Evening star., 1936-01-10
DEMOCRATS MAP
EAST invasion"
Convention at Philadelphia
Expected to Strengthen
Campaign.

The Democratic National Committee
today began laying plans for its in
vasion of the East, having selected
Philadelphia as the city in which to
venominate President Roosevelt.
The Democratic national conven-
ton Is to open on June %, just two
weeks after the opening of the Re-
publican convention in Cleveland.
Many of the Democratic committee
men and committeewomen had plan
ned to take their party convention
also to the Middle West-to Chicago
But when Philadelphia came through
with a 100000 cash bid and Chicago
declined to go above its original $780,
000 offer, the jig was up. After q
brief recess, called by Chairman Farley
for the purpose of considering the
bids, including one of $201 900 sub
mitted by Senator McAdoo of Cali
fornia on behalf of San Francisco,
the balloting was begun.
Before half the roll had been called,
It was clear that Philadelphia would
win overwhelmingly. Patrick A. Nash,
national committeeman for Illinois,
released those members of the COM
mittee who had promised to vote for
Chicago, and Senator McAdoo moved
to make the choice of Philadelphia
unanimous. 1t was done with WhoOp,
and the party was committed to the
Pennsylvania city, former stronghold
of Republicanism-and still having
Republican administration.
Question to Be Submitted.
The call for the convention which
was formally adopted by the National
Committee late yesterday, directs that
the question of changing the two
thirds rule of nominating candidates
4 for President and Vice President be
aba andoned and that the ma ajority rule
be submitted to the convention.
This is matter with which only
the national convention itself can deal.
however. The Rules Committee of the
national convention of 1882 embodied
in its report recommendation that
the next convention should consider
the question of changing the two
thirds rule. with a further declaration
that that convention should be the sole
Judge Of its own rules" What the
committee did yesterday was, in effect,
merely to call attention of the dele
gates to the coming national conven-
tion that they would be expected to
take up the question of adopting a
majority rule as substitute for the
old tWo-thirds.
There uoS strono monument oooopu
the supporters of President Roosevelt's
nomination at Chicago in 1882 to do
away with the two-thirds rule in that
convention. The plan was finally
abandoned. however. With the re-
nomination of President practically
uncontested this year, Democrats who
favor a ma ajority rule believe that this
Is the time to bring about the change
The decision to take the Democratic
national convention to Philadelphia
came after an afternoon of spirited
speeches by supporters of the three
cities competing, and bidding just as
spirited.
S150.O0O California Bid.
Senator McAdoo, adopting the ver-
nacular of the poker game, opened
. the pot with bid of s150,00O from
San Francisco, but reserved the right
to sweeten it.
Chicago met the S150,0OO bid and
stayed in the game. It's spokesmen,
however. insisted they had come down
here to make an offer for the conven-
tion and not to engage in either a
poker game or an auction. In the end,
they made no further concessions ex-
cept a promise to throw in the audi
torium for the convention free of
charge to the committee.
When 1t came Philadelphia's turn,
that city tossed in a bid of $4,000
amid cheers from the committee
which had come down to submit the
bid and cheers on the part of the
National Committee. McAdoo count
cred by raising the bid to s2O1 900.
He insisted that he had been author
lied by wire to make the bid Phila-
delphia accompanied its bid with a
certified check.
Despite prodding by Chairman Far
ley the Chicago delegation declined
to increase its bid above $150,00O.
The Democrats are to receive S50,-
900 more as the price for holding
their convention in Philadelphia than
are the Republicans for holding their
meeting in Cleveland. Furthermore,
the Democratic National Committee
hopes to receive enough money from
the jackson day dinners held through
out the country to wipe out in large
part the 100000 party deficit still
existing.
Middle West Certain"
Outside of the question of cash, the
political advantage of holding the
party's national convention in Phila-
delphia was stressed by the Pennsyl-
vanians. Gov. Earle and Mrs. Emma
Guffey Miller, sister of Senator Joseph
F. Guffey, Democratic boss of the
State. both pointed to the fact that
the Democratic party in recent years
has made great strides in Pennsyl-
vania. Gov. Earle said that the Middle