
earnest leader an unselfish and devoted
champion. They will find themselves
with such a candidate for the preSi-
dency as this dark period OF distress
and emergency imperatively requires.
And they will come, as was said OF an
other great Governor of New York, to
love him for the enemies he has made
and for the enemies he is certain to
make.
indianapolis Star-Gov. RooSevelt's
record as executive Of the Empire State
has on the whole been satisfactory.
He is backed by long political expert
ence and served creditably as Assistant
Secretary of the Navy in the Wilson
administration. His support Is fairly
evenly divided throughout the country.
1t is questionable, however, whether the
Governor stands as high in public con-
fidence as he did before the opening
of the presidential campaign. He has
displayed a tendency to Straddle con-
troversial questions; to be the oppor-
tunist seeking votes even by sacrifice
Of principle
Kansas City Star.-Gov. Roosevelt
owes his nomination chiefly to two con-
iderations-political availability, and
the belief in the West and South that
he represents opposition to the big in
terests. Most of the delegates at the
Chicago convention knew very little
about their candidate There was an
extraordinary lack of enthusiasm for
him personally. The strong Eastern
| conservative element was hostile be-
cause it regarded Roosevelt as under
the influence of the radicals whom the
conservatives detest. But the South
and the West, knowing little about the
| Governors personal qualifications, held
| that there must be something to a
man who twice had carried New York
| for Governor. The qualities Of Presi-
dent Hoover are known. Roosevelt has