Evening star., 1939-04-28

cratic. -Four years
Char'e' G. Ross. later, though the
| nght between Smith and McAdoo
MADE the outcome on the Demo-
cratic side impossible to forecast with
any assurance, there was complete
certainty on the other: Coolidge was
slated for the Republican nominal
tlon. During the year preceding
tne conventions of 1928 it was a safe
assumption that Smith and Hoover
would fight it out at the polls. III
was certain four years later that
HooVer would be renominated and
good gamble that the efforts of
Jim Farley to nominate Roosevelt
would be crowned with success. In
the last campaign. doubt a. to the
republican nominee prevailed till
near the end, but the denomination
OF Roosevelt was never in question.
ioday. with the conventions onlv
HttIe more than a year in the f,l-
lure, no forecaster who values his
reputation will predict. without a
series OF butts" lands" and ifs." thu
nominee on either side.
Field Best Bet.
ihe best bet at the moment Is the
neio against any one your opponent
may care to name. for either the
democratic or the Republican nomi-
nation.
The condition is ripe for the
picking of each candidate by a small
group OF leaders behind the scenes
a1ter the usual commitments to fav-
or1te-son aspirants have been satis-
Aeo on the convention floor. It looks
no" as II there will be a profusion
OF these hopefuls among both the
democrats and the Republicans.
Events, in other words. are tendjno
TO reproduce the situation out Of
which came Warren Harding as the
cholce OF select conferees in a
smoke filled room"
II Roosevelt wants the nofnina.
ton. 1t will be the task of Jim Farley
70 get 1t for him by persuading the
organization Democrats who will
control the convention that only
with Roosevelt as their candidate
can the Democrats hope to retain the
spoils OF Office. Few who know
Farley will doubt that if Roosevelt
pears down on him, Farley will
assume the task. No matter how
much Farley may want the nominal
ton for himself. or how greatly in
| his heart he may oppose the third
term idea and resent the role thrust
upon him. he will 60 down the line
for his chief If Roosevelt becomes a
candidate.
Jim's is that kind of loyalty. He
would cast aside his own legitimate
aspirations without any outward
sign OF disappointment, take of his
shirt and go to work again for the
partnership which his efforts carried
to power in 1882. 1t is not In his
lexicon to do otherwise. Precisely
because Farley is that kind of man.
the strength which he himself DOS
sesses as a presidential aspirant is
not to be despised.
Bricker Chance Good,
As the Democratic nomination "a
an engrossing topic of speculation,
with the attitude of the President
but one of the many ifs" involved,
so also is the question of where
the Republican lightning will strike,
II bet had to be placed today,
most OF the wiseacres at the Capitol
would choose Dewey. Taft or Gov.
Bricker of Ohio. There are many
who believe-especially since Tafts
rather unimpressive showing in re-
cent public speeches in Washing.
ton-that the fortunes of the Ohio
Senator are on the decline. In
creasing attention is being paid to
Bricker.
This Is the way the situation
was sized up the other day by a
shrewd and highly placed Repub-
lican who will help to make the
behind-the-scenes decisions of his
party. The contest (as he now sees
it, is between Dewey and Bricker.
If by any chance the Democratic
party should be smeared with a
scandal between now and next June,
the Republicans will capitalize their
good fortune by nominating Dewey,
the racket-buster He will be the
glamour boy with whom the Re-
publicans will dramatic their own
tfor the nonce) impeccability. But
If the Democrats are inconsiderate
enough to provide no such issue,
then the emphasis will be on the
asserted ability of the Republicans
in the field of administration. They
will accept the features of the New
Deal that are demonstrably favored
by a great majority of the people,
and say that they can make them
work better than the Democrats
have done. In that case, it will be
their play to nominate an adminis-
traitor of proved capacity, and if
Bricker makes q good record in
Ohio the choice very probably will
fall on him.
It all sounds plausible, and any
way, at the moment. it's as good
a guess as any.