The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-01
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
BY JACK STINNETT

WASHINGTON, June 0-From three widely
divergent sources-none of them reliable-comes
the conclusion that the democratic ticket will
consist of Cordell Hull, of the Pickett county.
Tenn, Hulls, and James A. Farley, the wizard of
Grassy Point IN. ".
The sources are: G) A southerner who has for
two generations been an outstanding leader in
the democratic party outside Of Washington (2)
A prominent New England republican politician.
90 A mid-western political observer without an
axe to grind either way.
None of these three could possibly have anv
contact. I can't figure how they could have
arrived at the same conclusion. But they did
. and that's the point, if there is any.
What They Say
A synthesis of their reasoning was something
like this: Q) President Roosevelt, no matter
what his political convictions, is primarily inter.
ested in the unification of America in the present
crisis. (2) He is convinced that he could not
OBTAIN this by running for a third term and di-
verting public attention to the business of shat.
ter1ng a precedent. (3) His greatest interest is
In promulgating the foreign policies that his
administration has set up and the only definite
assurance of that would be the selection of a.
man in sympathy with those policies and yet
one IN whom the politicians and the others could
nave confidence. az Since the only such man
on the horizon is Hull and, from q practical
political standpoint, Hull would have TO have
the strongest democratic party running mate if
he is to win, the only possible person is Farley.
(5) Earlav mot only u,onJd houo oroo+ ,@,o,-.L
at the polls but would have the confidence and
support of all the old-line politicians in the party.
These men also argue: That there very likely
is something to the rumor that President Roose.
welt offered cabinet posts to republicans with the
assurance that he would not run for a third
term. That the President is too good a politician
not TO De aware that nc matter what the attitude
OF the voting public is at convention time, he
would have to play every card right in the great
est international poker game in history to keep
tnat spirit the same from July until November
-. mat Intimate friends and members of his
family are opposed to the Presidents taking on
four more years of the physical drain of White
House occupancy 80. That he cannot afford to
give the republicans a trump Gin arguments
against a third term), by trying to crush another
political precedent at this time.
There's still another point, second hand
mat Farley told a friend several weeks ago that
the decision had been made: tits Hull and me-"
he was reported to have said.
FDR In Cabinet?
When I've added one thing more to this
legend, Ill leave it . . And this seems fan
tastlc in the face of precedent 1t is, that
Roosevelt (f the European crisis continues) will
take the job in Hulls cabinet of Secretary of
State.
From that position, it is argued, he could
carry on the Roosevelt-foreig policies and vir.
tually direct the affairs of the nation as a whole
-. without making new enemies by upsetting
the third-term applicant.
AS I said in the first place, I'm just passing
this along for it's two-cents worth. The sources
are not members of the inner circle. The south
erner is a publisher. The easterner is a man
high in the ranks of the G. o. P. The westerner
is a writer of renown who hasn't had sufficient
courage to circulate his theory in writing.
The only reason it's worth mentioning is that
the third term" ground swell which swept
Washington Immediately after the Nazi break.
through of the French lines and persisted in the
days when French resistance was collapsing
seems to have died down and almost every oh.
server here who's worth his salt is beginning
again to talk about the possibilities of a demo.
cratic ticket, exclusive Of F. D.. r.