Evening star., 1940-07-15
Lobbies Nominate
Roosevelt, Garner
As Dark Horses
But Sense Of Uncertainty
And Unrest Disturbs
Convention Atmosphere
By WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.
/. CHICAGO, ILL.,, July Is (N.AN.A).
In the convention hall today on
every delegates seat is . national
committee booklet with 4 gorgeous
full-page picture on the first page
of a smiling, lumpy -jawed gentle-
man. A delegate this afternoon,
wandering into the convention to
locate, in advance, his seat in the
Virginia delegation, picked up the
picture, looked at it and exclaimed:
"Ah, the dark horse. the conven-
ton surprise, the Wendell Willkie
of the Democratic Convention
none other than Franklin Roose-
velt."
And, curiously enough, the upsurge
OF talk about the vice presidential
candidacy reveals the name of that
wild horse from the plains of Texas
Jack Garner, a name that soon will
be famous in every household.
These two, one and inseparable now
and forever, seem destined at this
hour to burst into full-blown ever
lasting fame. Roosevelt and Garner
is the ticket as the lobbies have
nominated it, showing that the more
the Democrats change in this world
of tumult, the more they remain
the same.
Wheeler Accepts Promise.
It is fairly certain that the fight
on the platform has submerged in
the enthusiasm for those two new
faces on the ticket. But Wheeler
has told his friends that he is will
ing to accept the promise not to
lead our soldiers into a European
war, and in return for that phrase,
Senator Wheeler of Montana, Sen
ator Walsh of Massachusetts, and
Senator McCarran of Nevada, who
will be on the drafting section OF
the Platform Committee, will let
the tail 60 with the hide and ALLOW
the President to write platform,
otherwise like the Republican,
which will not tie his hands in
October if he wishes to send ships
to the Allies and welcome the Brit
ish fleet to our harbors.
Despite the belief that the Roose-
velt nomination is accepted as
foregone conclusion and the further
accepted fact that the platform will
be adopted without a fight, there is
still sense of uncertainty, of unrest,
vague sense of disturbance here in
this convention. Probably this
feeling Of impending drama is con-
veyed into the convention from the
minds of its leaders. Obviously the
nomination of Wendell Willkie has
changed the plans Of the Democratic
Convention. The President could
have chosen Hull with fair
chance Of defeating Taft or Dewey,
but the nomination Of Wendell Will
kie means big fight, and has caused
the President at the last moment
to change his mind and his plans.
Corridors Are Listless.
He seems to be convinced that he
alone must carry the banner into
the fray. But he must be uncertain
as to the. wisdom of his. plap. For
all the corridors IN the bobby are
listless. No one Is excited. The
fizz of an ordinary Demo-
cratic National Convention Is want
ing, and instead we have here .
sense Of strange confusion, Of hesi-
fancy and doubt. The crowd here is
in that mood of suspended interest
which calls for hypnotism and makes
it easy for a wizard to come with his
magic, and today, with remote con-
troll, the wizard will open the show
and only one thing is certain-that
the picture will not be what it seems.
The only real show at the con-
vention is the McNutt headquarters.
Here are three palatial rooms be-
decked with flags. It looks like a
county fair in a grand dukes palace.
And there in the midst of the Demo-
cratic pomp and Indiana splendor
stands the candidate himself, IRON
gray hair, a gray suit, q steely smile
and an automatic handshake, smil-
Sloane
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