The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1940-05-23

(By Staff Writer)

WaShington.-With the first OF
the presidential nominating con-
ventions barely a month away,
hardly anybody in Washington
even pretends to give any thought
to anything but the possible no.
minees. AS to them, one can hear
the opinions of politicians in the
National Capitol, but it is not so
easy to hear the opinions of the
voters.
If the conventions run true to
form, they will be controlled by
the politicians. If the politicians
control the Democratic National
Convention, the belief is grow
ing here that the nominee will not
be President Roosevelt, but is
much more likely to be the Sec
rotary of State, Cordell Hull.
Mr.. Hull's strength derives from
confidence in his grasp Of inter
national affairs and in his man.
agement of American foreign po-
Icy in this critical time. His per-
sonal integrity has never been
challenged. He is far from being
radical, is hardly even a mild
New Dealer. He has a rugged,
home-spun background of Amer
icanism. He is probably the only
available American who was ac-
tually born in log cabin, which
is in accord with the best of the
old American traditions. Vice
President Garner was also born in
a log cabin, but it is generally
conceded that he is now entirely
out of the running.
Depends on Republicans
The choice of the Democratic
Convention will depend, of
course, to some extent upon
whom the Republicans nominate
a month earlier. There seems to
be poor ground for the belief that
Mr.. Roosevelt will decline a
third-term nomination, even
though it might be rendered to
him by reclamation, without a
ballot.
That is the strategy which the
third term advocates are follow
ing now, on the theory that no
man could possibly refuse a NOM
ination rendered so unanimously.
But the fact is, according to those
who think they know what is 60
ing on in the Presidential mind,
that Mr.. Roosevelt is tired, as ev-
cry President has been at the end
of second term, and that he does
not feel equal to shouldering the
responsibility of leading the ma
ton through war period which
may 60 on for several years with
increasing threats to the security
of the United States.
On the Republican side two
facts stand out clearly. One is
that Thomas E. Dewey continues
to gain popular support and pied
ges of delegates; the other that
the politicians of his party are
moving heaven and earth to pre-
vent his nomination. His latest &C
QUESTIONS, the delegations of
Maryland and Idaho, put him
away in the lead in the number
of votes he will get on the first
ballot. There will be 1000 votes.
and he would have to have sol
to be the candidate. Nobody has
been able to count a clear ma
jority for him on the first bal
lot, but as things stand now he
will have more than any other
one of the leading candidates,
and his friends are working the
old "band-wagon racket to try
to put him across on the first
roll-call.
States Vote Alphabetically
In a national convention the
votes of each state delegation are
taken in alphabetical order, Ala
bama first and Wyoming last.
Just how early in the alphabet
there will be a solid state dele
CATION vote cast for Mr.. Dewey
nobody can tell as yet. The indi-
cations are that Senator Taft is
more likely to get the votes of
Alabama, Arkansas, and some of
the other early alphabet states.
The big delegations come farther
down on the list.
But if a sufficient hurrah is
made over the first Dewey votes,
and there has been enough build
up for him to convince the dele
gates farther down the line that
he is going to be the nominee,
there may start a scramble to
climb on the band-wagon, such
as has succeeded in the past in
nominating a candidate whom the
politicians didn't want. but the
voters did.
The main objection of the po
liticians to Mr.. Dewey is that
they are doubtful whether he will
NAV hall with them. He has not