The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-06-28
CHIEFS HOLD
REINS FIRMLY
BLYTHE SAYS
Are Allowing Boys to Play,
But Machine Will Function
Smoothly When Time
Comes, He Thinks.
RUM0RS FLY AROUND
BY SAMUEL G, BLYTHE.

uo'odo old5S. ANY IuulOT is solemn
~ believed, and any hocus-pocus un-
hesitatingly accepted. The delegates
wander about in a devious daze hop
ing for the best, and the leaders sit
back in their cloisters, apprehensive
OF the worst. Political voodoo is prac-
t1ced by eminent experts of the pug
sermugger, and all the old fetishes
are exploited with proper ceremonies
There Is an Arabian Nights atmos-
phere to 1t all, with d belief in fairies
and plenty of able and practical op-
portunities, waiting for a chance to
jump in and dominate the situation.
1t is situation that will require con-
iderable domination. by the way
Otherwise, the situation may dominate
itself. and that would be fatal to many
well-laid, but not fresh-laid plans
At present, each of three candidates
Cox, Palmer and McAdoo-is holding
a side of the triangle. and similarly,
each of the three is holding side OF
the sack. The man who put that
rule making a two thirds vote neces,
sary for nomination in the manual
of Democratic conventions, certainly
was a wrecker of hopes and an as
sassin Of ambition
for majority for some candidate
could be made with reasonable celer-
ity, but that two thirds presents an
obstacle that none of the three lead
ers, nor of the minors, has as yet found
way to overcome.
McAdoo Is New One.
Meantime that neat little innova-
tion of having William Gibbs McAdoo,
tr
that he is not a candidate. and having
100 trusty scouts in San Frencisco in
sisting that he is a candidate. has
and effective
The eminently practical McAdoo
was lax in not copyrighting and other.
wise protecting it, for as soon as Sec
retary Meredith, of Iowa, one of the
many cabinet candidates for the nom
ination, saw how we'll it was work
ing for McAdoo, he grabbed it and an
nounced that he, too, is not in any
sense a candidate, but neglected to
order down the "Meredith headquar
ters" signs, call off the Meredith work
ers, and retire the Meredith literature
boosters, button and banners, from Cir
culation.
1t is quite possible that the other
candidates may note the exceeding
strategic value of Mr. MCAdoo's posi-
ton and that we shall observe these
eminent Democrats protesting that
they are, in no sense, candidates. and
beseeching their friends to consider
them merely as private citizens, with
the good of the cause at heart, How
ever, a careful examination of the
pronouncements of both McAdoo and
Meredith fails to reveal any ringing
sentence, which reads as follows: II
will not accept If nominated" and it
is presumed that those who take
leaves from the McAdoo book will be
equally sagacious in their retirements.
1t may come to such a pass that the
convention will be obligated to ad-
journ after appointing a committee OF
husky and determined delegates to go
out, capture one Of these coy eX-can-
didates, hale him to the convention
hall and force him to accept the NOM
ination, refusing to take no for an
answer, and publicly and in most
drastic and coercive manner put him
in service as the standard bearer for
the party
This immolation idea works so well
it is almost sure to be copied by 9TH
ers than Meredith. The McAdoo
boomers, for example, say they have
more than half the delegates already
in hand for their non-canddate which
is considerably more than they had
when he was a candidate.
New times demand new methods
and that Is What these new times are
getting at the moment in San
Francisco. Meantime. aside from the
preparations to dragoon the protesting g
McAdoo there are evidences, here and
there, that there Is not entire lack Of
interest in Washington D. c., In what
is going on, and what will be going on.
Nothing much has happened yet. save
the harsh command to Senator Reed
to get outside and stay there issued
by the national committee Saturday,
to vidence this, 1t is confidently
expected that there will be manifes-
tations and even mandamuSeS later in
the week
Cabinet Members in Offing
A large fleet Of cabinet members is
on the spot and larger fleet of fed
eral officeholders, all eager to serve,
and II is to be noted particularly
that while Messrs. McAdoo and Mere
dith have said they are not candidates,
no principal person in Washington has
as yet made such an announcement
The men who are running things
here shiver every time they get long
distance telephone call. However, 1t is
not in the nature Of things that the
real commands for action shall come
before Wednesday or Thursday.
The boys will be allowed to play
around for a time. One Of these days
there is likely to be a sharp forward,
March," and they will all march when
1t comes. no matter where they are
told to go. Watch them demonstrate
when they hear Homer Cummings
clarion call to rally round the White
House in the convention Monday
morning.
Otherwise things progress according
to routine. Great fights over this and
that In the resolutions committee are
predicted, drys are aligned against
vets.
The league of nations is referred to
CONTINUED on Page Four)