Evening star., 1940-07-07
Leaders in Dark on Roosevelt
As Democratic PorIey Neors
Some Think He Cont Withdraw at This Late
Date Without Creating Bod Psychology
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Dy ". ooOLD L1NSOLN.
The political scene shifts this week
to the Democratic party and Chi
cago.
The big--and first question-to
be answered is: will President
Roosevelt run?"
Democratic leaders last night pro-
fessed to be still at sea regarding
the Presidents plans, although the
party's national convention opens
week from tomorrow.
Some of these leaders took the
position that the President has al
lowed the question of his running
to SO so long-and so far-that he
cannot now take himself out of the
race, even if he desired to do so,
without creating a very bad psy-
chology. Two reasons the Presi-
dent might give, they admitted, for
not running. The first is that he
adheres to the third-term tradition,
coming down from George WASH
'lngton, Thomas jefferson and An
drew Jackson. The second is the
matter of health. Those who have
seen the President recently say
that he appears to be in the best of
health.
President Is Only Question Mark.
All question as to whether the
President will be renominated-
unless he himself puts on the
brakes-has long since gone by the
board. The demand for his renomi-
nation has mounted with the pass
ing months. And now that the Re-
publican party has put forward
something new in the way of a
candidate-Wendell L. Willkie-who
has. caught the Imagination of a
large number of persons, the in
sistence of the third termers has
become almost frantic.
Already the Democratic National
Committee headquarters have been
established in the convention city,
and National Chairman Farley will
be there soon for the duration. :"
Committee meetings, however, may
not begin until the latter part of the
week.
The first so far scheduled is for
the Committee on Arrangements for
the convention, which is set for
Thursday, at 10:30 am. The Dem
ocratic National Committee will
meet Friday at 1890 am, and the
Resolutions Committee at 2 pm. to
get down to work on the party plat
form. Senator Wagner of New
York is expected to head that COM
mlttee and already has been working
on the document which eventually
will be laid before the national con-
vention for approval.
New Deal Platform Seen.
The party platform will go the
limit in support of New Deal poll
cies, it is confidently predicted. The
one big fight which may arise is over
the foreign policy plank. It was
over such plank that the Repub-
icans battled in their Resolutions
Committee before the framing of
the G. o. P. platform. Senator
Wheeler of Montana and other
Democrats who are demanding that
the party take a strong stand
against American involvement in
the European war, will insist that
the plank be definite peace pledge,
stronger along that line than the
Republican plank.
The Republican platform attacked
President Roosevelt and his admin
istration for failure to have the
country better prepared for ma
tional defense. The Democratic
platform undoubtedly will praise
the President for what he has done
and is doing in the matter of more
adequate military and naval de-
fenses.
The convention will nominate it's
presidential and vice presidential
candidates by majority vote. AT
the 1886 convention, under the lead
ership of Senator Clark of Missouri,
the time-honored two-thirds rule
of Democratic national conventions
for the nomination of candidates
was tossed out the window. Already
far more than enough delegates
pledged to the President have been
elected.
Another mystery-so far as the
Democrats are concerned-lies in
the question whether Mr.. Roose-
welt himself plans to so to Chicago
during the convention. Efforts have
been made to sound out the White