Amiable, Available

In 1948, when Alben Barkley was asked if he intended to retire after his term as Vice President, he borrowed an old Southern political expression for his answer: "You can't resist the clamorment of the people." Last week, with both ears fine-tuned to the clamorment channel, the Vice President announced that he will accept the presidential nomination if it comes his way.

Then the wise old strategist launched his "campaign" of amiable availability. There will be no big speeches, no controversial pronouncements, but enough pleasant appearances to make himself seen and heard as a wit, raconteur and friend of all Democrats. Such Barkley-style backslapping and storytelling will not get him to Chicago with many delegates in his pocket. But they are part of a priceless asset: he is the Democratic Party's best-loved leader.

There is a lot of love among the Democrats--there has to be to cement such a collection of reformers, big-city bosses, labor leaders and Southern conservatives. If the party's national convention goes into a long deadlock over Kefauver, Harriman and Russell, the delegates may turn to Barkley, who is loved by all factions. Or they may turn to House Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas, who is respected by all factions.

The hitch is that Rayburn is 70 years old and Barkley will be 75 in November. No major U.S. party ever nominated a man as old as 70. For that reason, Barkley's and Rayburn's chances are slim. Yet teamed with a younger man as candidate for Vice President (e.g., Stevenson or Harriman), either of the old names might appeal to a badly divided convention.

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