Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-28
WILSON CONTROLS
PARTY'S POLICIES
President viii Influence Choice
of Candidate, but Doesn't
Ask Third Term
WET BOOM MAKES TROUBLE
BY CLINTON ". GILBERT
STAFF Correspondent Of the Evening Public
Ledger

stan Correspondent e. the Evening ruo''c
Washington. Feb. 2S. The Demo.
cratic national politicn, situation has
now passed entirely into the hands OF
President Wilson.
Probably two thirds of the delegates
to the San Francisco convention will
be uninstructed, in Difference to the
Presidents wish that the choice Of a
candidate to succeed him should be left
open to the last possible moment.
Theoretically, at least. these uniu-
structed delegates will go 20 the CON
vcntion ready to accept Mr.. Wilson's
Judgment as to candidate and plat
form and. virtually. most Of them will
be merely complimentary. After vote
or two the uninstructed delegates will
be ready to quit their favoritcS to do
the behcst Of the President.
The Democratic national organization
is an administration organization. 1t
is as loyal to Mr.. Wilson personally as
are the members of the cabinet now
that Mr.. Lansing has been displaced by
Mr.. Colby. IIcmer Cummings. the ma e
tional chairman. is n Wilson man. All
the most active figures in the national
committee are Wilson men. The de-
cison to soak uninstructed delegates and
leave the situation in the President 5
hands was a decision reached without
difficulty and generally accepted with =
out question.
No Third Term Effort Likely
This does not mean that the unin-
structed delegates are going to be used
for the denomination of the President.
In spite of rumors the least likely thing
that can come out of the San Francisco
convention is third nomination for
Wilson. 1t may be said with the ut
most positiverrss that the President
does not want TO be re. elected. Nor
will his health permit him to make an e
other campaign and serve another term.
And even IL his physicians and his fam
/ liz thought it would. Mr.. Wilson is too
good a politician to load his party with
/ the task of proving to the country that
! a man who has suffered a stroke OF
paralysis is the man to elect President.
Just as the President with his re-
/ turning vigor has entered forCibly into
the international situation so he Is en-
trring into the Democratic party situa- =
! ton. The Fiumc correspondence was
an attempt to shape the League OF
Nations issue. il it is to enter into the
.
the country can be made upon it, The
President may be expected to keen
trying to lift the issue into one that
will stir the conscicnCcS of the nation.
If he fails to interest inc people in
the question of Fiume, he may be found
turning to Turkey. for the note to
| Ambassador Wallace. on January II.
/ shows that the President reSCntS all
allied decisions respecting peace made
without consulting the United States,
lust rs sharply as he does the attempt
OF Lloyd George and MillCrand to force
Jugo Slavia to accept a compromise in
consistent with the American position
Public Loses Interest
The restoration of the Turk to Con
etantinOple raises moral and religious
issues that are lacking in the Adriatic
dispute. Fiume. so far as the public
can be made TO understand it. is a ques.
tiOn of how many Jugo- Slavs may bt
given to Italy and how many Albanian.
must be given to Jugo Slavia in eX,
change. There has been too mucf
such trading in the peace already foI
the public to get excited about how
this particular trade results.
But keeping the Turk in CONSTANT
noDlc in order to sustain their i'm
perialism is another sort Of issue. Mr.
Wilson might rouse the churches b!
denouncing the traffic with barbarism
This is simple question. 1t is {
moral question.
Shall terms be made with the mas
sacrers Of the ArmPnians? It seem
TO be the Presidents one chance o
reaching the League Of Nations vitals
thing which no one here believes cal
BE- done. The President will not oul
l. ;tI ~. l., k,,t 10
the smaller details Of politics. 1t
expected that he will be in freQuen
conference with the leaders of the Dem
ocratic party a. the convention ap
rroaches. He will seek to inform him
self through them as to public senti
mcnt throughout the country.
Edwards Factor
There are q variety of questions tha
will require the President s attention
There is the troublesome presidentia
boom Of the governor of the President
home state. While Mr.. MCAdoo, Mr.
Palmer and Mr.. Hoover are respcctin
the Presidents desire to keep the con
vpntion open and leave to II the selec
ton of candidates. Governor Edward
is quite seriously going out after tn
delegates as the greatest of oil the wet
whose state is just about TO conduct
) 3ih per cent beer rebellion against tn
federal government.
Out Of his fight with the Unite
States over the right of New Jersey
interpret the eighteenth amendmen
Governor Edwards is going TO derive
, lot Of Advertising. Politicians laugh {
the Edwards boom. But with no stron
candidate openly in the race and wit
tho governor conducting a spectaCula
2 war upon the United States, Edwar(
o may make the wet dry issue formidab
: in the Democratic national convention
I The withdrawal Of Edwards fro
Nebraska has not yet been effected
. Although Bryan has not yet filed b
r petition as Il candidate for the pres
=, doncy in Nebraska, the organizatiC
u Democrats still expect him to do s.
y And they do not want the anti Rrya
strength TO be divided between Scnat,
Hitchcock and Governor Edwards. |
10 the present, Edwards has refused
n get out Of Nebraska, lie takes h
boom seriously.
i Bryan Not Menace
The Bryan movement in tho Dem
5 cratic party does not threaten Mr., wi
o sons supremacy at san FranctSc
, The Wilson organization has, up Z