Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-05-29
Roosevelt Enters End of Nomination
Campaign With Advantage Over Field
BY GEORGE VAN SLYKE.

BY GEORGE VAN SLYKE.
NEW YORK, May 28-Less than one
month hence the Democrats will be
balloting in their national convention
for a candidate for President. and yet
at this late date the powerful group Of
candidates and leaders who are bitterly
hostile to the nomination of Gov.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, still far in the
lead, lack any definite understanding or
plan Of action for consolidating their
forces.
The anti Roosevelt forces have a
common objective and are headed In
the same general direction. They have
relied upon that community OF interest
to fuse them into q cohesive political
unit.
The first positive step toward effect
ing a policy Is supposed to have been
taken In New York this week. only to
reveal that the pre-convention campaign
has reached stage making such
maneuvering doubly difncult. The
Roosevelt managers are united and
ready for just that kind of attack In
deed, the Governors friends are credited
with having taken the initiative to
break down a dangerous coalition in its
formative stage. Here again. as at every
period in the developments Of the last
six months, the candidate with the pre-
ponderance Of votes naturally has the
advantage.
The strategic merit Of the Roosevelt
position lies in the fact that he has
one compact force behind him and a
far more attractive line Of political mer-
chandise to offer at bargains II necessity
requires, than his opponents can dis
play.
Gov. Richie, Maryland's favorite son,
in conference with Alfred E. Smith,
John j. Raskob. chairman Of the Ma
tional Committee, and men prominent
in business in New York, disavowed any
knowledge Of a concrete plan to stop
Roosevelt. Yet the only purpose OF the
conferences now in progress Is to evolve
some kind of working plan which will
pull together the anti-Roosevelt units
to avoid a break or stampede in the
early balloting
BY holding the several State delega-
tions in line fer their favorite-son
candidates the anti-Roosevelt men feel
confident they can prevent a nomina-
ton on the first or second ballot. They
are in large measure trusting to luck,
hoping to get a break; eagerly antici-
pating that Roosevelt may talk too
much and scare of delegates now in
clined to jump for the band wagon and
waiting only to be sure which way 1t Is
going. Having held Roosevelt for one
or two ballots in the convention, his
opponents believe they will be able then
to get down to real business and perfect
the combination which will tire out
10 ha
force a compromise selection.
That is where the danger lies for
the right wing. The problem of unit
ing some half-dozen alien groups, as
widely separated as the two coasts in
their natural affiliations, almost ir-
reconcilable, in fact, is the weakness
of the AL Smith Raskob- Eastern allies
and the strength Of the Roosevelt
candidacy.
once Roosevelt Is stopped, or even
held for two or three ballots, the allies
against him must ask, who now? So
far no two have been able to agree on
the same answer. When Owen D.
Young declared himself out, he left the
allies without a natural compromise
candidate.
And while his opponents are trying
to work out their problem, Gov. Roose-
welt will be pounding from front and
rear to break their ranks. II he can
attract one or two Of the big States
away from the allies and in the mean
time hold his own delegates in line,
his problem will be simple as COM
pared with the task his opponents face.
The next three weeks will witness
q more determined drive against Gov.
Roosevelt than the campaign has seen
to date. He will be assailed as too
radical for the Democrats to trust; as
inclining to the demagoguery charged
by Al Smith. The conservative East
is to be scared away. But Roosevelt
now has few delegates from the East
ern States which are outside the con-
troll of the local political machines al
ready tied up.
The Democrats recognize they must
carry some of the conservative Eastern
States next November II they are to
win the presidency, and the argument
which Roosevelt's opponents believe
will prove damaging to his candidacy
during the next few weeks will be that
the Governor has frightened business
in the East and thrown away what
ever chances he had of carrying those
debatable States.
Since Owen D. Young stepped out,
the anti Roosevelt leaders have spent
days and nights applying the acid test
to every available candidate in their
group and are as far removed from q
decision as when they started. Against
each name proposed there rises some
sectional or fractional hostility which
appears almost fatal. The belief in
political circles now is that If dead
lock forces q compromise, the name OF
the winner is not now prominently
heard in the discussions and that he
will emerge from the Roosevelt camp,
not the camp Of the favorite sons.
X + 4 Il
Gov. Richie probably IS first choice
today of the Smith Raskob wing Of
the party for compromise, with Newton
D. Baker Q close second. But Richie
Is too wet for the South and West and
he has not made Roadway In his sew
eral campaigns in those sections. Mr..
Baker brings in the League Of Nations
issue and raises q labor challenge, but
has unquestionable strength in the
Middle West and East. Speaker Gar
ner is too dry for the East and his
leadership in Congress has not In
spired national enthusiasm. John w.