Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-22
REAL RECORD Of
CONVENTION GIVEN
BY J. R. SMITH
Declares Palmer Forces Pre-
vented Smith Men From
Endorsing Administration,
Efforts to Trade Described

An interesting contribution to the
record" of the recent presidential
convention was made Friday morn
ing by J. R. Smith, who had just fin
ished reading in one of the Palmer
organs somewhat peremptory chal-
lenge to keep the record straight"
Mr.. Smith was one of the cam
paign managers for Senator Smith in
the presidential primary. He was
chairman of a committee of the sem
ator's friends who listened to pro-
posal by a committee of Attorney
General Palmer's friends on the eve
OF the convention. He was named by
the Smith floor leaders as one of the
altnrnates from the state-at-large to
the San Francisco convention. He
Is III position to know a little some
thing about the record
"Since everybody else is airing his
views" said Mr.. Smith, 81 think I'll
air mine. Since everybody else is
telling what he knows, think I'll do
the same.
The, record is simple and easily
understood. THE straighter it is
kept. the more it will be sanctioned
by Georgia Democrats, in my humble
judgment. There are some facts in
it which do not appear in the secre-
tary's minutes of the convention, and
they are the ones which I shall dis
cuss.
1.-TWO main complaints are made by
the Palmer organs concerning the
convention. They complain because,
as they say, Senator Smith and Mr..
Watson formed combine to do two
things:
al. To elect William J. Vereen to
the Democratic national committee
instead of electing Clark Howell.
40. To prevent the adoption of
resolution indorsing the achieve
ments fthe Democratic administra-
ton.
Baited Trap
"As to the first complaint. it does
not appear to be arousing any very
great cyclone of indignation over the
state. OF coupse. the cyclone may
come later. but the skies at present
seem to be clear and there is no
thunder so far as 1 can heaI.
LAS to the second complaint, the
Palmer people have themselves to
blame for failing to get an indorse-
ment of the achievements Of the
Democratic administration. AS is
usual with ring politicians, they tried
to tie together with one indorse-
ment, which was satisfactory, an
other Endorsement which was not.
They presented their resolution in
the form of an Endorsement of the
great achievements of the Democrat
ic administration in which the house
and senate had part, coupled with
an Endorsement of the League of Ma
tions. They knew the first indorse-
ment was entirely satisfactory to the
Hoke Smith people, and they knew
the second Endorsement was not sat
isfactory. They wrote the first para
graph to tempt us with it's language
Coinciding exactly with our position,
and they wrote the second paragraph
to tangle out feet.
I'VE would have voted for the
first paragraph if they had submitted
it separately. but they wouldn't do
So We would have voted for the
second paragraph if they had amend
ed it so as to indorse the League Of
Nations with reserva tons safeguard
ing American interests, but they
wouldn't do that. They demanded
that we should stultify ourselves
with an Endorsement of the League Of
tory reservations In other words,
they tried to make us jump through
the hoop in order to indorse the ad
ministration's achievements. We did
not jump. They have nobody but
themselves to blame. They ought to
manner instead of attempting par
liamentary trick. SO much for COM
plant No. 2.
land now to proceed a little more
extensively into the record of the
convention. On the day before the
convention met, the Palmer people
came to us with a proposal for
conference. In the language of Edi-
Telegraph, they proposed that we
and they should 'solidify' the Demo-
cratic party by excluding MrA Wat
son. In other words, that we and
they should play a little game en-
Commuters Inconsistency
1--WE reminded Mr.. Anderson Of
some very recent political history.
We reminded him that the Democrat
ic state executive committee of
which he is member and one Of
the stentorian voices, when we want
ed to put Herbert Hoover in \ the
presidential primary, took micro
scope and gave that gentleman
most minute examination, and found
him infected with the germ of Re
publicaniSm, and very promptly ruled
him out. We reminded him that
when1fhe friends of Mr.. Watson
wanted to put him in the primary,
the state committee threw away its
microscope and accepted him with
out a single question of Democrat
Mr.. Watson was supposed to have
following of $4,000 or 10000 vot-
ers who would vote for Senator
Smith if Mr.. Watson did not enter
the primary, and hence the state
committee was glad to welcome Mr.
Watson into the primary, and they
didn't experience any qualms OF
conscience or make any use oe their
political magnifying glass
I'VE reminded him further that
Mr.. Watson had .polled more votes
votes than Senator Smith. and now
they were asking us to join with
them in throwing him out of the
convention after they had welcomed
him into the primary. We remind
to exclude Mr.. Watson's $4,000
voters from a single word of par
ticipation, after they had hailed Mr..
Watson's entrance into the contest.
we declined to trade on any such
basis: We INFORMED the gentlemen
were not going to freeze out M.
Watson and not going TO freeze out
Mr.. Palmer. We Informed them that
we intended to deal fairly with both