Evening star., 1932-06-27
KEYNOTE SPEECH
STRESSES SLUMP
Republicans Largely to
Blame Barley States as
Sessions Begin.
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Continued From First Page)
secured we shall all be subjects of char
ity
! But I urge each and every one CT
you delegates to demand a platform
that will breathe a courageous determ!-
nation to stamp out rackets ana all
forms of license that today are under
mining the morals and exhausting the
| financial strength of the Nation. Many
Of our citizens attribute these conditions
to the eighteenth amendment. After II
years of practical experience living un-
der conditions imposed by this amend
ment, all honest Democrats must con-
cede that the people themselves should
have opportunity to vote directly on this
| important social question, which is OF
greater economic importance than any
other question before the country today.
THE Republican party should hang
| its head in shame for the deceit 1t at
| tempts to perpetrate on the citizens oil
| the United States in presenting the pro-
hibition plank contained in its plat
form"
Temporary officers of the convention
were elected. They will continue, 1t is
expected, as permanent officers, eX-
cept the temporary chairman. The list
follows:
Chairman, Alben w Barkley. Ken
| tucky; secretary, Robert jackson, New
Hampshire; executive secretary, Ewing
Laporte, Pennsylvania; parliamenta-
rian, Clarence Cannon, Missouri; chief
tally clerk, Kenneth Romney, Mon
| tana; assistant tally clerk, S. Lamar
| Gill, Texas; assistant tally clerk, E. G..
Sheriff., North Carolina assistant tally
clerk, Maurice j. Freeman, New York;
assistant tally clerk, Arthur j. O'Keef-
er, Massachusetts,; chief reading clerk,
P. F. Haltigan, Washington, D. c.;
reading clerk, Emory L. Frazier, Ken
| lucky.
Sergeant at arms, Edwin A Halsey,
| Virginia. chief doorkeeper, Joseph ].
Sinnott, Washington, D. C.
Craftsmanship First Test.
Gov. Roosevelt of New York, with his
great mass of pledged and promised
! delegates, stood today far in the lead Of
! his competitors. But the latter have
chosen to make the first battle with
Roosevelt on the permanent chairman
| ship of the national convention and
their second on the proposal to abandon
the old two-thirds rule and adopt ma
| jority rule for making nominations.
They believe Roosevelt IS vulnerable on
these issues. The danger to Roosevelt
lies in the possibility his forces may
not hold together in sufficient strength
| to put across Senator Thomas j. Walsh
of Montana for permanent chairman in
! place of Jouett Shouse, chairman of
the Executive Committee of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, and that in
addition defeat on the majority rule
proposal would so impair the Roosevelt
| prestige that his supporters will not be
able to nominate him in the end. This
is the hope and strategy Of the Roose-
velt opposition
Roosevelt leaders are urging their
delegates to stand firm, pointing out
this danger They are telling the dele
| gates, You cannot be against Roose-
| welt tomorrow and expect to win with
him on Wednesday and Thursday"
The most intensive drive has been
made by the Roosevelt opposition to
nick of Roosevelt delegates. as they
have arrived in Chicago, on the chair
manship and rules fight On the other
hand, the Roosevelt forces under James
M. Farley have labored to hold the
ranks intact for the Governor. The
canvassing Of the delegates goes on to-
day. Rumors are flying about that
both camps have sought to use patron
age" the distribution of the much
sought-for tickets to the conventions, to
influence the delegates one way or the
other in these preliminary contests.
Predicts Dropping of Fight.
Senator Walsh of Massachusetts,, one
of the Smith delegates. predicted that
the Roosevelt faction would drop the
fight to abandon the two-thirds rule,
and that the fight would be made under
the usual rules of Democratic conven-
tions.
If the two-thirds' rule is adopted by
the convention, Maryland delegates be-
lieve their candidate, Gov Ritchie, will
have a real chance. Stop Roosevelt
for five ballots and we will win with
Ritchie," said 10y" Cummings.
Gov. Ritchie has huge following
among delegates now instructed for
other candidates"
Talk Of Compromise Heard.
The Roosevelt forces are in a posi-
ton where they do not have to force
the fight on the tWo-thirdS rule or on
the permanent Craftsmanship, if their
check-up OF the delegates should indi-
cate they might be defeated on these
questions.
There were clear indications today
that If the Roosevelt leaders become
convinced Iney cannot Win on the ma
lority rule proposal they may have the
Rules Committee bring in the old two
thirds rule and report it to the conven-
ton. Failing this. there is talk of a
compromise proposal, saying that if no
decision can be reached under the two
thirds rule by the close of five ballots
the convention will then go to the ma
lorlty rule. This Is modification of
! the compromise plan suggested by Sena-
tor Pat Harrison of Mississippi. The
: Rules Committee, it was reported. would
not meet until $40 o'clock tonight. CIV
ing the Roosevelt leaders more time to
oetermlne their course of action.
Tne vote on the tWo-thirds rule, so
Iar as tne checking goes, may be ex-
tremely close Estimates give the Roose-
, velt people an advantage of IS votes in
the convention, too close for comfort
Stiil other estimates give a victory to
tne opponents of the majority rule.
AS the delegates assembled in conven-
tlon, the eyes OF the Roosevelt faction
turned hopefully toward three great
state delegations now favoring other
: candidates, Illinois, Ohio and Texas
There has been strong Roosevelt senti-
ment manifested by members of these
. delegations.
Decision Must Be Made Soon.
But within the next "a hours the
! roosevelt command must decide what
lts course on the tWo-thirds rule will be
ana on the permanent craftsmanship
, ALREADY there Is talk in some quarters
mere that the Roosevelt people made a
mistake when they proposed to side
track Shouse as permanent chairman
and on top Of that brought up the ques-
ton OF abandoning the two-thirds rule
II Roosevelt should lose which is not
likely, the critics of the Roosevelt
; strategy say, the defeat must be at
triouted to Roosevelt and his leaders
themselves
; Farley reiterated his declaration they