Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-26
BELIEVE A DARK
HORSE WILL Be
winner At FRISCO
Many Delegates Do Not Believe
Any One in Field Can Get
Nomination.
DEADLOCK is SEEN EARL

Democratic nomination., after the afOWt1
candidates have killed each other off in
the effort to get the two-thirds necessary
to win?
This is what vast ma jority of delegates
are ask ing each other as they pour 10 ever.
increasing numbers into San Francisco.
These men with the voting power are
arriving here apparently convinced that
it will be an impossiblility to nominate
Attornev-General Palmer, Governor Cox
William G. McAdoo or Governor Ed
wards. The two-thirds rule plug definite
and organized opposition stands directly
in the path of each Of these first candi-
dates the delegates verify believe, and
it is becoming more and more difficult
to disagree with folks who argue that way.
A week ago il was pointed out in these
dispatches that the convention was tend
ing decisively toward deadlock, toward
division of delegates among sufficient
number of candidates to render impos-
sible the immediate nomination of any
body. The impressions presented at
that time are now confirmed. Nobody
who has observed the course of events
here. who has witnessed the jockeyipg
that has gone on behind the scenes and
who has talked pri vateiy with delegates
can fail to foresee a more or less pro-
tracted period of bslloting before a sue
cessful candidate will emerge from the
background. In msny respects the sit
nation here today is parallel to that
which existed in Chicago before the as
sembling of the Republican convention
here. as in Chicago, the field is full of
candidates.
RUNAWAY Is BLOCKED.
Not one of the major lesguers controls
a majority or an approximate msiorIty
of the votes. Three or four candidates
lesd In point of sGtual strength, with
group of favorite sons SO planted on the
outer edge of the convention as TO hold
enough votes TO prevent anbody from
running away with the convention.
At least two days balloting will be
pecessary here, as in Chicago, before
The convention will have convinced Ger
tain of the leading candidates that they
cannot win and that they might as well
release their supporters. Somewhere in
the list of party leaders there is a man
who will be nominated before the end
of next week, but It would be bold
10. ecastes who ventured to name that
man at this hour 1t is far easier to en-
gage IN the process of elimination than
it il TO find the candidate who will be
nominated.
For example, there exits little doubt
outside the immediate Palmer camp
that he i'll not be the nominee of this
convention. Whether justified or not.
the conviction is too strong on the part
OF delegates that. II named, Mr.. Palmer
could not possibly win in November.
And while, few months ago, it seemed
10 Democrats generally that no candi-
date OF their choosing could hope to
carry the country, all that is now changed,
and they are now preparing to put up
the best they have to offer.
Because there IS q powerful minority
OF the convention opposed to any candi-
date who IS liberal on the question OF
prohibition, it is doubted in most quar-
ters if Governor Cox, of Ohio, can ie-
ceive the necessary two-thirds vote of
the convention, although at this moment
he has more solid support than any man
in the race. As for Governor Edwards
be is not taken seriously anywhere out
side his handpicked New Jersey dele-
cation.
MApOO MEN CONFIDENT.
The candidacy of Mr. McAdoo is one
of many peculiar phases. He has sought
to eliminate himself, but his friends
have refused TO drop him. He has pre-
sSuitd Ntl bciu VI Aio iiOlC ptWtitui
friends from attending the convention,
yet every hotel lobby in this city is
filed with McAdoo managers. They are
everywhere and they are claiming the |
earth.
They insist with the utmost conf |
dence that Mr.. Adoo will be nominated |
regardless of his own course and his /
own present inclinations.
But ID the camps of the other candi-
dates the assertion Is made with equal |
confidence that the only absolute.y GER
tain thing about this convention is that /
McAdoo will not be nominated; that
he has known for weeks that he could
not win and that his recent statement
was nothing more or less than q forced
confession on his part thet he was
defeated candidate.
II it be assumed that Pamer, Nc
Adoo and Cox, are about to be killed off
that each has organized opposition TO
wipe the slate clean after few prelin-
mary ballots, then the convention must
give consideration TO the second-line
group of possibilities.
Of that group, Vice-President Mar
shall stands out conspicuously. Score
tarv of Agriculture Meredith must be
taken into account John w. Davis,
of West Virginia, is factor. James W.
Leland, of New York has something to
offer. Senator Owen, of Oklahoma,
boasts of the support of Bryan. If Car
ter Glass were not Southerner, be
would figure, but his friends see no
chance of inpressing the convention with
bis fitness.
Attorney General Palmer came to town
today surrounded by group of his
He issued a statement imme-
diately, as does everybody else, as soon
rs the dust of trevel is removed He
said that he was more Interested In |
keeping the party progressive than in
naming the ticket MIR. Bryan arrived
tonight still militantly, and still breath
ing o demand that the convention make
an unequivocai declaration on the side
of prohibition and immediate peace. He
will consent to no silent policy on the
subject of prohibition. as proposed yes
terday by the liberal interests as com
promise.
The Polmer people this morning are
claiming $50 votes after the compl-
nentary balloting is over. The Cox
people believe they have more votes than
hat rs will be developed At some early
'tage of the convention.
What the initial McAdoo strength will
De nobody Is prepared to say There is
much confusion on the part of McAdoo
followers. Some of them prefer to go
elsewhere on the early ballots, then pre-
Dare for a grand smash after the dead
ock is assumed. The actual truth is the
convention does not know at this hour
where IT stands with respect to cand-