Omaha daily bee., 1919-11-03
NOW DEBATING ON
PRES|DEN TIAL
P Possibilities
Most of Potential Candidates
Mentioned by Official
Washington Are to Be
Found in Senate.
By DAVID M. CHURCH,
International News Service Staff
Correspondent.

stH54 AOTIcspUuueHt.
Washington. Nov. 2.-"Picking
the presidential candidates" is the
great indoor sport of congress these
days.
Between intervals of debate on
the peace treaty and discussion of
strikes members of congress, spend
their time in the cloakrooms dis
cussing potential presidential candi-
dates. "The Winter League Of Poll
tics" is we'll under way, and as soon
as the peace treaty is disposed OF
there will be interesting political de-
velopments.
Most of the potential candidates
who are waiting for the lightning to
strike are in the senate. The demo
Gratis have few possible candidates
who are in private life and some who
are in the cabinet, but republicans
are at present popularity supposed to
be resting their hopes on certain sem
atorS.
Senator Never President.
Official Washington generally
picks its preconvention candidates
from the senate. The convention
generally upsets these selections and
the United States is yet to have
president who has been a senator.
The most of the presidential Cos
sip is heard at the capitol and prin-
cipally in the senate cloakrooms, al
though house members are active in
their favorite son booms.
Progressive republicans now are
laying their bets on Senator Hiram
johnson of California as the next
republican candidate. These bets
are not without takers, however, for
other republican senator's who are
acknowledged to be in the race in
clude Senator Miles Poindexter of
Washington, Senator Kellogg OF
Minnesota, Senator Lenroot of Wis
consin, Senator Knox of Massa-
chusetts, Senator Harding of Ohio,
Senator Watson of Indiana and
Senator Cummins of Iowa. These
are but few of the names that have
been mentioned, for there is hardly
a man who reaches the senate who
doesn't bob up at some time or an
other as possible candidate for
president.
In the democratic camp the Cos
sip runs considerably outside of the
halls of congress. There are three
candidates most frequently men
toned. These are former Secretary
of the Treasury McAdoo. Attorney
General A. Mitchell Palmer and |
Senator Gilbert Hitchcock of Ne
braska.
Counting Wilson Out.
President Wilson's illness has
given greater confidence to the po-
tential candidates in the democratic
party. They are now convinced
that the possibilities of third term
for the present incumbent are slight
and they are setting to with a vim
to get away with good start to-
ward the convention honors.
Friends of former Secretary Nc
Adoo rely upon his record as pub
lie official and his connections with
the present leader of the democratic
party to win for them. Attorney
General Palmer's boosters are
counting upon the personality of
their candidate and his efforts to
reduce the high cost of living SEN
ator Hitchcock's boom rides on the
league of nations band wagon, for
he is put forth as the leader of that
cause. which, it is predicted, will as
suredly be an issue in the coming
campaign.
Among those who are now also
mentioned are Senator Pomerene of
Ohio, Senator Myers of Montana,
Bernard M. Baruch. Colonel House,
Senator Underwood and Vice Presi-
dent Marshall.
OF course. there are some very
likely candidates in the states. in
GLIDING a few governors and some
military men and also few bust
ness men. Official Washington,
however, never counts on candidates
outside Of official life until the votes
are counted at the conventions.