Evening star., 1940-07-21
By John C.. Henry.

a resolution. The boos and the noes
literally blew him out of the hall.
There was brief but revealing drama
in the nominating ceremony itself that
night-quick turns which must have
been pleasing to the New Deal command.
Boos for an Elder Statesman.
For instance, in combination which
somehow seemed incongruous, Virginia's
Senator Glass. truly one of the Nations
"elder statesmen" and an irreconcilable
rebel, took the rostrum to nominate Jim
Farley. Walking feebly and talking
hoarsely out of one corner of his mouth.
the little gray-haired Southerner
raped out the same kind of biting words
as have many times cracked across the
Senate floor. He received a genuine
ovation on his introduction; he was
booed to the steel rafters of the great
hall when he made known his dislike
for what these delegates were about to do.
This repudiation of lifelong leader
of the Democratic party was not just
a superficial thing; 1t was symbolic Of
a deep change within the body polite,
but it wasn't pleasant either to those
observing or to those participating.
Not long later the first roll call put
Mr.. Roosevelt far over the top, his
nomination was made unanimous and
the delegates let themselves go in GUS
tomary convention fashion, This was
a safety valve operation, a release of
the tension which had frightened on
them perceptibly during the previously
unsatisfactory days. But it was not the
same thing as 1936-the fine edge Of
spontaneity had been worn down too
brutally.
On Thursday came the real blowoff.
The delegates had done what they want
ed to do, just as they had been told
how to do 1t. In the back of their minds
they felt that this was enough. There
had been sufficient big sticking; in
the words of one, this was not rabbit
convention" Where they had had rela-
lively real unanimity on who they wanted
at the top of their ticket, they had many
preferences for the vice presidential spot.
Many Preferences for Second Place.
And what was more politically i'm
portant-and might easily have been
turned to advantage by Mr.. Roosevelt
or his aides-virtually all Of the delegates
had second and third choices for this
vice presidential plum. In other words,
there were several men to whom vir-
tually every delegate would have been
pleased to accord either initial or Sec
ondary preference.
The free presentation Of these would
have permitted this convention to satisfy
its normal American instincts for free
dom of expression, but out Of the New
Deal control room came only a single
name-that Of a one-time Republican,
Henry A. Wallace.
Embossed, or at least given the SEM
blance Of opportunity to make choice
between two or three acceptable pros
poets, the convention might conceiyably
have named Mr.. Wallace anyway.
But in doing it the way they were
eventually driven, they became sullen.
Among their lesser national
committeeman, etc.-there was more than
sullenness. Only In the fewest of In
stances had they been called to Hopkins
suite; yet as every practical politician
knows, theirs will be the job of actually
getting out the November vote, Of pre-
serving the party's success in order that
the 'bis shots" may prosper. Even
gesture toward complete confidence In