Evening star., 1940-02-06

Chairman James A. Farley select
the date. He Immediately announced
that the date will be selected the
moment the Republicans have fixed
a date.
The advantage in this by-play is
with the Democrats, for they OBJ
viously want late convention and
short campaign because this will
curtail the time of their opposition
to make case.
The Republicans, on the other
hand, can easily fix convention
date, pick their candidate and post
pone the making of platform until
after the Democrats have met. For
If the Democrats draft President
Roosevelt the whole Republican
platform will be built around the
idea of dictatorship. All other
issues will fade into insigniflcance.
The question of who shall be
named by the Republicans to head
the ticket is not at all related to
what the Democrats do. From some
standpoints. it would be wiser for
the Republicans to select their can
dldate and begin to organize their
campaign in June, irrespective OF
what the Democrats may do later
It's the platform and the emphasis
which may have to be given the
third-term issue that may cause the
Republicans embarrassment if the
Democratic convention is held too
long after the Republican conclave.
Mayor Hague of Jersey City, one OF
the principal Democratic spokesmen
at the national committee meeting
here this week, thinks the conven-
ton should be held in September.
Roosevelt for Short Campaign.
President Roosevelt has favored
the holding of the Democratic con-
vention as late as possible this year
His argument has been that the
national campaigns are too long
anyhow. From other quarters not
so friendly to the President, namely
the Republicans, the suggestion has
been advanced that the real reason
Mr.. Roosevelt wants the convention
postponed is that he is counting on
a lucky break in the international
situation which would prompt the
delegates at the Democratic Ma
tional Convention to feel free to go
ahead and draft him for a third
term.
Incidentally, an idea was ad-
vanced here today which, on its
face, sounds wholly improbable, but
which is being suggested as a pos
sible answer out of the many hypo-
thetical answers being given to the
third-term riddle. 1t Is that Presi-
dent Roosevelt could stay within
the customary eight-year rule and
still accept third nomination by
announcing publicly in advance that
he would serve from January 20,
1941, to March 4, 1941, and then
resign in favor of the vice presiden-
tial nominee, presumably the pres
ent Attorney General, Robert H.
Jackson.
Term CurtaiIed.
Hitherto Presidents have had the
privilege Of serving eight years, but
when a constitutional amendment
was adopted changing the inaugura-
tion date from March to January
20, the term of Mr.. Roosevelt was
curtailed about a month and half.
BY permitting his name to go on
the ballot, Mr.. Roosevelt would then,
If elected, be sure to carry along
with him the man of his choice for
the presidency and yet retire on the
very day that his own eight years
were completed.
Such scheme would, of course,
be announced in advance so that the
voters would know about it and
approve or reject as the case may
be. Clearly it would leave a vacancy
In the vice presidency, if the ticket
were elected, but this is not un-
usual. The Senate has many times
selected a chairman pro tenn to
preside over the Senate's sessions.
AS for presidential succession, if
anything happened to create a va
cancy when there is no Vice Presi-
dent, the Office would 60 to the Sec
retary of State. Quite recently there
have been rumors from New Deal
quarters that Mr.. Roosevelt might
consider being appointed Secretary
of State in the next cabinet If the
Democrats were continued in power
so as to give them the benefit of his
advice and to preserve the con-
tinuity of policy.
The whole idea of a Roosevelt
Jackson ticket with month and a
half for one and a retirement in
favor of the other would technically
perhaps meet the third-term argu.
ment, but it is not likely that il
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