Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-16
GINGER IN POLITICS
Unusual Activity Among the
District Democrats.
CLARK PARTISANS STRONG
Probable Contest Over the Position
Of National Committeeman.
Newman Against Dwyer.

democratic situation is that the party in
this disfranchised District is trimming
over with activity and factional differ
ences. 1t would be difficult task to find
democrat in this city who does not
firmly believe democratic President will
be elected, and for that reason old-time
partisans who haven't peeped since the
days of Grover Cleveland are elbowing
their way into the front seats at the
democratic meetings which are being held
nearly every night.
Every one believes that democrat will
sweep the country, and the number of
new democrats who think it is about time
to become allied with the successful party
is alarming. This feeling Of impending
victory has awakened local politics to q
state of ginger.
However, all will not be plain sailing
in the democratic pond for those local
politicians who wish to guide the ship to
victory. There is a difference of opinion
which amounts almost to a split. and the
whoop- 'em-up crowd which has been SO
active In organizing Clark meetings is re-
sponsible for a good bit of difference.
View of a Conservative.
conservative democrat, a member of
the democratic central committee and a
friend of Speaker Clark. expressed it this
way to a Star reporter:
About 20 per cent of the democrats
here are for Clark, and there is strong
Clark faction that has been taking ad-
vantage of this feeling to arouse en-
thusiasm and possibly to be carried to
victory on a Clark wave This faction
wants to instruct six Clark delegates to
the Baltimore convention, but the rest
Of US believe that instructed delegates
will be hard to get There is feeling
here against instructed delegates, be-
cause OF the political tricks that can be
played on a delegation of that sort
Conspicuous in the ante-primary ac-
tivities is E. A Newman, democratic ma
tional committeeman, who is an out-and-
out candidate to succeed himself, and
he has long list of prominent democrats
here who are supporting him. They take
the position that Mr.. Newman has de-
voted a great deal of time to the interests
of the party and should be made national
committeeman again. About the only
man and the committeeship is w. j.
Dwyer, who is in the position of not be-
ing an active candidate, but an entirely
receptive one Mr.. Dryer Is working
is not working directly to become ma
tional committeeman. II, however, he
works hard enough to get six instructed
delegates to Baltimore the chances for
his being national committeeman seem
excellent to his friends. Mr.. Dwyer said
today:
Clark Through and Through.
"The Organization that 1 have been
working with has been doing things in
the District, and we are going to elect
central committee and city conven-
ton that will be for Champ Clark through
and through. We are going to change
that democratic central committee, if
necessary, in every instance where there
is a man against Champ Clark. There
is no doubt about it, we're going to
do it,
At present each side of the factions
ly because of the declared fact that he
deserves it, and Mr.. Dryer believes his
friends are strong enough to hand it to
him.
The nightly meetings of the solid Clark
organization here would lead any one to
believe the entire District of Columbia
is for the Speaker. but there are many
big" democrats, friendly to Mr.. Clark,
who have held back, not feeling they
could conscientiously pledge themselves
" possible there will be any great dem
onstration for any other democratic pos
sibility, the silent members are consid-
ering the possibilities before making any
promises.
Confidential Statements.
The air is beginning to thicken with
statements Of friendship. Politicians who
have never been heard of before are now
conf1ding to. their acquaintances deep po-
litical secrets.
II saw Champ Clark yesterday and he
told ME that / was ace high with him, :"
a RI
Mr. Bryan THAN l am are common
statements from people that the two pol
iticiAns. referred two probably never saw
The entire situation is lively and a good
fight will be the outcome Of 1t.