The Brown Derby

The energies of most political oracles were transferred last week, so far as the Democratic Party was concerned, from delegate-counting to adding up electoral votes. The brown derby of Candidate Smith was perched, it was generally conceded, securely upon the head of a presidential nominee.

P: In California, where things are done in a large way, the finishing touch was put upon the Smith campaign to lead the party. It was the first primary where the Brown Derby competed directly with its only serious antagonists, Candidates Reed and Walsh. It was the home state of the Brown Derby's bitterest enemy, William Gibbs McAdoo, and Mr. McAdoo had instituted the Walsh campaign just for old time's sake, in memory of two McAdoo nominations blocked by Candidate Smith in 1920 and 1924. Candidate Reed perhaps served as a slight buffer between the two, but the returns were: Smith, 132,006; Reed, 57,586; Walsh, 45,572.

California's 26 nominating votes were thus instructed for Smith. Two days later, Connecticut added her 14 to the Smith list, making it 541 1/2 first-ballot votes. With such pro-Smith States as Maryland, New Jersey, Wyoming and Vermont yet to be heard from, and reserve Smith strength at hand from at least two Favorite Sons (Ohio's Pomerene, Nebraska's Hitchcock), the rush for the brown derby counter seemed so well under way that Smith men tried to talk down their earlier talk of acclaiming Candidate Smith on the first ballot at Houston. It would look just as much like party harmony and less like a Smith stampede, they reasoned, if Favorite Sons should receive complimentary votes for perhaps two ballots. The third ballot would suit the Smith men. That would contrast patly with 1924, when John W. Davis was nominated on the hundred-and-third.

Perceiving the obvious, Candidate Walsh wrote a polite letter to his campaign manager terminating his candidacy. He referred to the "futility" of any man opposing Candidate Smith. Candidate Reed was less polite, more stubborn. He said he only wished Mr. Walsh had withdrawn "before he muddied the water." Candidate Reed pictured himself as "a General in a war" and said he would not surrender because he had lost a "skirmish." He men tioned "great issues" and said: "The convention at Houston will at least have a chance to vote on them."

P: Four names were heard above the rest as the Democrats wondered whom to invite as Number Two Man of their party next November. Assuming a solidly Democratic South, leaving Candidate Smith to win for himself in the wet East, and regardless of who is the Republican nominee, there are two basic factors to consider in choosing Candidate Smith's ticket-mate:

1) The border states (Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma) will need to be kept in line.

2) Candidate Smith would do well to curry favor in the dry, discontented Dakotas and Minnesota.

Because of the border states, the name of Cordell Hull of Tennessee came up for the vice-presidency. He was National Democratic Chairman in 1921-1924 and, remarkable yet true, acquired no enemies during that fractious period. As a state legislator, as a circuit judge, as a nine-term U.S. Representative (1907-21, 1923-27), he has deserved well of Tennessee and the vote there is his to a tabbycat. He is, moreover, pronouncedly dry. He would tend to make Kentucky safe, too, for the Democracy. Tennessee and Kentucky have 12 and 13 electoral votes respectively.

To charm the Dakotas, Governor William J. Bulow of South Dakota would be the man. It was not solely to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time that Governor Bulow went to New York last winter (TIME, Jan. 30). The Dakotas, however, have but five electoral votes apiece. As vice-presidential material, Governor Bulow seemed just about half as likely as Cordell Hull.

The two other names prominently mentioned for Number Two Man last week were Joseph Taylor Robinson of Arkansas, because all Democrats know him as their able party leader in the Senate; and Governor Alvin Victor Donahey of Ohio, because he is dry, and chiefly because his hold upon Ohio, with 24 electoral votes, is an outstanding phenomenon of U. S. politics. It was not solely to improve his health that Governor Donahey prepared last week to make an extensive tour of the South.

The Democrats having chosen Editorial Writer Claude Gernade Bowers of the New York Evening World for convention Keynoter, interest was aroused by Walter Lippmann who, as chief editorial writer of the morning World, holds forth under the same gold publishing dome as Mr. Bowers. Addressing some women Democrats in Manhattan last week, Mr. Lippmann said: "Great personalities, bold programs, big issues are a nuisance to the Republicans." He counseled Candidate Smith to discard the vague phrases urged upon him by his advisers and speak out on Prohibition. The Smith advisers promptly informed the public that the best way to oppose Prohibition was to enforce it rigidly.