Evening star., 1940-07-14

~ sNSSSSNS'
Puts Domper on
Other Candidates
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,
Star Staff Correspondent.
CHICAGO, July 13.-Chicago is
all set for its sixth Democratic Ma
tional Convention-eitller the most
drab. colorless, dispirited OF all the
% quadrennial party conferences,
although the most historic Gf Mr..
Roosevelt breaks the no third term
inhibition)-or else the most wide
open, free-for-all, campaignless Sc
lection Of party nominee for Pres
ident.
The first act of the convention
Monday will be a fervent prayer
for peace, led by the Most Rev.
Samuel A. Stritch, Roman Catholic
Archbishop OF Chicago, who will be
introduced by James A. Farley,
chairman of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee. This will be fol-
lowed by the singing of the National
Anthem by the Irish tenor, Phil
Regan, radio, stage and screen star.
The theme song" of the conven-
tion-"God Save America" which
has also been selected as the Willkie
campaign song-will not be sung
until after the keynote speech to-
morrow night by House Speaker
Bankhead. It will be formally pre-
sented to the convention by Harry
Richman and group of radio
singers and while it is being sung
special motion pictures will be
shown.
Two Sessions Monday.
Two sessions of the convention
are scheduled for Monday, start
ing at noon and 9 pm.
At the morning session Mayor
Edward j. Kelly and Senator Lucas
OF Illinois, representing the Gov
ernor, will deliver addresses of well
come on behalf of the City of Chi
cago and the State of Illinois. Rob-
ert j. Dutham will also make a
welcoming speech as chairman of
the Chicago Citizens Committee. :
A spot has been left in the morn
ing program for special tribute"
"a memorial to the late Senator
Robinson of Arkansas and Forbes
Morgan, of{1cials at the convention
four years ago who have since died
The invocation at the evening
session will be by Bishop Ernest
Lynn Waldorf of the Methodist
Church, and at subsequent sessions
other distinguished churchmen rep
resenting the principal American
religious denominations and faiths
Will pray for Divine blessing.
Following the introduction of dis
tlngulshed guests, approval of tenn
porary officers of the convention
and special announcements by the
secretary, Lawrence Woodrobert, jr..
Chairman Farley will deliver his
address-but not his swan song
and Speaker Bankhead will be pre-
sented as temporary chairman and
deliver the keynote" address.
Chicago Not "Slicked Up."
While the entrances to the prin-
clpal hotels are decked with flags
and some red. white and blue -bunt-
ing, few of the 5000 saloons are
making much of a patriotic display
and only few other business houses
are making more than a mere pre-
tense of putting on holiday attire
Tor the convention delegates and
many thousands of the city's other
guests. These visitors will see little
OF the real Chicago with majestic
buildings, beautiful residential and
club sections. Those rooming at the
Michigan boulevard hotels will get
view and atmosphere of the lake
and Lakeside Park, but the majority
OF the convention guests, shutting
back and forth to the stadium where
the convention sessions are held, will
see mostly the murky slum Sec
tions over ill-paved streets, erimy
buildings, and slack backyards of
tenement and down-at-the-heel
apartment houses. This time Chi
cago has not slicked up for its guests.
The official convention meeting
place is the Chicago Stadium, on the
South Side-which holds $4,000 per-
sons. The stadium, while rather
lavishly decorated with bunting
around the galleries, flags hung
from the rafters and with one large
bronze eagle without spread wings
just under the speakers rostrum,
lacks the "class" seen at the Re-
publican convention in Philadel-
phia. A few small State seals are
hung In front of the first gallery.
The State standards are not orna-
mented-just plain cardboard let
tered with the name of the States
and Territories tackled on standards.
The vast auditorium is ready to
receive its more than 10000 con-
vention delegates and visitors, and
the national committee reported an
unprecedented demand for tickets.
Seats have been arranged in the
central block on the floor for the
1904 oficial delegates and an equal
number of alternates.
Because of the hand of President
Roosevelt held over the choice of
a presidential candidate, no others
have had heart for an active CAM
paign-although several are recep-
tive candidates for either the presi-
Dental or the vice presidential
nomination. Therefore this pre-
convention gathering has lacked
the customary ballyhoo of rival
camps and their headnlla rtere or