The Key West Citizen

Meyner Says
He Won't Be
'Favorite Son'
By RELMAN MORIN
ASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP)—Gov.
Robert B. Meyner of New Jersey
said today he does not want to be
named a "favorite son" at the
Democratic National Convention
next month but ducked other questions about the political strategy
his delegation may follow.
The state's 144 delegates and
alternates met behind closed doors
here last night.
"The question of making the
governor a favorite son at the convention was not discussed," a news
source said. "It just didn't come
up."
Meyner told reporters, "I'm
very glad about that. I don't want
to be a favorite son. I'm happy to
be just a chairman of the delegation."
The closed meeting followed a
rousing political session which
featured two aspirants for the
Democratic presidential nomination. Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-
Tenn.) and New York's Gov. Averell Harriman. Both attacked President Eisenhower.
An invitation also went to Adlai
Stevenson but he replied that other
engagements made it impossible
for him to attend. In some quarters this is interpreted as an indication that Stevenson may be confident that he already has a majority of New Jersey's 36 convention votes.
He was represented by his campaign manager, James Finnegan
of Philadelphia, and sent a message which also was critical of the
administration.
Ostensibly the 72 New Jersey delegates, each with half a vote,
will go to Chicago uncommitted,
although one delegate is pledged
to Kefauver and another has come
out for Stevenson. It is generally
believed a majority favors Stevenson.
After hearing Harriman and
Kefauver, one delegate—who said
he personally favors Stevenson—
estimated "80 per cent of the
delegation is still for Adlai."
Gov. Meyner cited public opinion polls taken and said, "I think
they accurately reflected not only
the electoral appeal but the delegate appeal. They put Stevenson
ahead with Kefauver second and
Harriman third."