Evening star., 1935-07-21
ROOSEVELT'S NOMINATION
HELD VIRTUALLY CERTAIN
Detection of Democratic Party De-
clared Stifled by Officeholders'
Control of Convention.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

tain that the Democratic presi-
Dental nominee next year will be
Mr.. Roosevelt. Out of that fact
some extraordinary conditions will
arise, but of Mr. Roosevelt's nomina-
ton there can hardly be any real
doubt.
OF the Democratic leaders, national
and local. who will determine the
nomination, a considerable number
are the Democratic members of Con-
greSs. A majority of these are pri-
vately disturbed by the prospect, but
they see no practical path except to
go on and renominate the President
who is in Office. They have ceased,
merely as a matter of familiarity, to
feel as strongly as they once did the
charm of Mr.. RooSevelts personality.
They have long distrusted his ad-
visers; they feel about the brain
trust" the lack of ease that men of
simple, direct minds have for men
with OverSubtle minds. Most dam
aging of all to Mr.. Roosevelt, Demo-
Gratis in Congress have been disturbed
In their faith in the Presidents DO
htical magic
They realize that his throwing a
distribution wealth" measure into
the closing days of a tired Congress
and an overstrained country was a
political mistake. They think his
attack on the Supreme Court decisions
was another. They feel that the
glamour Mr.. Roosevelt has had in the
eyes of the country has worn a little,
as glamour usually does. Some Of the
most important Democrats in Con-
gress talk more strongly against the
president than any Republican does
OfhcehOlders Feel Bond.
nevertheless, the Democrats will
nominate Mr.. Roosevelt. OF the
thousand or SO persons who compose
the national convention of a party in
power, perhaps four-f1fths are otfice
holders. or are selected by officehold-
ers. These know that they and the
PRESIDENT have common interest.
mat the otnceholders and the Presi-
dent must stick together. A party
which rejects q President in office
10 nominate new man by that act
con1esses that their own President
mas serious shortcomings. Parties
almost never do it, and the Demo-
Gratis will not do it next year. A
croSS-Sectlon OF the Democrats of
the country not holding office might
reject Mr.. Roosevelt. But the Office
holders will nominate him.
from the denomination of Mr.
ROOSEVELT by the regular Democratic
organization, some unusual conditions
VIII arise next year. A large number
Oh democrats, not now oficeholders
ana not now very active, but never
tneieses having high standing. are
deeply shocked by the course Mr.
Roosevelt has taken. Il am speaking
at this point of Democrats of the con-
servat1ve type) Representatives of
theSe declare they are determined IN
nave a third party. The detection, if
~ comes, Will be much like the gold
democrat" movement which organized
q tnlrd party and put a ticket in the
neid when William Jennings BRYAN
ana the free SiNerites" seized control
OF the party in 1896. Such a third
party movement, composed of con-
serVative Democrats, if it arises next
year would obviously reduce Mr..
EooSevelt's chance in the election.
Another question raised by the prac-
tlcal certainty of Mr. Roosevelt's NOM
lnatlon by the Democrats has tn do
with Senator Huey Long. Stated most
broadly, the question is whether the
radicals. in and out of the Democratic
party, will have third ticket headed
by Senator Long or another.
Roosevelt fears this more than anv
other danger to him. He devotes more
ef1ort to preventing this than to anv
other political objective. To a degree
ne has succeeded. He has gone far
enough, through his distribution of
wealth" action and otherwise, to pla-
cate Senator La Toilette. Though
conoltlons change rapidly, it seems
Sa1e TO say now that Senator La Fol-
lette and his Progressive party-that
ofncial brand is now owned bv the
La Follettes-will not have a presi-
oentlal candidate. Their present in
tention is to support Mr.. Roosevelt
Probably there will be no occasion for
tnem to change the intention. Mr..
Roosevelt has dedicated himself to
going toward the left. He has gone
1ar enough to satisfy the La Fol-
Iettes. But there remains Huey Long
The largest explanation of most of
Mr.. Roosevelt'S political actions is
Coughlin. Fear is the word for it
and Mr.. Roosevelt's actions, melted bv
that fear, will have much conse-
quence to the country. Some of Mr..
Roosevelt's intimates claim that the
fear is genuine-genuine in the sense
that, as they explain it, Mr.. Roosevelt
feels there is danger of America going
extremely radical. The best apology
or explanation made for Mr.. Roose-
Velt Is that he thinks very terrible
forces are loose in the world, that he
Tears America may be carried by
these forces to an extreme radicalism,
and that he feels that his duty and
his best strategy is to keep touching
elbows with the extreme left, so as
So AVOID leIIlng the extreme left get
possession of the country under
some one like Senator Long.
Called Many Conferences.
Whether for that motive or through
mere concern for his own renomina-
ton next year, Mr.. Roosevelt, from
the beginning of his administration,
has tried always to placate the radi-
Gals. He tries to placate them by
direct appeal to their leaders. Before
the open split came, Mr.. Roosevelt
used to send emisSaries to Senator
Long to try to keep him in line. In
the same spirit he, on some occasions,
had Father Coughliu come to the
White House. After those visits,
Father Coughlin described to friends
and acquaintances the scene in the
White House-Father Coughlin walk
ing up and down the room in front
Of the Presidents desk and telling the
President what must be done.
Father Coughlin is more amenable
A.