New-York tribune., 1920-07-10
Generous but Scattering

/ VlliAaIu NJ &OC<ANVOy V1AC OAlACAAl-
natus of Huntington, Long Island,
was impulsive and candid but some
what scattering in what he said to
! the League of Masonic Clubs about
| political contributions and national
conventions and primaries. The
delegates at San Francisco who
wanted to summon him from the
plough in spite Of his protests were
largely recruited, the newspaper dis
| patches told us, from government
employees Or former government
employees in the Treasury and rail
road administration services. Mr..
McAdoo's campaign for the nomina-
tion was made, without cost TO him,
mainly by officeholders or associ-
ates of officeholders-a very pleas
ant arrangement for candidate
who doesn't want to spend his own
money or call on others to help him
out.
If Mr.. McAdoo or Mr.. Palmer had
been nominated-or Mr.. Wilson had
been renominated-the Democratic
Presidential campaign would prob
ably have been conducted chiefly
through the aid of the present enor-
nous Federal machine again with
out cost to the candidate. But Mr..
McAdoo is far from monopolistic or
selfish. He says he wants to make
the Administration work not only
for one or two favored candidates,
but for all other candidates. He
would like to have the government
pay all primary, convention and
election expenses. This prospect
ought to appeal to candidates every
where, and also to the workers" of
all parties. By and by the cam
paign and election budget in Con-
gress might look like an oldtime
river and harbor appropriation bill.
There is much to be said, of course,
for the "free ride" idea for all candi-
dates. A national Presidential pri-
mary, government conducted, would
have advantages over the present
/ struggling succession of more or
less Ineffective state primaries. But
in advocating a Federal-regulated
Presidential primary Mr.. McAdoo
gets on dangerous Democratic
ground. President Wilson, before
his first Inauguration, advocated in
the Palmer anti-single term letter
the nomination of Presidential can
didates in national primaries. But
he soon back-tracked on this scheme.
How, in fact, would it be possible
for the Democratic party to sanction
a Federal primary in the South? Ac-
cording to the general belief and
practice in many Southern states,
only Democrats or white men may
vote in primaries or elections. To
introduce anything like fair and
free all-party primary in those
states might be first step toward
fair and free Federal-supervised
elections.
President Wilson may have been
willing to make other parts of the
world "safe for democracy" He
helped to exact from Poland and
Rumania safeguards of the rights of
racial and religious minorities. But
he wouldn't submit to having similar
safeguards exacted from the United
States. Nor has he ever had any
real idea of mai the Southern
states safe for democracy, or even
for equality in voting rights. His
Southern followers would not have
supported him in any such project.
Mr.. McAdoo, too, has spoken on
this subject without sufficient pre-
meditation. He knows, as South
erner, that he couldn't get any
further than Mr.. Wilson did in pass
ing such happy appropriations off
on other Southerners.
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