The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-07-20

In the words of one delegate,
they didn't even have sense
enough to hire band"
Also it was chapter of expert
sabotage on the part Of the
part of the Wheeler, Garner and
Farley ants.
Highlight of the entire back
stage drama was the pressure put
on the President to make his
statement via Senator Barley,
that he did not desire third term.
1t took a battery of his closest
friends, including Harold Ickes,
Bob Jackson, Miss Perkins, and
Justice Frank Murphy to get this.
What they wanted was some
statement which would clarity the
muddied waters of the convention,
and bring the third term issue
squarely into the open. Originally,
Roosevelt had SHE'D away from
making any statement at all, APP
parently proposing to let the con-
cention have an absolutely free
hand to take its own course.
For when Secretary IckeS
dropped in to see him a week or
so before the convention and said
he wanted to lay the groundwork
for Chicago, the President said:
Harold, i just don't want to dis
cusS it,"
INEXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP
When the convention met, there
mot thing had been done by the
Roosevelt people to organize their
forces. Harry Hopkins, the Presi-
dents closest friend, but man
who has never even organized a
county convention, was the main
master mind, with Attorney Cen
,eral jackson working in the
background. inexperienced and
with few acquaintance among the
delegates or local and state lead
ers, they were easy marks for their
veteran rivals.
As result, when the delegates
began to drift into Chicago, at
least 800 of them already pledged
to Roosevelt, they also began to
drift to the man whom they
knew-James A. Farley. Jim not
only knew them, but remembered
their first names instantly, and
began to wise-crack about "a
third term" and Roosevelt.
A delegate doesn't mind being
instructed in advance, and obey
ing instructions. But he does like
to be consulted. And when the
arriving delegates were not even
able to shake hand with the
Roosevelt leaders, they began to
wonder why they had paid their
own good cash to travel all the
way from Maine and California,
Florida and New Mexico.
JOE GUFFEY'S BAND
The New Dealers didn't even
hire band to pep up a conven-
ton, but Gamers Texans were
the only ones that thought of it.
Paul McNutt was wise enough
to rent big layout In the Gen..
/. trial hotel, install a Hawaiian or
chestra and entertainers and
give the folks free entertain
ment. But the Roosevelt camp
didn't get a band until an hour
before Barkley's keynote speech,
when Senator Joe Guffey and
other Pennsylvania leaders
Clipped I'm and made up a purse
of $110.
In the end 1t was a good thing
they had the music. For when
the convention staged its first
demonstration for Roosevelt, the
band hired by the hostile Ma
tional Committee sat with arms
folded. The day before they had
played take Nae Out 10 the Ball
Came" when Jim Farley came on
the platform.
"APPEASEMENT" FOR
IsOLATIONEsTs
. Thus. during the first two days
at Chicago. everything hap
pened which, from Roosevcltg
viewpoint. shouldn't have hap.
pened. Senator Wagner suddenly
adopted Chamberlain's appease-
ment tactics In the Platform COM
inittee and appointed the most IN.
adu:terated isolationists IN the
Senate 10 draft the war plank.
They we're Bennett Clark Of Mis-
souri,, Worth Clark Of Idaho