Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-02-09
"A VORITE SON MOVEMENT 4
AMONG REPUBLICANS HAS
BEEN DEALTA HARD BLOW

from inns SuuhGu ChdilSG III ppl4NS !
in the preconventiOn campaign Of
the republicans is difficult to fore !
cast but none the less interesting. !
The managers on the part of Gen
elal Wood had been making head
way in their second choice cam
paign in states where "taNorite
sons" existed. The work expended
in this direction must now be
tossed on the scrap heap of politi-
cal endeavor and another tack
taken. That the Wood people were
nor slow to realize this Is evil
denced in the statement from Rep
resentative y. j. Gould. eastern
manager for General Wood when
he announced that his candidate
would file in Massachusetts, lndi-
ana and Pennsylvania, Col. w. C.
Proctor. national manager for
Wood. quickly seconded the state
ment from Chicago. An aggressive
fight for the delegates in these
states is promised, while the battle
! in the other states when hau IA
yorites" has already begun on the
part of the Wood boosters .
It has been quietly whispered
around for some time that Presi-
dent Wilson will not make known
his ideas on a third term until late
This spring, if indeed, he makes
Them known at all before the con-
vention. The president it is point
ed ont IS one of the most astute
politicians i'm the game. He real
/ Ives that an announcement from
/ him at this time, that he would not
consider a third term, no matter
what the circumstances, woula
omen the doors for a flood of can
| didates seeking the democratic
leadership. 1t is stated in a very
! GOOD source that he further real
ives that should he make such an
announcement he would immedi-
atel,- lose a great deal of the IN
! fluence. power and control which
he now wields over the democrati"
marty At present his control 1t
cannot be denied is almost com
nlete. II is at least sufficient to
enable him TO prevent the hoHiiha' :
ton of any man by his party Whohi
he distrusts.
Presidents Silence.
With the president silent the
democrats are not only at sea hut
their candidates are embarrassed.
Practically every candidate so far
mentioned with the exception oil
William Jennings Bryan is an
ayowed supporter Of the policies OF
President Wilson. 1t is impossible
/ for any of them to enter the nsts
against their leader, and II he re-
mains silent they must TO all ap-
pearances remain passive eandl-
dates. The presidents silence Is
also a big factor in holding to-
gether the various factions Of his
party. which if given the slightest
announcement would easily split
in To. Those who are with the
president naturally stand by their
gums. Those opposed to him are
afraid to start trouble tor lear
that he might be driven into a
corner and ultimately accept thlrd
term nomination, rather than sec
some one directly opposed to hlm'
although of his own party, land tho
plum.
Yet in all of This the leaders of
the democratic party are not over
. anxious to have their preConventlon
campaign under way. They see
perhaps a good omen for the dem
ocrats in the early start of the re-
publcans. who having no demo-
cratic rivals to shoot at, are COM
mencing to Whack away at each
other. They cannot waste their
barrage of words on Attorney Gen
eral Palmer, Senator Owen or GOV
ernor Cox, SO in desperation are
turning on each other, thereby
generating a few duarrels within
their own Kitchens which may
prove decidedly potent in the final
reckoning.
Bryans Attitude.
William Jennings Bryan i3 the
only member of the democratic
party whom the republican politi-
clans can really go cunning for.
They are so in the habit of pro-
dueing words about that gentle
man, however, that it is mere
childs play. At the same time Mr..
Bryan is publicly disclaiming the
fact that he is seeking the nomina-
ton, even though his own paper,
the Commoner, has set up such
ideals for the next democratic
standard bearer to live mp to that
no one except Mr.. Bryan could live
up to them. While the republicans
may score him by word of mouth
as they will, he is fully capable of
meeting their onslauShts and COM
ling hack. II isn't really very much
fun this picking a quarrel and es-
1. pecially a pre-cOnvention quarrel,
II with MIR BRYAN
While the politicians of the
democratic party do not go so far
as TO absolve Mr. Wilson from COM
nlete blame in not making public
his views on third term. they are
commencing to realize that per-
. haps his course Is not entirely a
selfish one and that on the long
run the republicans will become in
volved in such an internal argu-
ment between their own candidates
that it will work ont to the benefit
of the democratic party. 1t is per-
haps needless to say that this at
least is the hope Of democratic
leaders. -s--....
A Swedish law requires that
wood alcohol be colored so that 1t
can be distinguished from grain