Imperial Valley press., 1939-04-04
Garner's Chances
Don't Look Bad
BY CHARLES p. STEWART

Maybe Elliott Roosevelt was right
in his recent assertion that Vice
President John N. Garner is the
leading candidate for the next
Demcratic nomination as White
House tenant. It's hard TO believe
that FD. wants the Texan select
ed. They haven't been overly har-
monious in their respective roles
at 1000 Pennsylvania Avenue and
up on Capitol Hill. However, F.
d. himself perhaps reads some
writing on the wall Anyway. when
bis own son CANDLES on the Lone
star statesman it's rather Signifl-
cant. For that matter, even Elliott
didn't say that John N. was his
preference. either. He simply said
that he believed the latter would
get the nomination, which was
quite different from saying that he
hoped so. If Elliott was right, if
Garner does get that nomination,
it assuedly will go long distance
toward proving the truth OF the
old saying that you can't keep a
good man down.
NotoriouSly, If there's job in
this country which forecloSeS its
incumbent against promotion it's
the Vice Presidency. A couple OF
Vice Presidents CTeddy Roosevelt
and Cal Coolidge) have graduated
into the presidency and then been
presidentially nominated and elect
ed. but for a vice president to serve
out his vice presidential term, and
then TO be presidentially nominat-
ed? That would be unprecedented
A Strong Candidate
All the same. it's easy TO see why
Cactus Jack should be a strong
candidate There really are only
two material counts against him:
He's been vice president. Per-
hapS he's good enough to offset
that.
Hes nearly 70-traditionally
too old to start in on an executive
mansion tenancy. Whether or not
he can overcome that handicap Is
problematic.
Garner has peculiar qualifica-
tionS.
In the first place, strangely
enough, his geography is all right.
AS a Texan, he should hold the
Solid South together. Yet Texas
doesn't class as a southern state as
the southeastern group do. There
fore he shouldn't have much, II
any, sectional opposition.
Secondly, while conservative, he
isn't rampantly anti-liberal.
Thirdly. the range of his political
experience is almost unlimited.
Most past vice presidents have
been comparatively unskilled in
party technicalitieS. He's past
master at the game.
Fourthly, he's a marvellous wise
cracker. y
Things aren't so bad for a con-
gressional party leader when he has
q majority back of him.
Goes Way Back
But Garner was Democratic
leader OF the House of Representa-
tives when his group was in
hopeless minority. His minority was
split, too. The Democrats always
are The late Speaker Joseph w.
Byrns once explained this to me-
from his standpoint.
we Democrats" he said have
honest convictions, but we clash in
these convictions The Republicans
never clash in campaign time. All
they want to do is to break into
office. They don't care whether they
climb in through the cellar window
or scale a drainpipe and enter by
way of the attic. Once inside they
may quarrel over the loot, but
they're a unit in committing bur-
glary Our Democratic Squabbling'S
done in adyance-Which is why they
beat us on election days
Nevertheless, Garner kept his
split minority in pretty good order.
In those days Gamers minority
was a trifle too minus to be pleas
ant.
Yet a majority, if overly prepon-
derant has a tendency TO divide it
self. The Republicans showed that
trend. The talk was to the effect
that an excessive majority was un-
desirable.
AS a newSpaperman I dropped in
on Leader Garner to ask for infor-
nation.
He listened and then he said re-
flectively:
DO you know, I'd rather have
topheavy majority"
He's funny that way.