The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-04-19
Roosevelt Made Comeback
At The 1924 Convention

with party figures around the
country grew to enormous proper
tons during the 192O-28 interval
1t had much to do later with his
own elevation to Presidential.
nomination.
Mr.. Roosevelt's part in the long
drawn, clashing 1924 Democratic
convention in Madison Square
Garden in New York, where he
pinned the Happy Warrior" des
ignation on Al Smith in Offering
him for the nomination, is toe
well known for me to elaborate
upon it.
What I most remember is the
toll with which THE Boss made
his way to tn platform or
crutches and the bouyant, vibrant
tones of his voice despite that or.
deal.
I confess my throat was con
stricted and sore just to watch
him. could see the beads of per
SEPARATION from his great physica
effort on his always smiling face
Tht Democrats did not nomi
nate Smith that time, but I men
ton it because it leads directly tt
another striking m m DRY O.
Franklin Roosevelt at Houston
Tex, in 1928.
Franklin Roosevelt came bacl
into active politics at that conven
ton as more than a happy voice
He came back as floor manage!
of the Smith, or-President cam
paign. He was deeply convinced
that Governor Smith and his lie
gion of party followers must b.
given their chance despite the par
ty riffs a Smith nomination woule
cause.
This narrative has nothing to dc
with all that, only with my per
sonal glimpses of Franklin Roose
velt 1 knew he had to some ex
tent mastered his infirmities
walked with the aid of stee
braces, cane and somebody
arm. But had not witnessed tina
miracle. I did at Houston.
I was loafing about the rear en-
trance of the convention pavilion
the first day.
AS I waited among the milling
crowd, a sight I will never forge
met my eyes.
Franklin Roos evelt came
through the door. He was leaning
on a cane and on the arm of his
tall young son, Jimmy. But he wa.
walking-that was the great thing
to me. Somehow he had learned
to sway his weight so that hi:
steel-braced legs held him up ane
carried him forward step by SLOW
step.
His face was frozen in a fixec
smile and wet with the physica
effort he was making. But it was
his eyes that gripped my atten
ton. They were fairly blazing.
could read his thoughts. 1 coule
almost hear him saying to him
self:
IT AM WALKING, WALKING
WALKING back into nationa
convention!
Father and son passed within
arms reach of me. Jimmy saw
me and grinned. Franklin stared
right into my face with those fam.
ing eyes, but he never saw me
that day.
During the convention my place
in the AP staff benches was RICH
below where Mr.. Roosevelt sat
He passed down scrubbed notes
now and then or beckoned me w
to whisper comment, once o.
twice to pass along a news tip
Later. after Smiths nomination,
I gossipped with Mr.. Roosevelt
about party election chances while
he rested in a bathtub and 1 perch
ed on its rim. He doubted ever
then that Smith could be elected
Prophetically-but off the record
he said he felt Smiths chances
in Pennsylvania were brighter
than in his home state of New
York.
He planned to throw himself in
to the campaign to the full extent
his physical condition would per-
Wit, but his dominating desire was
10 get on with recovery of his 10
comotion.
He certainly had not thought
whatever that hot morning in
Houston that he would be can.
didate himself to succeed Cover
nor Smith at Albany that same
year.
Of the circumstances of his
drafting to make the gubernatori-
al race I had no personal know
ledge. I feared a little what a
grueling political campaign might
do to a man in his condition.
doubted, in view of his own esti-
mate to me of the situation in
New York. that he could win, and
l feared also what the effect OF
defeat might be on his mood
I had not evern yet learned to
know the high courage that kept
him going So blythely when weak
er men must have dropped out.
(TomorrOw: Governor Roosevelt)