Evening star., 1947-10-30
Vice Presidency Race
Left Wide Open by
Democratic Session
BY the Assoeioted Press

tee gave evidence today that II
has settled just about every
thing for its 194s convention ex-
cept who is to run for Vice Presi-
dent.
At one-day meeting yesterday
at the Mayflower Hotel, the COM
mittee unanimously picked Phila.
,delphia for next summers nomi.
mating conclave and elected, in 43.
year-old Senator McGrath of Rhode
Island, new national chairman
who favors nonpartisan action or
emergency legislation at the No.
vember II special session of Con-
gress.
The 108-member group also ap.
plauded a statement by retiring
Chairman Hannegan praising Pres
ident Truman and asserting mil
lions of Americans are calling fol
him ito stay at the helm" Every
one present appeared to agree that
Mr.. Truman would be the nominee
in his own right next year.
Vice President Uncertain.
Vice presidential talk was in
formal and scarce.
Most members said it is too early
to think about the No 2 spot, but
names heard include those of Sec
retary of Defense Forrestal, a New
Yorker; Supreme Court Justice
Douglas of Washington State and
Connecticut, Gov. Wallgren OF
Washington and Gov. Lane OF
Maryland.
There undoubtedly will be others,
and none present yesterday would
venture guess as to who might
have the edge Mr.. Truman is rep
resented as yet to make choice.
Former Gov. John j. Dempsey of
New Mexico, national committee
man for his State, told a reporter
he had heard much talk of Mr.. For
restal
Douglas Held Liberal.
Those mentioning Justice Douglas
said he Is more or less favored by
what they called Democratic lib
erals" A native Of Minnesota, JUS
tice Douglas went to college in
Washington State, later taught at
Yale and then became head of the
Securities and Exchange Commits
sion before going on the Supreme
Court bench.
Westerners talked Of Gov. Wall
grea, a former Senator and close
friend OF Mr.. Truman. One COM
mittee officer said the name of Gov.
Lane, Hagerstown (Md) publisher,
had been mentioned favorably by
some Westerners who said he had
made an impression at Governors
conferences. Gov. Lane was elected
to his first term as Governor last
November.
Philadelphia, chosen earlier by the
Republican Party for its 1948 con-
vention, beginning June 81, won the
Democratic convention yesterday
without opposition. San Francisco
had planned to put in bid, but its
representative, Mrs. Edward Heller
gave up in the face of apparently
overwhelming sentiment for the
Pennsylvania city.
Senator McGrath, authorized to
name the date, said he thought II
would be sometime after July 4.
Resolution Withdrawn.
. The new chairman plainly evil
denced his feeling that the eve OF
the special session Of Congress is
not the time to belabor the Repub-
licans.
1t was on his recommendation
that a resolutions committee with
drew a proposed resolution con-
demning the record of the Repub-
lican-c controlled Congress and saying
1t had placed partisan politics above
love OF the country" The draft re-
ferred to a bitter and intemperate
Republican majority"
Senator McGrath told reporters he
asked the resolutions group to tear
up" their proposal. That's not the
way to get cooperation" he said.
Earlier this week at news confer
ence he had urged the submergence
of politics at the coming Congress
session starting November II.
Committeeman from the Solid
South, bidding for bigger say in
the national convention, received a
measure of solace under a new
bonus plan" for delegates to the
1948 conclave. Under it each State
which voted for the party's presi-
dental nominee in 1914 will receive
four extra delegates.
Bigger Bonus" Sought.
Some southerners wanted an even
bigger bonus.
Backing the extra bonus sugges-
ton, Gessner T. McCorvey Of Mo-
bile, Ala, asserted that except
for the South the Democratic
Party would be thing Of the
past"
Former Gov. E. D. Rivers of
Georgia contended that in lean
years" most of the party's support
and funds came from the South and
Southern Democrats want "at least
the right to veto fellow we don't
like"
That brought a rejoinder from
David L. Lawrence of Pennsylvania
that recent experience with the
veto" in the United Nations indi-
Gated its undesirability.
McHale Outlined Plan.
The approved new bonus plan"
for delegates was outlined by Frank
M. McHale of Indiana who conceded
that it was intended to settle once
and for all" the problem resulting
from the 1886 convention which
dropped the two-thirds' requirement
for presidential nomination. This
cut into the previous party strength
of the Southern Democrats.
The committee proposal went
through without opposition. Under
it, there will be 1924 full votes in
the 1s48 convention compared with
f176 in the 1914 convention at Chi
cago. Four extra delegates will be
allowed to SO States; only II States
supported the 1914 Republican candi-
date, Gov. Dewey of New York.
Bankers