Evening star., 1932-02-21
.SMITH.ROOSEVELT SPLIT
TRACED TO 1928 ELECTION
Ill Feeling Engendered by Fact Governor
Far Outran Presidential Aspirant
in New York.

Roosevelt have 1t, or deny it to him.
The present strong probability Is they
Will deny 1t to him.
II the people are to be well informed,
they should know the reasons why most
OF the national leaders of the party
| hesitate to permit RooSevelt's nomina-
ton to become an accomplished thing.
The leaders hesitate to speak publicly
OF these reasons. They hesitate partly
because their reasons are vague and
| not very specific. Their reasons are not
so much that Roosevelt would make
poor nominee and poor President as
that other men would make better ones.
Fear to Express Doubts.
| They hesitate because they have
friendly feeling for Roosevelt person.
| ally, there Is, indeed, a sort of kindly
compact of silence about Roosevelts s
| equipment for the nomination and the
presidency. They hesitate because after
all, Roosevelt may get the nomination,
| in which event national Democratic
leaders do not wish to have given pub
lie expression to doubts about his being
the best nominee. They hesitate be-
| cause one Of the reasons m their minds
| is the state of RooSevelt's health,
doubt whether Roosevelt could stand
the strain Of the man-killing Job the
presidency has come to be- and leaders
as well as every one else have a natural
dlstaste about suggesting that any
mans health may be a handicap to his
fitness for an Office to which he aSpires
As to all these arguments against
Roosevelt's availability. put forward by
Democratic leaders, the energetic and
certainly partially convincing answer
made by ROosevelt's friends is that for
! three years he has been Governor of
New York, and that he has been Q
satisfactory Governor-so satisfactory
that at the end of two years he was
reelected by the greatest majority ever
received by candidate for Governor
of New York. Roosevelt's friends say
that if his health were a real handicap,
he could hardly have carried the bur-
den Of New York's governorShip as he
has. They insist, indeed. that Roose-
velt has been exceptionally energetic in
his attention to the duties of his office,
that he has visited a larger number Of
| counties in the State than any other
recent Governor, that in all respects his
work has reflected, if anything, un-
usual vigor.
Voices Other Objections.
The other reasons adverse to nomi-
mating Roosevelt have been put in
words by Walter Lippmann, in
passage in which fairness and gener-
oSity toward Roosevelt are as conspicu-
GUS as the argument against his avail
ability:
Among the national Democrats, that
is to say, among the men who have
held high Office or have been inf1uen-
tial in the councils of their party, the
belief is widespread and strong that tie
election of Franklin D. Roosevelt vou16
bring to the office of President q man
of only moderate capacity. g. II
would not be denied that men less
fitted than he have served acceptably
as President of the United States. New
ertheless, the Judgment exists, and has
grown more firm, that he has not the
grasp of the issues or the disinterest-
edness or the resolution that Presl-
dent must have in time of great emer-
gency No mathematical proof in sup
port of such a Judgment can be offered.
But that it is the judgment OF OBJ
servers who have no axes to grind, that
it is the Judgment of men who have
very considerable personal liking for
him. is certain.
''All the appearances of the fit
candidate he possesses. All the
instructive prejudices run in his
favor. 1t is in spite of his attractive
ness. in spite of his unquestioned per-
| SOnal integrity, III Splte VI lid Sellc1 Jus
sympathies, that this judgment has
formed itself among large numbers of
discerning people that here is man
who has made a good Governor, who
might make good cabinet officer, but
who simply does not measure up to the
tremendous demands Of the (presiden-
tiaD Office 1t is this Judgment which
is cutting deeply into his candidacy,
for it is held by men and women whose
opinion carries great weight throughout
the Nation"
To all of which Roosevelt's friends
reply: He carried New York for re-
election as Governor by the biggest ma
jority ever given any candidate OF
either party. and if he's good enough
to be so satisfactory a Governor of New
York he's good enough to be President"
1t isn't quite true that the governor
ship of New York is necessarily COM
plete equipment for the presidency.
The political part Of the argument,
however-Roosevelt's record a a vote
getter in the largest and most decisive
State-will weigh much. even with
RooSeveltS critics when the convention
meets. But the time has gone by, if
it ever was when Roosevelt could have
been assured of the nomination in ad-
vance. The decision will be in the
hands Of the leaders and delegates, and
the nomination may 60 to any one Of
three or four.