Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-07-06
ax DAVID LAWRENCE

Copyright, 1920, for The Atlanta Journal.(
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal.-(SuidayD
Anybody who attempts to say what
will happen tomorrow in the Demo-
cratic national convention may be
basing his prediction on the sound
est judgment at the moment he ex-
presses that opinion, but he runs the
risk of having all calculations upset
by any of the dozen or more turns
of fortune which convention strategy
and tacticians may evolve before the
balloting is resumed on Monday
Governor Cox unquestionably has
the lead. The band wagon idea has
been spread by his supporters all
day with a consequent effect upon
webbing delegations which may put
the Ohio executive over the top in
four or five ballots. But the chances
of Governor Cox rest upon the de-
cision of Attorney General Mitchell
Palmer and Representative Carlin, of
Virginia, his campaign manager. If
the Cox and Palmer forces reach an
understanding the race is over and
the Ohio. governor wins. There is
no chance of an agreement between
Cox and McAdoo men, for the latter
are determined to die in the trenches.
Furthermore, they believe a repeti-
ton of the Baltimore convention of
1912 is coming and that mere stick
to-it-iVeness will triumph in the end.
No Votes for McAdoo ::
But while there is abundant conf
dence in the McAdoo camp, there
isn't any demonstration of votes. And
to forge ahead, McAdoo must gain
from delegations that are not now
thinking of supporting him, but going
to Cox. For instance, Kansas has
been held under the unit rule for Nc
Adoo by a margin of one vote. North
Carolina has been twice reported as
shaking in it's loyalty to McAdoo.
There's a fight inside the Georgia
delegation. Clark Howell is said to
be eager to go to Cox. New York
wants to go to McAdoo, but the
Palmer instructions will probably
hold Georgia for a few ballots any
way. The same split occurs in Vir-
ginia, which will stick for Senator
Glass as the easiest solution for
the time being, at least until it is
evident what the outcome will be of
the fight between the main contend
ers, especially since there is a vague
hope that Glass may prove a dark
horse.
West Virginia, operating under the
same illusion, is holding it's sixteen
votes for John w. Davis. But the
adjournment over Sunday did a good
deal toward squelching dark horse
ideas. For while candidate may be
sprung in the first fifteen or sixteen
ballots, the endurance of the main
contenders is such that in the end
one of them must win. Furthermore,
the leaders have had chance over
Sunday to figure out who the dark
horse might be and all conclusions
usually revert to the fact that as
vote-getters the Democrats must pick
either McAdoo or Cox. ..'
strategy F4d00ed
1t lies in Mitchell Palmer's hands
to destroy Cox if he wants to, for
instance, there was talk all day of a
drive being made for Palmer. Shrewd
McAdoo managers are said to have
been encouraging Palmer to believe
he can win. What they want I'M
questionably is a drive for Palmer
so as to compel Palmer votes which
have gone to Cox to go back to Pal
mer again and thus cut down CoX's
long lead.
In that case, Palmer would go up
to second place and Cox would go to
third and McAdoo's supporters
would try a drive for victory.
But as this is written there is
nothing to show that Mitchell Pal
mer will do anything of the kind. If
he releases his delegates, the impress
sion is that he will not endeavor to
guide them. In that event many of
them will go to Cox. Then the big
question is whether the, psychology
cal effect of a break in Pennsylvania
will be sufficient or insufficient to
bulge the McAdoo phalanx OF
course, the McAdoo minority can
deadlock this convention indefinitely.
It's a fight between the eastern
and western Democracy. The west
ern states know McAdoo better than
Cox and believe that the former Sec
rotary of the treasury inherits the
idealism and vision of his distin-
guiShed father-in-law. They like
the relationship between the two
and consider it an earnest of Nc
Adoo's inclinations.