The Daily News TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1932. MR. ROOSEVELT’S WIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1932, Page 6

The Daily News TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1932. MR. ROOSEVELT’S WIN.

So “Al” Smitli has failed to stop the “Roosevelt band-waggon.” The Democratic conveyance is headed for the Capitol at Washington with the Governor of New York on the box seat, and it will only be the rash and prejudiced politicians who will lay odds against its safe arrival. That is not to say that Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt is by any means certain to become the next President of the United States, for the loyalty of the Republicans to Mr. Herbert Hoovei- makes him an uncommonly strong candidate for a second term of office. But ' the unity achieved by the Democrats at Chicago last week must materially enhance Mr. Roosevelt’s prospects. The Republican Convention proved a triumph of strategy for the friends of Mr. Hoover. They had so perfected their organisation in advance as practically to dominate the convention from the' outset, and it was an unusually tame gathering that swallowed' a rather vague political programme and acclaimed the President’s right to run for a second term. The Democratic Convention, on the other hand, opened with the promise of disorganisation. There was a plethora of candidates for the party’s nomination, and the question was whether any one of them could so outdistance the others as to obtain the support of the necessary two-thirds of the delegates. The nomination resolved itself into a battle of tactics, and it says much for the powers of improvisation possessed, by the Roosevelt campaigners that at the fourth ballot they were able to swing more than four-fifths of the delegates to their side. Seldom in recent years have the Democrats so promptly achieved anything like unanimity. The choice of Mr. Woodrow Wilson in 1912 was the outcome of a long-drawn struggle by a combination bf forces against Mr. Champ Clark, who had entered the first ballot assured of a majority. The convention took 46 ballots to secure Mr. Wilson’s majority. In 1920 there were 44 ballots, and in 1924 the phenomenal record of 103 was reached. In that year the two strong candidates were-Mr. Alfred Smith and Mr. W. G-. McAdoo, and the feud between their factions completely split the party. Mr. J. W. Davis was eventually chosen as a compromise candidate, and the party lost an excellent opportunity of ousting the Republicans.- It has been said, indeed, in recent times that the Democrats have shown remarkable skill in electing Republican Presidents. Whether their early composition of their differences on this occasion will bring them success it is for the future to reveal. At least it must be said that they have at Chicago falsified the prophecy that they were about to snatch defeat from the very jaws of victory. The party campaign between now and November, when the electors will make the actual decision between Republican and Democrat, is sure to be a strenuous one. The Congressional elections of November, 1930, deprived the Republicans of their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and they have lost further ground at by-elections. The United States has been feeling the full force of the economic storm, and Americans are not unlike other peoples in their readiness to blame the Government for their troubles. The circumstances therefore appear to favour the Democrats, and they have probably chosen the best candidate, offering. Mr.

Roosevelt belongs to the traditionally Democratic branch, of his family as distinct from that of his cousin, the former Republican. President. He was Assistant Secretary to the Navy in the Wilson Cabinet, and twelve years ago he was the Democrats’ nominee for the Vice-Presidency, the party losing the election by the greatest majority in the history of the Republic. On this occasion Mr. Roosevelt teams with a very popular* politician, “’Texas Jack” Garner, Speaker of the House, who has controlled its business so well that one member a few months ago declared that the session had become “a kissing bee.” The De-* mocratic platform should prove attractive. Mr. Roosevelt is promising to alleviate distress, restore the farmers’ purchasing power, “slash” Government expenditure and. adjust tariffs for the restoration of world trade, and for the first time in twelve years the party platform is unequivocally “wet.” From the party point of view Mr. Roosevelt’s worst fault may be his very strong ideas in favour of State regulation of business. Already his supporters have taken the control of the party out of the hands of the big business interests, and rural influences are predominant. Mr. Roosevelt’s address to the convention is said to have breathed nothing but warnings to high finance and big business,” and it may be that this attitude will alienate not only votes but also the contributions which the financiers otherwise would make to the party funds. These matters, however, demand closer consideration in America than they need receive here. The outside world perhaps may be tempted to hope for Mr. Hoover’s success. He has already averted grave trouble in Europe by his war debts policy. The question is not mentioned in his election programme, while the Democrats definitely oppose cancellation of the debts. Their policy perhaps is more likely than that of the Republicans to lean to fiscal changes favourable to the rest of the world, though the domination of the rural interests may be a restraining factor. Mr. Hoover, however, may soon have an opportunity to take a fresh and decisive step in. connection with war debts. If he is willing to act when the time comes the electorate mayrally to him. And if he acted the world would welcome his success at the polls.