Democrats’ Choice A Few Hours Away

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31770, 29 August 1968, Page 11

Democrats’ Choice A Few Hours Away

(N. Z.P.A. •Reuter’— Copyright)

CHICAGO, August 28.

Vice-President Hubert Humphrey stood poised today, only a few hours away from his expected nomination for the Presidency at the Democratic Party’s national convention, which begins its third session at 6 a.m. New Zealand time tomorrow. The front-runner’s already strong chances were boosted overnight by a report, later denied, that his chief rival, Senator Eugene McCarthy, had conceded defeat, and by the decision of three “favourite-son” candidates to abandon their roles and throw their support behind him.

Senator McCarthy’s supporters were stunned and dispirited by a sudden wave of reports that he had thrown in the towel, and they were only partially revived by a denial from one of the Minnesota senator s aides and a declaration that Mr Humphrey’s nval would continue to fight on to the end.”

Mr Humphrey’s strength, estimated by his campaign aides to be about 230 votes more than the 1312 required for a firstballot nomination tonight, grew with the announcement of support by Governor John Connally, of Texas, with 104 votes. Governor Buford Elimrton, of Tennessee, with 51 votes, and Governor Robert McNair, of South Carolina, with 28.

Their swing to the VicePresident came shortly before the reports of a concession of defeat by Senator McCarthy.

The senator’s leading spokesman (Mr Richard Goodwin) hurriedly called a press conference to deny that there had been any such concession. Mr Goodwin said he expected Senator McCarthy would win tonight’s nomination.

But while Mr Humphrey’s delegate strength was growing and Senator McCarthy’s chances appeared to be fading, there were reports of fresh bids to draft Senator Edward Kennedy, whose

name, it was said, would be placed in nomination either by California or Rhode Island.

Torn by dissension over Vietnam, many delegates turned to the magic of the Kennedy name—a man who, they said, would stand a better chance than Mr Humphrey or Senator McCarthy of defeating the Republican nominee (Mr Richard Nixon) in the November Presidential election. The yearning for Senator Kennedy to enter the fray, in spite of his recent announcement that he was not a candidate for political office this year, was directly linked to the fact that many delegates had publicly stated they were certain he could sweep both this convention and the election in three months time.

Representative Robert Tiernan announced he would nominate him, in spite of Senator Kennedy’s own expressed desire that his name should be withheld.

Reports spread today that Senator Kennedy’s brother-in-law, Mr Stephen Smith, a former campaign manager for the late Senator Robert Kennedy, had met Senator McCarthy to discuss the possibility of a Kennedy candidacy. But Mr Goodwin, on Senator McCarthy’s behalf, denied that the conversation had anything to do with this subject.

Mr Smith, according to some reports, had come to Chicago to assess the mood of the convention and to report its attitudes, particularly on the Vietnam controversy between “‘'the party’s "doves” and “hawks,” to Senator Kennedy, who is at his summer home in Hyannisport, Massachussetts. Humiliation Risk A television commentator quoted close friends and associates of Senator Kennedy as saying he would accept “a genuine and graceful draft” but did not want to be put' into a position where he might be humiliated or rejected by the party. Delegates sympathetic to Senator Kennedy, and they are legion, said they did not think it would be good politics for him to enter the nomination so late and run the risk of being overwhelmed by delegates already fully committed to the Vice-President. But there were many who longed for a Humphrey and Kennedy “dream ticket,” hoping that the senator could still be drafted as the VicePresident’s running mate. Hastily-manufactured signs reading "Draft Ted,” “Win with Kennedy,” and “Be Led by Ted” appeared on the convention floor last night. Johnson’s Hope President Johnson stayed away from the convention on his sixtieth birthday yesterday, probably because of the Impending fight on the convention floor over his Vietnam policies. President Johnson implied clearly yesterday that he hoped the Democratic Presidential nomination would go to Senator Humphrey. At an impromptu sixtieth birthday news conference in Austin, Texas, the President expressed a hope that the attitude towards Vietnam of both major Presidential nominees would not be too divergent from his own, to avoid an adverse effect on the preliminary peace negotiations in Paris. The inference of his remarks was that the nomination of Senator McCarthy might result in a hardening of the North Vietnamese position on the assumption that they might obtain major concessions from the United States if he were nominated and subsequently elected President. Mr Nixon holds views on Vietnam that are roughly parallel to those of the President

The standings of the candidates, as given in an Associated Press tabulation of publicly-committed first ballot votes, is: Vice-President Humphrey, 11661; Senator McCarthy, 490}; Senator McGovern, 52; favourite sons, 1791; others, 171; uncommitted, 716 L Needed for nomination: 1312. These totals are based on primary results, pledges and the results of caucuses and delegate checks, and include only firmly-committed delegates, not those leaning towards a candidate.