Star Stories  

A Donnelly Balk: Attempt by National Democratic Committee to Revise His Speech is Resented.

Has the Nominating Role: Those Directing President’s Affairs “Told Off” by Missouri’s Governor

Philadelphia, July 12 – Gov. Phil Donnelly of Missouri, who is to place President Truman’s name in nomination Wednesday, tonight served notice that he would not deliver a nominating speech prepared for him by someone else.

The chief executive of Missouri already had prepared his speech and given out 1,000 copies of it. “I’m going to deliver the speech that I prepared in Jefferson City before coming to this convention,” Donnelly said.

Three weeks ago Senator J. Howard McGrath, chairman of the Democratic national committee, called the Missouri executive and requested that he place Mr. Truman in nomination. At the time he was called he was informed that he could write his own speech.

As a matter of courtesy, Governor Donnelly submitted his prepared speech to the national chairman and the publicity department of the committee.

The experts of the national committee, so it is understood here tonight, read over Donnelly’s speech. Apparently they didn’t care too much for it. Until late this afternoon nothing further was heard from it. Then a rewritten copy of the speech was hurried to the Missouri governor from the White House. The move did not necessarily mean that it had been read by Mr. Truman. Evidently it had been reworded by those close to the President who are directing his campaign.

When Donnelly received the re-written version of his speech he did not take it kindly. He informed Richard R. Nacy, Jefferson City, assistant to the national chairman, that he would not deliver it as sent from the White House.

Nacy said tonight that Governor Donnelly had been informed by representatives of the national committee that he had been given a free hand to say what he wanted to. It was indicated by Nacy that Govenror Donnelly’s original speech would not receive sufficient applause reaction.

Of course Governor Donnelly is just about the toughest fellow you could imagine to tell what to do. He refused to bow to the wishes of Mr. Truman’s administration sometime back. He tangled with the late Secretary Schwellenbach over Labor department activities in Missouri affairs.

While Missouri governor did not comment, the impression was obtained that he would deliver his own speech or none.