The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-06-30
Unable to Stop Forcing His
Name to the Front = En-
thusiasm for Him Consol-
idates the Opposition =
Too Many Cabinet Work
ers Is Hurting His Cause
Race for Lead On First
Ballot
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
downright By The Reformer.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 3o.-Homer
Cummings of Connecticut stands out
thus far as tie dark horse of the Demo
cratic national convention. If MeAdoo
doesn't win and the delegates are in pro-
longed deadlock, the remarkable impress
sion made by Cummings in his keynote
speech which was full of praise for Presi-
dent Wilson would commend him to the
large number of delegates who are sup
porting Palmer and McAdoo, but who are
at heart for the Wilson policies no mat
ter who the candidate may be.
Cummings is Wilson man through
and through.
Convention strategy has made the
nomination of dark horse just as much
possible here as it was in Chicago The
same sort of psychological influences are
at work as made the Republican conven
tion impatient with deadlocks and anx-
ious to go home. And the tactics of
each of the three big leaders-Palmer,
| Cox and McAdoo-are such as to make
entirely possible the wearing down of
the strength of each. The McAdoo sym
Ipathizers have more enthusiasm than
shrewdness. They are minus any real
leadership, and while this is a tribute TO
the disinterestedness of McAdoo himself
1T makes for clumsiness and amateurish-
ness and confusion.
For instance, it was firmly insisted by
Daniel c. Roper, MeAdoo's chief adviser,
lwho is in New York, that no nominating
lspeech be made This was entirely
agreeable to all but a few of the Me
Adoo supporters here and was the plan
luntil today. Then the few persuaded the
lmanv that it would be better to have
lMcAdoo's virtues eXtolled. 1t was con-
ltended that no better opportunity would
present itself than to tell all the dele
Igates at one time just why McAdoo
ishould be nominated, and so the decision
| Inow is to permit the nominating speech.
? McAdoo and Roper are powerless to pre-
: vent it.
| But that isn't the only thing which
shows division in the McAdoo ranks
Nobody is apparently able to handle sec
ond and third choice votes so that the
McAdoo strength may be cumulative. 1t
sounds like an easy thing to do to hold
strength in reserve, but the delegates are
= uncomfortable.
+. They want to go for him on the first
ballots. They can't wait Also the tall
: lof McAdoo has grown so loud that ths
opponents of the former secretary of the
:, treasury have virtually been forced into
II Ia coalition against him. Efforts to form
II a Palmer and Cox combination with TEN
II Iporary assistance from favorite sol
II groups are proceeding in alarming fash
II ion. The presence here of several cabine
II officers, all working for McAdoo, has no
II helped his cause. Down among the dele
ii CATION the spontaneous desire for Me
II Adoo is unmistakable, and they are pre-
II pared to make a hard fight, but the BIZ
II question is how much stamina will thes
II delegates have for prolonged fight sue
II as gave Wilson his triumph at Baltimor
II in 1912.
II Each of the managers is trying t
III make the other show most strength o
III the first ballots. Even the Palmer force
II are trying to hold back at first an
III spring their greatest strength to bear o
II | successive ballots. These are also til
IL Cox tactics and it looks now as if bot
| had succeeded in forcing McAdoo to tax
the lead earlier than was expected Ono
MeAdoo begins to lose and is passed b
II Cox or Palmer, the enthusiasm of I'll
II McAdoo men may be somewhat damn
II ened and then it is not inconeeivable thf
II they would turn to dark horse.