Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-15
DEMOCRATS WOULD KEEP
CONVENTION WIDE Open
Send Uninstructed Delegates is
Plan of Majority Of Party's
Leaders.
Correspondence Baltimore sun.


Washington, March IA free, indc-
pendent and totally wide-opcn conven-
ton for the nomination of their candidate
for the Presidency is the program Of most
of the potential leaders Of tho Democratic
party and to that end these leaders have
agreed upon plan Of sending uninstructed
delegations to San Francisco in June, ex-
cept in such instances IA individual
States may have "favorite sons
Those party factors friendly To Herbert
Hoover have taken this position. Will
liam G. McAdoo, among the foremost OF
the avallables, has taken the same posi-
tiop. Former Speaker Champ Clark
has fallen into line and most Democratic
members Of the House and Senate have
become convinced that party interests
can best be served il the convention is not
divided into militant factions before it
even assemblies.
Only one group of Democrats hs re-
fused to assent to this policy. II is COM
posed of the fighting forces behind the
candidacy Of fAttoney-Gcncr A. Mitchell
Palmer. They propose TO wage war for
the nomination Of the Pcnnsylvanian oil
along the line and have organized cam
paign committee which is asking no quar-
ter and which is giving none.
The fact is, Mr.. Palmer is the most
aggressive Of all the Democratic Presi-
dental possibilities. He is the only
straight Administration representative
who has openly avowed his willingness
to receive the mantle of President Wilson
Governor Cox, of-Hhio. and Senator
Owen, of Oklahoma, arc frankly seeking
the nomination. but neither is associated
directly with the Administration or ex-
h,,, ,..,
surrounds the President.
In many respects the candidacy of
Mr.. Palmer is projected along the lines
of that Of Gen. Leonard Wood for the
Republican nomination. Each is forcing
the fight upon nationwide basis. Each
is campaigning in enemy" territory and
is backed by powerful party interests.
IL is apparent that the Wood people have
far greater resources in the matter of
money than Mr.. Palmer, but the general
has no more energetic organization.
Democratic leaders are now convinced
that they enjoy distinc. advantage in
being able to await calmly the decisions
of the opposition convention. They will
have full opportunity tn take the measure
of the Republican candidate, whoever he
may be. They may survey the Republi-
can candidate, whoever he may be. They
may survey the Republican platform
and fairly note its points of weakness,
as well as its points Of strength and If
they are not pledged too tightly in advance
they can pick their own candidate and
adopt their own platform accordingly.
If, for instance, General Wood should
be the nominee of the Republican conven-
tion and if he should make universal
military training or prohibition or the
peace treaty his leading Issue, the Demo"
Gratis would he in position TO name
candidate who might appeal TO all the
elements and all the sentiment opposed
TO Wood and the things Wood stands for.
IL is no secret, of course, that those
party leaders who arc favorable TO the
of Herbert Hoover At san
Francisco fervently hope that the Re
publicans will unite upon some reae;ionary
and that they will agree upon n
platform which will drive Mr. Hoover and
his independent followers into the Demo-
cratic organization. IL often has been
predicted in that connection that IL would
be next to impossible for the Republicans
30 draft platform upon which Mr..
Hoover would run. IL Senator Penroee
md his associate. maintain their control
Of the Republican party II is morally Ger
tain that they will dictate series of
party policies which neither Republican
progressives nor Hoover independents |
will be able 10 swallow.
In order 10 make the most of such possi- |
bilities as that, far-seeing Democratic |
politicians are agreed that the San Fran |
cisco convention should keep an open |
mind respecting both its own candidate |
and it's own platform. The expressed |
views of Mr.. McAdoo on the subject seem |
10 represent the best party opinion at this |
time. These views were given by him in /
> telegram to the Democratic State Gen. |
tral Committee. which had decided that, |
nasmuch rs California is to be the host TO /
Ihe convention, that State should send /
IN uninstructed delegation TO San Fran
CISCO. In reply Mr.. McAdoo said:
II heartily approve the action of the |
Democratic State CENTRAL Committee in |
for an uninstructed delegation /
10 the next Democratic National Con-
sention. shall gladly comply with your
'equest that prevent, as far as have the |
,ower SO to 10, the filing in my behalf of
my petition for delegates
About the same time Mr. McAdoo sent
, telegram TO friends in Indiana who had |
explained why his name had not been fled |
n the Indiana primaries, saying:
"You did exactly the right thing in not |
ling petition to place me In the Indiana
residential primary. You know of