Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-05-29
DEMOCRATS SPLIT
IN CONNECTICUT
Party Divided on Committee
Posts in State After Smith.
Roosevelt Fight.
BY ROBERT d. BYRNEs.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
HARTFORD, Conn, May 28.-Both
major parties in Connecticut have prac-
tically completed their preliminaries to
the national conventions. The Repub-
licans early in April named 10 dele
gates who. while unrestricted. will
support President Hoover and Vice
PRESIDENT Curtis for denomination, and
have elected Senator Bingham as their
member of the Resolutions Committee
with the expectation of following on
the floor his leadership for a wet plank
in the platform
Inc Democrats. after a contest be-
tween groups favoring Smith and Roose
welt, won by the former, attained a
semblance Of harmony for their State
convention May 16 and II, only to have
new fight start there over the Ma
tlonal Committee memberships. The
newly elected State Central Committee,
meeting for organization Monday. was
the scene Of still further warfare when
the vice chairman, Mrs. Mabel Nc
Queeney of Bridgeport, resigned in the
race OF threat to defeat her.
Connecticut Democrats have been
divided factionally since 1924, when a
group led by Homer S. Cummings.
Thomas j. Spellacy and David E. Fitz
Gerald, backing Cummings in his sup
port OF McAdOo, prevented the instruc-
ton of the delegates to the Madison
Square Garden convention for Smith
The Smith group of that year, calling
themselves the reorganization or new
guard group, and designating the others
as the old guard. struggled in vain for
control of the party machinery until
| when I'd
ering prospects of victory hopeless, per-
United the gubernatorial nominee, Will
bur l.. Cross, to select the party execu-
yves from the new guard ranks.
Cross Alone Elected.
DR.. Cross was elected Governor. but
all other Democratic candidates for
state officers were defeated, and the
Republicans retained control of the
General Assembly. Patronage was slim.
and what there was of it went to the
new guard.
The new guard leaders, almost i'm
mediately after the 1928 election. had
Joined the Roosevelt movement. while
the old guard. except Cummings. who
had retired after the 1924 national
convention. beginning last August, an
nounced themselves for Smiths re-
nomination.
Effected Compromise.
Almost on the eve of the State Con-
vention leaders of the two groups con-
ferred. Cummings being one of the
Roosevelt spokesman, although defeated
for seat in the State Convention by a
delegate pledged to Smith, and agreed
to send "a delegates at large, each to
have onefourth of one vote, IS to be
selected from the Smith group, rine
from the Roosevelt group and two, the
Governor and State Chairman David
A. Wilson, to be considered neutral.
Election Of the 10 district delegates,
each having one vote, showed six of
them from the Smith group and four
from the Roosevelt group. so the dele
cation consists of 81. Smith votes. 6l4
Roosevelt votes and half vote which
Is neutral. The State convention, how
ever. instructed the entire delegation
to vote for Smith until released by him.
but left the delegates free on all ques-
tons save the presidential nomination.
National Committeeman Archibald
| Mcneil has been a Roosevelt leader,
| and he sought to have the State con-
| yention instruct the national conven-
| ton delegates to rename him. Instead
| the convention adopted a substitute
resolution, instructing the delegates to
Sttk dllu W lllc dQNlCc VI lIl6
Governor on members of the National
Committee after the national conven-
ton has named the presidential can
didate.
The Mcneil defeat was taken as an
old guard victory and was followed
| up Monday at the meeting OF the State
! Committee when Mrs. McQueeney, a
new guard member, who had been
| elected vice chairman in March at the
suggestion of the Governor, was forced
to resign and Mrs. Nora Harris, a
| member of the old guard, was elected
, in her place. The Governor, who was
| not consulted on this move, announced
himself very greatly disturbed" at the
development. An as vet unanswered
| question IS whether. in the event the
Governor recommends members of the
new guard for the national commit
tee posts. the old guard, whose
strength in the national convention
delegation is the same as the Smith
strength, will accept his suggestion?
4