The Brown Derby

The tilt of the Brown Derby grew more and more confident last week, and with reason.

P: Ohio held a Democratic primary and instructed its 48 delegates for Favorite Son Pomerene. But voters in three-fourths of the districts expressed preferences as follows: Smith, 32,694; Pomerene, 9,588; Donahey, 5,271; Reed, 432; Walsh, 151; McAdoo, 37. Favorite Son Pomerene was reported as seeing no reason why his delegates should not vote for Candidate Smith on the first ballot.

P: Pennsylvania held a primary and elected 76 delegates without instructing them. About 66 were conceded to Candidate Smith.

C. Massachusetts held a primary and there was no question but that the 36 delegates elected were Candidate Smith's to a man. Not a few Republicans wrote "Smith" on their ballots.

P: Alaska Democrats instructed their six delegates for Candidate Smith.

P: Kansas Democrats, supposedly friendly to Candidate Reed, unexpectedly instructed their 20 delegates for U. S. Representative William A^ Ayres of Wichita. Though Candidate Reed remained Kansas' second fiddle, Smith men interpreted the naming of Candidate Ayres as a move to let Kansas clamber gracefully aboard the Smith bandwagon.

P: Adding everything up, experts announced the standing of Democratic candidates and delegates, as of last weekend, as follows: Smith, 492; Reed, 36; George, 28; Hitchcock, 16; Ayres, 20.

P: Believing his delegate-strength was even greater than impartial experts said, anticipating a crucial victory in California's primary on May Day, Candidate Smith inspected his campaign headquarters at the Hotel Biltmore, Manhattan, and approved the selection of George R. Van Namee as his pre-convention manager. Mr. Van Namee, a slightly bald, wholly businesslike,-most amiable Cornell graduate (Class of 1901), used to be Governor Smith's secretary. Before that, when Smith was Democratic leader and Speaker of the New York Assembly, Mr. Van Namee was his familiar and chief clerk. In 1920 and again in 1923, Governor Smith appointed him to the Public Service Commission. Than George R. Van Namee, Candidate Smith could have no friend more conversant with what it is about the Brown Derby, and under it, that wins votes.

Manager Van Namee soon assembled a squad of polite gentlemen and young ladies to write letters, answer telephones, receive callers. Soon monster posters of the Candidate, which made him look more like an advertisement for cold cream and collars than like a Presidential aspirant, were hung upon the walls. Typical of the conversation which buzzed in the Van Namee offices was a spirited debate over when the brown derby hats should be handed out to the convention delegates, before or after the nomination.

"Before, I tell you, before. That'll get -em going and make it unanimous!"

''After, I tell you, afterwards. If we pass 'em out before they'll call it bribery!"

The tilt of the Brown Derby was confident. ,