Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-03
NAME: Of WILSON
NOT To CO BEFORE
THE Convention
BY DAVID LAWREMCE


DOWNRIGHT 1920, for The Atlanta Journal.)
WAS aINGTON, June 1.-The name
of Woodrow Wilson will not be pre-
scented to the Democratic national
convention at San Francisco for a
third nomination to the presidency.
This much has been agreed upon
between the president and Homer
Cummings, chairman of the Demo
cratic national committee, who left
here today for San Francisco.
The president at a lengthy confer
ence with Mr.. Cummings, outlined
his idea of what the party should
stand for in the coming campaign
and discussed the kind of a platform.
which in his judgment, should be
adopted. His position was made
clear in the letter to Senator Glass.
of Virginia, indorsing the Virginia
platform which declares for the
prompt ratification of the peace
treaty without reservations which
impair it's essential integrity"
AS to candidates, Mr.. Wilson Will
express no preference. He is CONT
dent that the DemocratiG party IN
convention assembled will see that
path to victory lies only in stead.
fast adhesion to the principles or
the Democratic administration of the
last eight years. The presidents
own status is unchanged from that
which it has been for months. he
deems a statement by him of the
reasons why he will not be candl-
date for a third term to be unneceS-
Sary.
If the convention should reach
deadlock and revert to Wilson as the
only man to make the fight on the
treaty issue, there will be ample time
to cross that bridge when the con-
vention comes to it. But there. is
no present prospect that such a thing
will happen and to issue thlrd term
declaration might be construed as
an expectation that the convention
might actually reach such decision.
Mr. Wilson prefers modestly to be-
lieve no such contingency will arise.
One Embarrassing Situation
: On the other hand, there is one
embarras sing situation in connection
with the vote of the North Dakota
delegation. There is some confusion
about the record. 1t would appear
that the delegation is ''uninstructed,
but in the primary it is said only
the name of Woodrow Wilson was
voted for Some people believe the
bound to present the name OF MI
Wilson on the first ballot at least.
Some of the worshippers of Presl-
dent Wilson would be ANNOYED to
have historians note that in the con-
vention following two terms of
Woodrow Wilson, he received the
ballot of one state for the third
term. This, it is contended, might
be miscontrued as an Indication or
the relative esteem in which the
er. Certainly if Mr.. Wilson's name
is voted on by North Dakota, the rec
ord would show the usual large num-
Der of ballots for the active contend
ers like Palmer and McAdoo and
Negligible vote for President Wilson
himself.
. prevent such a situation from
arising, friends of the president viii
see to it. that the North Dakota
delegation doesn't vote for Wilson
ent plan is not to allow the pres1-
dents name to go before the con-
Vention at all.
Mr.. Cummings leaves for San
Francisco with a full knowledge of
the president desires. He goes
of the president at the Democratic
national convention. He goes with
no plan to dictate the choice of the
convention. 1t is to be a free and
independent convention; IT the
judgment fthe president should be
wanted, Mr.. Cummings will be on
the spot to answer questions.
What Wilson Wares
There is only one thing the presi-
dent does want and that is the Sc
lection of a candidate who can make
the fight on the platform that is to
be written. He doesn't want to see
a man named VINO will equivocate or
backtrack, And whether Mr.. Wilson
sees fit to address letter to the
Democratic national convention at
the PSYCHOLOGICAL moment or whether
he permits his views to be express
ed by Homer Cummings. who is to
be chairman of the convention itself
at its opening. the fact is that there
will be enough Wilson men in that
convention to carry through the
Wilson point of view on the peace
treaty.
All the talk of revolt at San Fran
cisco on the treaty question is be-
ginning to fade away. Some eX-
| ceptions will no doubt be taken here
and there by delegations which have
| in state convention shown only a
| lukeWarm interest in the Wilsonian
argument on the peace treaty. But
it would be a most extraordinary
surprise and a reversal of every ex-
pectation if the Democratic conven-
| ton did not adopt by overwhelming
vote the Wilson platform on the
| peace treaty.
That in itself, it is said, is all the
president wishes. He is represented
as wishing to remain aloof from the
! question of personalities. Perhaps
if his own son-in-law, William Gibbs
McAdoo, was not candidate it might
be different, but the president is toe
shrewd a politician to influence a
convention in which a member OF
his own family is interested. If Mr.
McAdoo were chosen by the free ac-
! ton of the convention, too, it would
| be easier for Mr.. Wilson to support
| him in the campaign itself. But the
| interesting thing is that the presi.
! dent hasn't lifted a finger thus far tc
help Mr.. McAdoo or any of the other
candidates. But should it begin to
appear that any but tried and true
Wilson me are in the lead, it would
not be surprisin gto see the whole
presidential influence exerted public.
ly- or privately to prevent such q
selection
Mr.. Wilson's successor as leader
of the party must be Wilson man