Evening star., 1932-03-10
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln

SIaAiooio DeoAeA III 1870, JOIted severely
by the New Hampshire primaries arC
the newspapers interpreting the Roose.
velt victory there as an indication that
Smith has lost his personal popularitv
Smith supporters are reported to bt
fighting mad. They are planning the,
say, to do all kinds of things to Roose.
velt In the Massachusetts, and Pennsv1.
vania primaries. But can thew 1r
Massachusetts,, which Smith carried IL
1928 despite the fact that he lost nearl,
all the rest of the country, the Smith
candidacy looks to be a walkawav Or
the Smith bandwagon are Senators
Walsh and Coolidge Of Massachusetts
Gov. Ely and officials of the Democratic
State organization. Since Smith dec,ded
to be receptive candidate and pave
his permission to his Democratic friend,
to run as Smith delegates in the Massa.
chusetts primary, it has been widely
proclaimed that the Massachusetts
delegation was in the Smith bag
Indeed, a defeat for Roosevelt in
Massachusetts has been softened and
made less significant from the yerv fact
that every one has conceded that
Massachusetts, is Smith territorv
But the fighting in Massachusetts IS
not over yet. Mayor James M. Curley
OF Boston, who has a big following in
tnat Democratic city, has no love for
Al Smlth. He IS supporting Roosevelt
ana mas called on Smith to withdraw
from the Massachusetts primaries in
the interests of harmony. Smith has
promptly oeclined. All this since the
results IN New Hampshire became
sI hno"H. me outlook appears to be
Cnat omlth Will not have a solid dele
gatlon from Massachusetts when the
contest is over April 81, and that there
VIII be such fight in the Bay State
tnaI VIII leave severe party scars
Nothing could please the Republicans
more. The Roosevelt Democrats. head
ed by Curley, are apparently not going
to give way in this primary fisht.
90 lar as Pennsylvania Is concerned
roosevelt looks to have much the bet
ter OF 1t at this time. He has strong
backing among the Democrats of the
State. The fact that former supporters
OF smith in Pennsylvania and else
Wnere do not believe that he can re-
celve the nomination for President this
year Is initiating strongly against
onliIhs cnances in the Keystone State
Many theories have been advanced
regarding the reason for Al Smith get
tlng INTO this preconvention campaign
at all. One prominent Democrat from
new York, who is not favorable to the
nomination OF Gov. Roosevelt. said to-
Day, but not for quotation. that
Smith personally is very fond oi
Roosevelt, but he is unwilling to have
MIN nominated for President, believ-
ing That Roosevelt is not qualified for
the job" For that reason, this Dem
ocrat insists, Smith believes himself
Justified in doing all that he can to
prevent the nomination of Roosevelt
Smith, he continued, is not a candi-
date for the nomination himself; he
Is merely In the picture to prevent the
nomination of Roosevelt. He said. too
that Smith now is wall Street
man." and all his friends, including
John j. Raskob and some Of the du
Points, are Wall Street men. This Wal
Street group, he added, is intent upon
defeating Roosevelt because of his
stand on public utilities, and Smith Is
going along with them in this effort.
And there you are. That is the kind
OF thing that has been widely spread
about the Smith candidacy, which is
declared, after all, to be merely a hol-
low sham to the Wall Streeters them
selves, but which Is no sham to the
fighting Smith Democrats in Massa-
chusetts and elsewhere. 1t would look
as though Mr.. Smith would either have
to become a real candidate or quit be-
fore long.
But whatever Mr.. Smith may do, il
is evident there is a large number oi
Democrats in this country who do not
intend to see Alfred E. Smith become
the new William Jennings Bryan of the
Democratic party, kind of perennial
candidate for President. What they
want is Democratic President, not
merely a candidate.
Even If Mr.. Smith should have a big
majority or all of the Massachusetts,
delegation to the Democratic National
Convention, it is predicted in well in
formed Democratic quarters in New
York that Gov. Roosevelt will have at
least rs Of New York delegation of "a,
and that the Governor may have nearly
all of the delegation.
The Democrats in convention in Min
nesota yesterday picked "a delegates to
support Roosevelt for the Democratic
nomination. The Smith Democrats
made a desperate fight, but were in a
minority and finally withdrew from
convention and held a rump conven-
nf their nf
delegates to the State Convention about
200 withdrew. They are not likely to
get very far with q protest delegation
to the National Convention. Yet in
1928 Smith had the Minnesota dele
cation to the Houston convention with
out difficulty. Times have changed
since then. Hoidale, Democratic can
didate for the Senate in 1890 who
ran a close race against Senator Schall.
Is a Roosevelt leader and was elected
chairman Of the State Convention YES
terday. AS a matter Of fact, Minnesota
is not Democratic State. The real
protest party against the Republicans
there is the Farmer-Labor party. The
primary and election laws in Mime
sofa have gone long way toward break
ing down party lines, however. The
members of the Minnesota Legislature
ernor and members of Congress. are
nominated and elected without party
designation. Under such circumstances
the G.. o. P, which has been a domi-
nant party in the State since the Civil
War. has found it difficult to keep a
strong organization in operation.
-
President Hoover has given written
permission to the Hoover Candidates
for delegates to the Republican Ma
tional Convention to run as delegates
pledged to his candidacy. He will
have the whole Ohio delegation. ac-
cording to Postmaster General Brown.
who has been looking after the mat
ter. The President, however, is not
going to file in the presidential prefer
entail primary. His friends believe
that such filing is not only not neces-
sary. but would be. mere idle gesture,
since he will have the delegates
pledged to him anyway. He was COM
PEELED to file his formal assent to have
delegates pledged to him under the
Ohio nrimarV and o1antio,, ro~,-