Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-07-17
Roosevelt Will Run

NOllN clllIOll III NLIISS'So Nt'9 ''N'A ~ -
inc only as to its duration. Delegates
could have spared their breath and
their energies and accomplished the
same thing. They went TO Chicago
to nominate Roosevelt for L third
term. and they will do that tonight
or tomorrow--and he will accept
willingly and gladly: don't be foolish
enough to suppose anything else
than that.
Dropping of the Presidents state
ment into the convention at the mo-
ment it was given was perfectly
timed There was nothing else in
particular in hand at the moment
and the dramatic declaration through
Senator Barkley came at just the mo-
ment to furnish delegates an eN-
cellent opportunity to blow Off pent-
up steam.
Though Mr.. Roosevelt is nominate
ed. it could hardly, in the trueSt
sense of the word, be 'drafting,"
because the President has never re-
fused or said he would refuse the
nomination. Senator Bar!lley mere
" relayed statement that he was
not now and never had been 4 can
Gidate for a third term. had done
nothing to try to get it ard did not
desire it. But he was careful, pain
fully careful. not to push the crown
from him. He will accept and the
DELEGATES know he will accept the
nomination when-there is no If
about it-tendered.
We confess to beWilderment as TO
Whv the President. if he does not
desire another term and prefers not
10 have it. waited until this moment
to make Il statement. He knows as
we'll as any one that the course he
has pursued has prevented any other
candidate from campaigning for the
nomination. and his attitude OF sill
ence has been 4 perfect build-up for
lust what happened last night. The
President didn't even half-heartedly
decline the nomination. He merely
made a gesture and made that only
after delegates to the convention
we're 50 irrevocably committed to him
that there wasn't 4 chance in the
world for look-in by any other
aSpirant.
He was quite careful not to burn
the bridges behind him. He did not
say that he would not accept ii noml-
mated and would not serve ii elected.
The delegates might have taken a
declaration of that sort in good faith
and acted accordingly, which is eN-
actly what the White House palace
guard feared and did not want.
LiStenerS-in on the convention pro-
ceedingS heard the commentator say
that forty percent of the official
delegates were prominently or less
prominently connected with the
Roosevelt administration. For our
own part. we added the comment
that another forty percent of them
would like to be- Then about fifteen
percent OF the others were swept
along by the tide. with five percent
being a liberal estimate as to those
who had no axe to grind now or
later and were actually not part OF
the idol WorShipers who bowed at
the great white throne.
The Presidents statement altered
the situation at the convention not
at all. Delegates are for him and
will nominate him because they
think he stands the best chance OF
defeating Wendell Willllie. and be-
cause above and beyond all else the
Job holders think he is the best bet
for them to continue feeding at the
public trough, and the job hunters
consider the present executive their
best hope for getting up to the pie
counter. Strip the convention wholly
and entirely Of this sentiment and
attitude and the third term move
ment would collapse in less time
than it takes to make the statement.
| It is, of course, just as impossible
| to do that as to separate the SlamcSc
twins. and the net result will be that
Roosevelt will be nominated and will
accept third term.
| Whether by his own choice or that
of others, Mr.. Roosevelt has been
running for a third term these many
months. The convention, as it was
told by some of its leaders Tues
day night, has merely come to Chi
cago to ratify that procedure, and the
certainty of its action is rs definite
almost as that the sun will rise to-