The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-28
McAdoo Has Very Strong and Some Very Weak Points
Indications That Lineup Will Be Administration Forces Against the Field"-Serious Discussion of What
 Shall Be Done on Prohibition Question
By HUGH w. ROBERTS

, has been any formal alliance. At the same time, in recognition of the fact that
 the administration controls 7s2 of lOys delegates elected, it seems to be logical for the other candidates to have pooled their strength for self-protection. if for
 no other reason.
 Because the President will control the great majority of delegates. it is gen. eraily conceded in Washington that Me Adoo will be nominated-unless the un- | foreseen occurs. It is understood that
 McAdoo, will stand for the League of Ma. tiohs Just as the President would, have the party stand. On that plank of the platform he will incur the enniity of MT. brown On another plank, that of anti prohibition features, Mir Bryan and Mr.
 McEAdoo will stand together, it being the impression in Washington that the allies Will proceed against McAdoo on the ground of their contention that there must be some amendment to the Volstead act which animates and energizes the eighteenth amendment to the constitu- tion
 AS to which one of the allies will man. age to present the strongest opposition to McAdoo, cannot be forecast Mir. Pal mer has the greater strength from the standpoint of actual delegates But Cox IS said to have the greater driving power Efforts have been made to form a com bination between Cox and Edwards, Che New Jersey governor, accepting the vice pr esidential nomination. But such efforts to date have proved abortive.
 There seems to be very little reason for Bryan's positive statement that Governor Cox will not be formidable in the coNven- tion. Bryan gives as reason for his pre- sumption that Cox is not heartily in favor of prohibition. Irrespective of whether that attitude will be a source of strength ,ly,a1 ,,,I I; ,,ix~ garded as man of strength. Only one other democrat has ever been elected gov- ernor of Ohio three times and that man was made President of the United States. Cox is credited with ability to carry Ohio, and Ohio unquestonably is a piv- otai state. When last Cox faced the peo- pie of Ohio he won by handsome ma 1ority, whereas other democratic can didates for state office were defeated. This causes William F. McCombs to de- clare that had the republicans in the 1916 ccnNention nominated Senator Harding for the presidency, Harding would have carried Ohio, and won the race. He ar gres that it is necessary that the demo- crats make certain of Ohio, and that that end can best be conserved by the nomi- nation of Cox.
 The fight of the anti-prohibitionists it is now indicated, will be staged on the floor of the convention. It is said to be certain that the committee on platform will be composed of enough dry" advo- cates to guarantee against a fight in fhe committee meeting. But Cox and Ed wards promise to make efforts to amend the platform when it is submitted for adoption, and they profess an ability so to do. It will be their argument that without such amendment the democratic party cannot carry certain necessary states which they might carry with a plank of appeal to the 'wets," such states as Ohio, New York, New Jersey Indiana and California; that as matter of fact, if the democrats, emulating the republicans, ignore the prohibition ques- tion, they can hope to carry none other than the southern states.
 It is not with any inordinate degree of confidence in the result of ths election that democrats in the east contemplate the probability of the nomination of Me- Adoo William r. McCombs, former chairman of the national democratic com mittee declares publicly his belief that McAdoo, in view of the fact that he is ously handicapped. He says something of the possibility of the republicans appeal ing with success to the prejudice against crown princes perpetuating dynasties un- der the rule of primageniture Other prominent democrats declare that Me- Adoo, as candidate, would be financed by the same millionaires, including Ber- nard Baruch, who are now said to be financing his pre-convention campaign. They contend, further, that McAdoSs s course respecting the demands of labor during the war would alienate that bEsl- ness element which is essential to victory.
 At the same time, McAdoo's friends here contend that he is the only man on whom capital and labor will combine, and the women, at the same time, smhe. They figure that McAdoo would have the residents strength, ard on account of his recent prohibition adherence, the strength of William J. Bryan.