Evening star., 1939-08-12
Possible Roosevelt
Backing Of McNutt
Stirs Speculation
Capitol Wonders Over
Endorsement if He
Spurns Third Term
BY the Associated Press.

The Capital wondered today
whether Paul V. McNutt might go
into the 1910 Democratic conven-
ton with President Roosevelts in
dorsement as a liberal" candidate
for the presidential nomination.
Speculation as to the Federal Sc
curlty administrator chances OF
winning White House support, IN
the event Mr. Roosevelt does not
seek third term, was stirred by
events at the national convention
Of Young Democrats in Pittsburgh.
On Thursday the President sent
message to the convention warning
that, if the Democrats nominated
conservative candidates or lip
service candidates on a straddle-bug
platform" he would take no active
part in such an unfortunate suicide
OF the old Democratic party"
Praises Roosevelt.
Last night Mr.. McNutt set the
Young Democrats to cheering wildly
with speech praising Mr.. Roose-
welt as the greatest living eXemplar
OF democratic liberalism" and out
lining program of what he called
modern liberalism.
Developments at the Pittsburgh
meeting not only led to talk of
possible Roosevelt support for the
presidential candidacy of the for
mer Indiana Governor, they raised
anew, without any conclusive an
swer the question of whether the
President himself might run again.
Delegates loudly applauded speeches
demanding a third term" for Mr..
Roosevelt, or at least for his ideas"
Whether Mr.. McNutt had any
hint of the Presidents message to
the Young Democrats before he
prepared his address several days
ago has not been disclosed.
Wants Security Expansion.
In any event, he aligned himself,
as he did in another address on
foreign policy at Cleveland recent
ly, with major administration pro-
nouncements. He proposed ex-
pansion of the social security sys-
tenn to provide for public health
and medical care, a step which the
President also has advocated, and
urged vigilant protection of those
civil liberties which are the life
blood of our Democratic system"
Friends of Mr.. McNutt have been
urging his nomination as COM
promise" candidate to bring to-
gether the party factions which
have been warning over the admin
istration and Its policies.
Mentioning in his speech last
night that newly enacted amend
ments to the social security law pro-
vided for increased Federal grants
to the States Tor old-age assistance,
the Indianan said they did not solve
the whole problem of adequate aid
for the needy and that the major
issue was still "the plight of the
poorer States, in which lack OF State
money remains an unsolved prob
lem"
May Appeal to Southerners.
411o pOlIlL
may we'll appeal to many Southern
Democrats, among them some who
have taken part in past efforts to
wrest congressional leadership and
party control from the President.
Southern Senators tried unsuc-
cessfully in the session of Congress
just ended to put through a social
security amendment providing that
the Federal Government should put
up 50 for every dollar contributed
by the States for old-age assistance,
up to a total of SIS per recipient,
with dollar-for dollar matching
above that amount.
Federal grants for this purpose
are now on dollar-for- dollar
matching basis, and some South
erners contend their States are un-
able to put up sufficient funds to
provide adequate aid for the needy
aged under this system.