Evening star., 1936-09-06
AGREEMENT WAITS.
: ON GOVERNORSH|P.
Accord Now Is Not Likely
Until Convention in
Albany Sept. %.
BY THOMAS COMPERE,

Special Correspondent Oh Inc star.
NEW YORK, September 5.-Fail-
ure Of the State Republican leaders to
agree on a candidate for Governor Is
retarding their campaign and 1t Is
considered likely by some OF the best
informed political observers here that
Alfred M. Landon's vote in New York
will suffer because of this procraStl-
nation.
Realizing that it would be wise to
avoid party strife and that it would
be necessary to build up their candi-
date over as long period as possible,
the Republican leaders agreed pr1-
vately early in the campaign to give
the nomination of an upstate man.
They then thought an outstanding
candidate would be put forward with
the blessing of the upstate leaders,
which would have been tantamount
to the nomination.
That was not done, however, and
now no agreement on candidate is
likely to be made before the State
convention in Albany on September
%. This would give the Republican
candidate only little more than a
month in which to convince the
voters that he was of gubernatorial
stature. The Democrats would be far
in the lead on this point. Gov. Her
bert H. Lehman has served two terms
and he is one of the best vote-getters
ever to run for Office in New York.
He needs no build-up campaign.
May Lose Governorship.
Should the election in New York be
close this year, the refusal of the Re-
publican leaders to make an early de-
cision on their candidate might cost
them the governorship. Also, it is
certain that the loss of the major
State races by the Republicans would
make it doubly hard for Gov. Landor
to win this States At electoral votes.
The key to the Republicans i'm
passe is Clarence R. King, leader o1
Onondaga County. Mr.. King has
been on the spot by having two strong
candidates for the nomination in his
own organization, and thus far he
has been unwilling to make decision
between them. They are State Senator
George R. Fearon and Mayor Rol-
land B. Marvin of Syracuse.
Senator Fearon unquestionably is
now in the lead for the nomination,
but he does not have enough dele
gates lined up to go over on the first
ballot A survey made by Republican
statisticians showed that Senator
Fearon has 531 delegates out of 1928
pledged to him. Since it takes only a
majority to nominate, Senator Fearon
apparently is lacking only the out
spoken support of his own county
leader to be certain of the nomination.
However, should Mr.. King throw the
AZ delegates of Onondaga to Mayor
Marvin the entire picture would be
changed. 1t Is not believed that Sena-
tor Fearon would receive the support
of the New York City leaders if he
could not carry the delegates from
his own county.
The second most powerful candi-
date at this stage is Justice William
F. Bleakley of the Supreme Court.
Westchester, who has the support of
approximately 300 delegates. The
chances of Justice Bleakley winning
the nomination are considered good
If Mr.. King refused to back Senator
Fearon.
Plans for the Democratic State
campaign will be gone over carefully
during the next 10 days, during which
time each of the county leaders will
confer here with James A. Farley,
State and national Democratic chair
man. The first of the conferences
will be held early next week, and daily
thereafter from 10 to II of the leaders
will make their reports to Mr.. Farley.
Usually the party chairman makes a
tour of the State, comforting with
the leaders, but Mr.. Farley is of the
opinion this year that he can get the
party machinery in high gear more
quickly by having the leaders come to
him in grollps