The Washington times., 1936-02-11
FARLEY BACKS
EX-NAYOR, IS
REPORT
No FIare-up Hinted
Between Old Foes;
Have Not Met
BY JAMES L. KILGALLEN
International News Service
Staff Correspondent

Both Jimmy Walker and AL
Smith may go to the Democratic
national convention in June as
Tammany delegates.
If they do, as was strongly In
dicated today, they will be on
opposite sides of the political
fence for the first time at q
national convention.
Smith, severe critic Of the
Roosevelt Administration, will be
in a mood to make good his
threat to take a walk" Walker,
on the other hand, will "sit
tight"
Farley Wants Him
Despite the coolness that exists
between Walker and Smith there
Is little likelihood Of an open
flare-up between them at the
forthcoming convention.
Walker figures to play a more
subdAed role than Smith who
already has taken the anti,Roose-
welt bit in his teeth.
James A. Farley. leader of the
Roosevelt forces, is represented
as wanting Walker to attend the
convention as a delegate.
Reports that Farley'S strategy
IS to hold Walker in readiness
to reply to any attack by Smith
on Roosevelt are taken with q
grain of salt.
Political Sharps agree that
former Mayor walker has too
much political acumen to attempt
"to wisecrack AL off the floor
of the convention" Smith Is
known to fire heavy verbal guns
himself.
Walkers Position
Smith and Walker have not
met since Walker came back from
Europe. Neither have they been
in touch by telephone.
Walker is in a peculiar posi-
ton. He and Farley are great
friends. He and Smith are not.
But whether Jimmy" has for
gotten the scars he thought Mr..
Roosevelt inflicted upon him dur.
ing the celebrated Seabury hear
ing in Albany remains to be seen.
It would be a case Of Hello
Az and "Hello Jimmy" if Walker
and Smith met as members OF
the Tammany delegation on the
convention floor. There would be
no hobnobbing between them.
Walkers friends in Tammany
take the view that AL put Tam
many "on the spot" by his "take
a walk" threat in his American
Liberty League speech. They ask:
"Where is AL going to walk?
And who's going to walk with
him?"
DIDN'T LIKE THAT
Political experts say James j.
Dooling, leader of Tammany
Hall, likes free hand in select
ing his own delegation to the con-
vention. They assert that Dooling
will see to it that both Smith and
Walker will be members-if they
want to be.
There is no open break between
Walker and Smith at present
and never has been. Their politi-
cal relations, however, have not
been friendly in recent years. On
the two occasions Walker ran for
mayor of New York, Smith said
nothing in his behalf in cam
paign speeches.
Jimmy" didn't like that, his
friends say. Also, they declare
Walker felt put out because
Smith did not "go to bat" for him
when he drew Roosevelt's fire
during the Seabury investigation.
Once Smith and Walker were
at odds over the leadership of
Tammany Hall. Smith wanted
Edward j. Ahearn in that job.
Walker favored John F. Curry.
Curry was elected.
Intimate Friends
Walker and Farley, on the
other hand, have been intimate
friends for years.
Walker was Democratic leader
of the State senate when Farley
was serving his first term in the
State assembly. Through Walk
er's influence, Farley was ap-
pointed New York boxing COM
missioner.
Jimmy" Walker is now living
quietly at a midtown hotel and
is looking after his law practice.
AL Smith is now on vacation
In Palm Beach, Fla, where he
is staying at the home of his
friend, William S. Kenny, wealthy
New York contractor. Smith will
not return to New York for about
two weeks.
Iehor Poard Eooe