Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-21
l0UBT SURROUNDS
! TWO CANDIDATES
MoAdoo Is Not Certainly an AS
nirant and Hoover Is Not
Certainly a Democrat
WILL MAY BE ARBITER
nv CLINTON w. GILBERT
STAFF correspondent Of the Evening Publ,
Ledger


Ledger
Washington, Feb. q The race for
Pho Democratic nomination is between
Wr McAdoo who IS not certainly a
candidate. and Mr.. Hoover, who isn't
certainly Democrat.
Mr.. McAdoo is becoming less and less
candidate. And Mr., Hoover. is be-
coming more and more a Democrat.
President Wilson will decide on or
about June % at San Francisco az
whether Mr.. McAdoo is candidate
and 90 whether Mr. Hoover is a Dem
oSrat. The Democratic convention will
be very open one. 1t may nominate
either MIR. McAdoo. who will accept
tbe nomination if it comes to him un-
solicited, or Mr.. Hoover, who is So
liciting the nomination, in that en-
tirely unsoicitous way which so often
Is the best way. D
Other candidates are taking them
selves out of the Democratic race. either
nv announcement. Ex-senator Pom
creme, who is too busy to run, or in
spite of themselves. like Attorney Gen
eral Palmer. who Is too busy running
TO win. Mr.. Bryan has been ''s,opped
like Napoleon in the elements" Sen
ator Hitchcock's candidacy in Ne
braska has given the great Commoner
pause. Bryan. without voice on the
convention floor. is not Bryan.
The big outstanding facts in the
Democratic national political situation
are Mr.. McAdoo's taking. himself out
Of the Democratic primaries in Geor-
gia, and various means of putting Mr..
Hoover into the Democratic primaries in
various states. =. Every time Mr..
Hoover's name is entered in Demo
cratic primary and every time, as in
Minnesota. his name is refused in a
Republican primary. Mr.. Hoover's
Democratic partisanship is that much
nearer being established.
Making Hoover Democrat
As Governor West, of Oregon. said in
response to the question, "Is Hoover a
Democrat?" "We'l make him one by
naming him in the Democratic pri-
maries." BY the time the national con-
vention meets at San Francisco the
Democrats will get so used to the name
Of Hoover in the party primaries that
the old question about his partisanship
will have lost much of its force.
The withdrawal of Mr.. McAdoo's
name from the Georgia primaries is
helpful to Mr.. Hoover. The Atlanta
Journal, an influential Georgia news
paper, is supporting Mr. Hoover's
candidacy. Even before Mr.. McAdoo
withdrew persons in Washington
familiar with Georgia politics thought
the food administrator had a good
chance of the Georgia delegates. If
their view is correct, he is almost as
sured of them now that his only formid-
able opponent has taken himself out Of
the contest. The Georgia primaries are
important; they are relatively early,
and the possession of some southern
delegates will be of advantage to Mr..
Hoover. Partisanship is strong in the
South If Georgia can overlook the in
de6niteness of Mr.. Hoover's Democracy
and his pure opportunism as a candi-
date other states can.
The truth is that Mr. Hoover's candi-
dacy is moving along not so fast that
It looks feeble and likely to die away
before June, nor yet so slowly that one
might suspect lack Of real vitality. 1t
is, in an unexpected degree, overcoming
the handicap of vague political ante
cedents. Its progress is all psychology
cal, still there is not vote or dele
gate behind it yet, nor YET a boss, only
a few Democratic newspapers, few
enthusiastic Democratic friends in Cali
forna, and in Oregon, like Governor
West, and the dire need of the Demo
cratic party--for the Democratic party
is as needy as Belgium was when
Hoover arrived there in 1914.
Genius for Publicity
Yet withal no mistakes have been
made The really difficult situation of
being in receptive attitude toward
nomination in party without ever
having given that party vote is be-
ing met without u mistake. Hoover
has a genius for publicity" said the
friend of another candidate for the
Democratic nomination, making wry
face.
All this is in striking contrast to
General Wood, who started out with
the singular advantage of being the
heir apparent of the man VINO would
certainly have been the Republican can
didatc for the presidency, but who. even
his supporters admit now. has recently
been losing ground. The politicians
say that General Wood is the victim
Of his friends. Too many rich men
about him, who play the political game
trihc too arrogantly. One feels that
somewhere in the background of the
Hoover movement is an array of in
huential friends, but Hoover's friends,
if they are active. have a talent for
self obliteration that Woods friends
have not.
The candidates. for both Wood and
Hoover have this in common Both de-
pend upon the showing of the primaries.
Wood is admittedly the Republican can
didate with general popular support.
The primaries may show that popular
support to be so large as to compel
his nomination at Chicago. To win
Wood must show this. To win the
Democratic nomination Hoover must
mako a similar demonstration, with
this difference, the Democrats are look
ing harder for the peoples choice than
are the Republicans. The Republican
machine would little rather that the
people had no choice at this time The
Democratic machine, which is the ad-
minlstration, would be glad to find some
one who, is enough the peoples choice
TO give them chance to win.
Machines Want to DO Picking
!, The Democratic machine wants to do
Ine picking itself just as much as the
republican machine does. The policy
o. both is uninstructed delegates and a
iree hand for itself in the convention,
ana IL seems certain that both ma
vn'he VIII have their way. There Is
no sign that Wood will develop enough
strength to interfere with the Repub
ncan machines plans. And unless
Somethlng extraordinary happens no
calculations. "'i'
Nr MeAdoo's taking himself out of
th he Georgia primaries does not mean
II.at MIR. McAdoo is not a candidate
tbo III means that he is in accord with
cou cor administration desire for an open
didatap and the choice of the can