Evening star., 1942-09-16
Farley Supporters
Expect President 10
Back Bennett
Strong Jewish Vote in
Gothom Is a Puzzle
Unless Roosevelt Speaks
BY GOULD LINCOLN,
Stsf Staff Correspondent

Star Staff Correspondent
NEW YORK. Sept. 16.-James
A. Farley, chairman of the Dem
ocratic State Committee of New
York, who not quite three weeks
ago put across his candidate fol
the Democratic nomination fol
Governor despite the support OF
the Roosevelt administration fol
Senator Mead, at present is going
methodically ahead with his
plans for the election Novem-
Der 3.
The detail work of getting all the
county committees in working order
to support Attorney General John j,
Bennett, jr., is under way. Also, Mr.
Farley is engaged in binding up the
wounds in the party which devel-
oped during the pre-convention
campaign. Practically all of the
party leaders who supported Sena-
tor Mead have now announced their
determination to 60 down the line
for Mr.. Bennett on November g.
election day.
The one exception-the principal
exception-is President Roosevelt.
No word of support for Mr. Bennett
has come from the President since
the Democratic State convention.
Mr.. Benefits friends, however, in
sist that in due time the President
will announce he will vote for the
Democratic nominee for Governor
They can see no other course for
him to pursue.
See Other States Affected.
In the last gubernatorial cam
paign, in 1888, the President went to
the length of making speech, on
the eve of the election, in support
of Gov. Lehman, who was then run
ming for reelection against the dy-
manic Thomas E. Dewey-the pres
ent Republican candidate for Gov
ernor against Mr.. Bennett.
The contention of the New York
Democratic leaders is that the Presi-
dent cannot segregate. the Empire
State in this election, with lack of
support for Mr.. Bennett, and expect
the other States of the Union to
continue strongly Democratic in the
the leader of the Democratic party.
He is voter in New York. 1t is in
conceivable to them that the Presi-
dent would let his party down in
New York merely because his choice
for the nomination for Governor
was defeated.
Mr.. Bennett has supported the
President consistently, both in do
mestic and foreign policies. 1t is
true that the American Labor party
has objected to Mr.. Bennett, on the
ground that he has not been as
friendly to organized labor as it de-
sired. But the Democrats do not
believe that the President will give
heed to the protests of the Labor
party against his own party in this
State.
The American Labor party, in its
animosity to Mr.. Bennett, has put
forward its own candidate for Gov
ernor, Dean Alfange. Mr.. Alfange
ran as the Democratic candidate for
the House after the death of Rep
resentative Kenneth Simpson, Re-
publican. He was defeated handily
by the present Representative Bald
win, Republican.
Alfange Little Known.
Mr.. Alfange is now campaigning
that he, of the three principal NOM
tnees for Governor, is the sole rep
resentative of the Roosevelt New
Deal He is not widely known. He
has made no particular splash in the
political pool of New York in the
past.
The Democratic leaders insist that
the vote cast for Mr.. Alfange on
election day will be less than $50 900
end they hope it will be much less
than that. II the President an
nounces his intention to vote for Mr.
Bennett.
No one knows just what the
President will do. 1t was recalled
today that in the New York City
mayorality campaign last year the
President announced his support of
Mayor La Guardia, Fusion candi-
date, for reelection. He did this
although the Democrats of New
York had put forward their own
candidate, the then Brooklyn dis
trict attorney, William ODwyer,
who is now serving in the Army.
Mayor La Guardia, member OF
the American Labor party, had
the Republican nomination for
Mayor as well as that of his own
party. This was a municipal cam
paign. The campaign of Mr.. Ben
nett for Governor, however, Is q
Statewide affair. For the President
leader of his party-to give aid to
the COP enemy in this election
would be vastly different thing
II only tacit aid, by ignoring Mr.
Bennett.
Jewish Vote Powerful.
What is particularly worrying the
Democratic leaders now supporting
Mr.. Bennett is the Jewish vote
the largest single bloc OF voters IN
New York City, where the Demo
Gratis must rely on rolling up a
huge plurality in order to offset the
Republican majorities upstate.
The Jewish vote, which has beer
variously estimated from 100000
to twice that figure in Greater New
York City, is ardently back Of Presl'
dent Roosevelt. Gov. Lehman, him
self Jew, was opposed TO the
nomination of Mr., Bennett.
Gov. Lehman. four times elected
Governor, was booed in the con-
vention in Brooklyn when Mr.. Ben
nett was nominated for Governor
IT is true that Gov. Lehman has sale
he will support the Democratic
nominee. However, unless th'
Presidents potent voice is added
there is no telling just what th'
great rank and file of the Jewisl
voters in New York will do. The,
constitute. it is said, large per
centaee OF the American Labo
party vote.
1t is quite clear that if there
should be large vote cast for tn
Labor party candidate, 1t woult