Evening star., 1948-07-01
The Political Min
Democratic Bottle Seen
On Ticket Second Choice
Selection of Nominee Expected to Be
Conventions Biggest Job
By Gould Lincoln

The chief business OF Democratic National
Conventions beginning with 1896 has been
the nomination of vice presidential candidates
and writing party platforms backing up the
Roosevelt New Deal program. Despite the
protests of Leon Henderson and other Roose-
welt New Dealers now on the outside of the
administration and of Southern Democratic
leaders, it Is beginning to look as though
the selection of a vice presidential nominee
constitute the chief work of the coming Demo-
cratic National Convention.
Many conferences have already taken place
here with the vice-presidential nomination
as principal topic of discussion. Indeed.
there are plenty OF Democrats ready and willing
to run on ticket with President Truman.
Here are few of them: Senator Lucas Of
Illinois. Paul McNutt, formerly of Indiana and
now of New York. Senator OMahoney Of
wyoming Gov. Walgren of Washington, Sena.
tor Tydings of Maryland, Representative Nc
Cormack of Massachusetts,. former Senator
Jackson of Indiana. Minority Leader Of the
House Rayburn of Texas and Minority Leader
Barkley of the Senate.
Mrs. Roosevelt Suggested.
In addition the name of Mrs. Eleanor Roose.
velt widow Of the late President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, has been tossed inta public discus
sion for vice presidential nomination on the
theory that the candidacy would draw thou.
sands of votes to the national ticket Mrs.
Roosevelt, who has been doing excellent work
for the United Nations, has repeatedly de-.
clared she would not be O candidate for
elective ONCE She is reported to have recently
made q similar statement to President Truman
himself She is, however, strongly anti-Henry
Wallace and his new third party.
Now and then the name of William o.
Douglas, associate Justice Of the United States
Supreme Court, has been mentioned as pos.
sible vice presidential nominee. There Is SO far
no indication that Justice Douglas would quit
the bench to run for Vice President-although
many believe he would snatch at presidential
nomination-for which he is being pressed by
anti-Truman Democrats from the North and
West.
The nomination of Mrs. Roosevelt for Vice
President would make more certain the
Democratic revolt in the South. Indeed, some
of the Southern Democrats 60 so far as to
say Truman-Mrs. Roosevelt ticket would
lose all the States of the Solid South. There
is another Roosevelt-James Roosevelt-son OF
the late F. D. R., now Democratic State chair
man in California and 1t is within the possi-
bilities that Mr.. Roosevelt may become vice.
presidential nominee although he has declared
he has no such ambition. His father was
vice-presidental nominee with Gov Cox OF
Ohio in 1920.
Nor would the Southern Democrats throw
up their hats if Justice Douglas were placed
on the party's national ticket, either for Vice
President or for President They see him tarred
with the same civil rights brush as President
Truman and Mrs. Roosevelt.
From Wide-Open Spaces. .
Senator O'Mahoney has Endorsements for
the vice-presidential nomination from the
wide-open spaces-including Alaska, Montana.
wyoming, Nebraska Colorado and North
Dakota He has been projected as the candi.
date of the great West Gov Wallgren, how.
ever, will have the Washington delegation
back of him, and Senator Lucas of Illinois may
get support from the Midwest outside OF his
own State. Maryland has instructed for
Tydings.
Four years ago President Truman was the
party's selection for Vice President Demo-
cratic leaders from some of the big industrial
States Of the North and West and from the
South had turned thumbs down on Henry
Wallace for denomination. Roosevelts nomi-
nation for fourth term was in the bag when
the convention opened and the vice-presiden-
tial contest was the only real fight. 1t was
brisk. but Mr.. Truman won handly '.
The bitterness In the convention this year
will come over the nomination of President
Truman to succeed himself. Anti-Truman
Democrats are claiming that the national con-
vention will be "open," pointing to the fact
that large majority of the convention dele
gates are not instructed for Mr. Truman They
insist Mr. Truman can be stopped" The fact
remains however, that Mr.. Truman has nearly
all the delegates who have been instructed.
The opponents of Gov. Dewey of New York for
the Republican presidential nomination were
recently claiming that the COP convention
would be open" that Cow Dewey had only
1877 delegates out of 1904 actually instructed
for him. and that he could not win, No ons
stopped Mr.. Dewey.