The Buildup

A political campaign is a matter of years--not weeks or months. Long before the public hears the tumult and the shouting, the preliminary buildup has been under way ... I, and several other people who were close to the Governor [F. D. Roosevelt of New York], had been pondering over his chances to be the party standard-bearer in 1932 ever since his first election to the gubernatorial chair [in 1928].

--James A. Farley's Behind the Ballots

Years after the event (and even after his split with F.D.R.), big Jim Farley could still take professional pride in the preliminary buildup that gave Governor Roosevelt his 1932 convention victory over the Democrats' 1928 presidential nominee, Al Smith. Last week another New York professional was pondering the chances of another New York governor to take the 1956 convention away from another ex-nominee.

Arriving in Washington for a radio-TV appearance, Tammany Hall Boss Carmine De Sapio avoided the tumult and the shouting, kept mostly to himself until time to go to the studio. Then, reluctantly, and only under the nagging of Meet the Press Panelist Lawrence Spivak, De Sapio made news that set Democratic party lines to buzzing across the nation.

Q: Mr. De Sapio, it's been widely rumored in informed circles that Governor Harriman is your candidate for the Democratic nomination in 1956, and that you are going to do all in your power to get that nomination for him. Is that true?

A: Well ... my personal opinion is that there are many qualified leading Democrats in the nation who if elected can give this country an excellent administration . . .

Q: Well, that's very nice, Mr. De Sapio. The question was, are you for Governor Harriman for the Democratic nomination in 1956?

A: I think that Governor Harriman is well qualified as a candidate for any office.

Q: May I put the question once more, Mr. De Sapio? Are you for Governor Harriman in 1956 for the Democratic nomination?

A: I would have to answer it ... this way--that I'm confident that the delegates from New York state will prefer Averell Harriman as the designee for the nomination for President.

Whistle, Whistle. If this was not exactly sailing Harriman's hat into the ring, it was at least nudging it considerably past the taw line. Carmine De Sapio will lead--and control--the New York delegation to the 1956 national convention, and he is not a man to waste his time on token political gestures. New York's political sons (by reason of the state's 90-odd delegate votes and financial resources) have a habit of becoming serious contenders in presidential nominating politics.

Moreover, De Sapio has real talking points. Harriman showed last year that he could win an election over tough opposition; he is now operating from the position of the country's most important governorship. Adlai Stevenson's electoral votes in 1952 showed that he could lose in 39 states; since 1952 he has had no sustaining position in public life.

In Washington De Sapio's remarks set the Stevenson-stacked cadre of the Democratic national committee to whistling through a stiff upper lip. Staffers let it be known that they thought De Sapio was hedging his bets so as to have a Harriman boom ready on the chance that Stevenson may decide not to run. Stevenson has already decided to run, and De Sapio should know it.

In Illinois Stevensonites took the threat more seriously: they have been worried for months about a drop in Stevenson's popularity, and they know of a recent conversation in which Harriman warned Stevenson that he might not be able to keep the New York delegation in line for Adlai because of its enthusiasm for "Ave."

Tsk-Tsk. The Stevenson apprehensions could scarcely have been dispelled by subsequent activities in New York, where Democrats were busy clearing the decks for action. Out as state chairman went Richard Balch, who quit because he had a title of responsibility but had to stand by while De Sapio stole the political show. In came a faithful party hack, Michael H. Prendergast, a native of Grassy Point (Jim Farley's home town) and volunteer captain of the Haverstraw Rescue Hook and Ladder Co. In the hard work that is to come, Prendergast can be depended upon not to get any notions about stealing the show.

Promptly upon election, Prendergast said: "Harriman will be our favorite son . . . The New York delegation will go solid in favor of Averell Harriman." Harriman uttered a gentle tsk-tsk ("I'm for Stevenson"), and added: "I am always honored to be spoken of as qualified for that office." Then he took off for Europe on a tour well timed to give the impression of a governor maintaining his first-hand interest in international affairs.

After seeing his governor off, Carmine De Sapio went back to greeting visitors in a suite (borrowed from a vacationing friend) in Manhattan's Biltmore Hotel. Behind the glass of a display case in the living room was a set of machine-made figurines of all the Presidents of the U.S. That was entirely fitting, since De Sapio would like nothing better than to machine-make another President.

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