Evening star., 1944-07-19
Roosevelt Choice Seen
Between Two Friends

SNWSSu W. ugOu1OS
But Likes Byrnes More Than
Wallace, Says Observer
BY David Laurence
CHICAGO, July 19.-It was not that
President Roosevelt liked Henry Wallace
less but that he liked Jimmy Byrnes
more.
This Is the simple explanation about
the vice presidential nomination. Al
most everybody here Is agreed that Mr..
Wallace was eliminated the moment
Mr.. Roosevelt indicated that he wouldn't
insist and that the choice was wide open.
Four years ago Mr.. Roosevelt did
insist on the nomination OF Mr.. WAL
lace. If anything. the latter is more
experienced today after four years than
he was in 1910 and there's a certain
worth to the experience argument this
time, as Mr. Roosevelt doubtless would
agree. r.
Why then was Mr.. Wallace not given
a 100 per cent Endorsement? The an
swer would seem to be found in the
peculiar way Mr.. Roosevelt gets his
personal friendships and political OBJ
legations all tangled up.
1t may have been forgotten recently,
but James F. Byrnes of South Carolina
has served the Roosevelt administra-
ton we'll in the Senate and has served
long period in the House and finally
was given by the President place on
the Supreme Court Of the United
States-a lifetime position and beyond
doubt = coveted post for any lawyer.
Sacrifices Place on Bench.
Then Mr.. Byrnes left the bench He
didn't do so because he was eager to
resign. He did so as a wartime duty
at the urging Of Mr.. Roosevelt, who
needed some one to handle relation
ships with Congress. while he devoted
himself to war problems. 1t isn't often
that justice steps down from the Su-
preme Court of the United States when
he has been there only few months.
What's more, it isn't often that he takes
a post in the executive branch of the
Government which wasn't even created
by Congress.
So when former Justice Byrnes be-
came director of war mobilization he
sacrificed his place on the bench to
serve the President, who asked him to
do it. What was ahead for JIMMY
Byrnes? Clearly Mr. Roosevelt couldn't
promise anything, but last week he Ger
tainly didn't feel he had right to
foreclose Jimmy Byrnes chance to win
the vice presidential nomination by
coming out unequivocally for Mr..
Wallace
So as convention time approached,
Mr.. Roosevelt stood between two friends.
His letter indorses Mr.. Wallace, but it
says in effect that somebody else would
be acceptable, too. That's enough for
the politicians. After all, Mr.. Wallace
didn't come up through the political
ranks. He never ran for the Senate
or for the House of Representatives or
for the governorship of his State
Alongside Of him Jimmy Byrnes stands
out as the experienced legislator and the
man who mas been called Assistant
President because he has been at the
hand of Mr.. Roosevelt through the try
ing months of the war. Also. former
Senator Byrnes as presiding officer Of
the Senate, if elected Vice President,
would be a help in handling admins
tration policies. He knows the ropes
CIO Would Punish Byrnes
But unless the President says the
word Mr.. Byrnes may be unable to
make the grade. For the CIO and Com
munist leaders, who together say they
control a sizable body of voters in the
Democratic party, aren't interested in
Mr.. Byrnes. They would punish him for
his record in holding to the Little
Steel formula of wage freezing. They
might agree to Senator Barkley of Ken
lucky. who, on the other hand, may or
may not have the Presidents blessing
Yet, until Mr.. Roosevelt says or hints
that he will accept Senator Barkley, the
strategists who are opposed to the
Kentucky Senator will claim that the
President doesn't want him.
Then there Is Senator 1euman Of
Missouri, who says he ooeSn'r want the
nomination. His friends, however. think
he may be the beneficiary of failure
Of the Southerners in the convention to
agree on either Messrs. Barkley or
Byrnes. thus producing a deadlock. In
the background is Justice Douglas but
he. like Mr.. Wallace, had no political
following or experience and this con-
vention would rather take Mr.. Wallace
than Mr.. Douglas.
Maybe in the end Mr. Wallace will
emerge on the first ballot as the only
man with any cohesive strength behind
him. Conventions don't like to be told
who to nominate for President but
once they have chosen the top Of the
ticket, they are inclined to ask for a
hint on the vice presidential nomina-
ton. Mr.. Roosevelt from somewhere at
the end Of telephone may have to
reveal his further wishes before a selec-
ton Is made
Reproduction RIGHTS Reserved,