Evening star., 1952-04-15
The Political Min
Hartman Might Win
Truman Favor in Race
New Yorker Unknown Factor
As q Compoiener, However
By Gould Lincoln

As q Compoiener, However
By Gould Lincoln
For the last 20 years Democratic Ma
tional Conventions have been ratifica.
ton meetings-in the matter of presi-
dental nominations. Three times these
conventions ratified the denomination
of President Franklin d. Roosevelt, and
once, in l948, the nomination Of Presi.
dent Truman. Their principal duty
outside of these ratiflcations. was the
nomination Of vice presidential candi-
dates. This year it's going to be diff
ferent. The top spot on the party
ticket is wide open.
The most significant move, since Presi-
dent Truman declared himself out of the
presidential race, was the statement by
w. Averen Hartman Of New York that
he was available, If the Democrats of the
Empire State wished to put him forward
as a favorite-son candidate for the
presidential nomination. Clearly the
Democrats of New York are not happy
over any of the open and avowed candi-
dates to date. and Just as clearly they
propose to make the influence Of their
big 94-member delegation felt when it
comes to selecting a presidential nomi-
nee.
Held Many Important Offices.
Further, Mr.. Hartman, who was
drafted for public service years ago by
the late Franklin D. Roosevelt. could
make the party an eminently respectable
candidate if the national convention
turned to him. He has a long list of
important Offices which he has filled
creditably. among them ambassador.
Secretary of Commerce and, most recent
of all. Director of Mutual Security.
which is another way of saying he con.
trolls our spending for foreign aid.
Mr.. Hartman. silk-stocking like
franklin D. Roosevelt. has always been
a Democrat. A banker and Industrial
ist, his family has long controlled the
Union Pacific Railroad. While he has
held many Offices, they have not been
elective. What kind of a campaigner
and how effective he would be is any
body's guess. He was selected by the
administration in 1850 to make q bitter
attack on Senator Robert A. Taft Of
Ohio, then q candidate for reelection to
the Senate. The Hartman speech was
delivered at meeting in Texas. It GER
tainly had no effect-no deleterious eff
fect-on Mr.. Taft's candidacy. If he
were nominated to run against the Ohio
Senator. provided the latter was the
q. .O.P. candidate-the fur would fly.
Neither is q spellbinder, but Senator
Taft is hard-hitting antagonist. Both
are Yale graduates. Mr.. Hartman was
an oarsman at Yale and Senator Taft
is a member of the Yale Corporation.
Mr.. Truman. like his predecessor. has
had high regard for Mr.. Hartman.
Before the President announced he
would not run again. it was reported
and never denied-that the Presidents
choice was Gov. Adlai Stevenson Of Illi-
nois for the Democratic presidential
nomination. It Is reasonable to suppose
that Mr.. Truman, in the event Gov.
Stevenson declared he intended to run
for reelection as Governor and for no
other Office. might look with favor on
Mr.. Hartman. Certainly the President
has no particular liking for the three
announced candidates. all Senators
Kefauver Of Tennessee, Russell Of
Georgia and Kerr Of Oklahoma.
Others Eyeing the Situation.
The Democratic situation. so far as
presidential nominee is concerned. seems
entirely fluid today. Vice President
Barkley Is willing to run, and if the
Kentucky delegation in Congress, for ex-
ample, should unite in q demand that he
become q candidate, he may acquiesce.
Several other Democratic Senators are
eyeing the situation, among them Sena-
tor Mcmahon Of Connecticut and Sena-
tor Humphrey Of Minnesota. The lat
ter already has the Minnesota delegates
pledged to him as a favorite son. At
the time these delegates were chosen,
Humphrey was a stand-in for President
Truman. Another Senator, Blair Moody
of Michigan, is first and last for the
nomination Of Gov. Mennen Williams Of
that State.
President Truman has declared he will
campaign vigorously for the Democratic
nominee. Whether he will attempt to
influence the nomination, or whether he
can, is another matter. Presumably. his
backing would be valuable in the Demo-
cratic convention.