The Washington herald., 1920-06-20
'THIRDTERM AIR
BAG PUNCTURED
Cummings Says Uproar
Over Wilson Designs Is
Groundless.
By ROBERT 7. HARRY.
coSrrSuED FROM PAGE ONE.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.
definitely settled as anything could
be. The plank will be as Mr.. Wilson
would have 1t. 1t will be a modif-
cation of the Virginia declaration.
drafted by Senator Carter Glass. who
will be chairman of the committee
on resolutions. by the grace of the
President.
Convention not .Bossed.'
cambridge Colby's statement that
he was not a receptive candidate for
the post Of permanent chairman, oc-
casioned mild surprise among Dem
ocratic leaders. who knew that he
has been preparing his address to
the convention for several days. He
was picked by the President and his
selection as a delegate from the Dis
trict Of Columbia was viewed in no
other light than as part of the
White House program. agreed upon
two weeks ago, when Mr.. Cummings
conferred with President Wilson.
Mr.. Cummings is taking special
pains to .dispel any belief that the
Democratic convention is to be
| "bossed."
He comedies the White House in
fuence. but he rejects the sugges-
ton of Presidential dictation. He
wants IL distinctly understood that
he could give personal confederation
to the Presidents disavowal of ac-
tivity in behalf of any candidate.
The Democratic convention is 60
ing to be what Mr.. Hays said the
Republican convention was" Mr..
Cummings declared, placing special
emphasis on the Mr.. Hays said"
Mr.. Cummings processes TO dis
cern no evidences OF White House
dictation in the determination to
adopt the Virginia plank on the
treaty of Versailles. He is sure in
his own mind that the Democratic
Senators who voted to ratify with
the Lodge reservations will not re-
gard themselves ostracised from the
party or their votes in the Senate
repudiated and condemned, when the
convention declares for ratification
of the treaty with nothing stronger
tEan interpretative reservations and
echoes the Presidents denunciation
of the Lodge reservations as nulli-
Tying and destroying the league and
cutting the heart out OF the cove
nant.
The position Mr.. Cummings out
lines for the party in the forthcom-
ing campaign is that IL will stand
for ratification of the treaty in con-
trast with the Republican platform
that did not declare for or against
ratification with the Lodge reserva-
tions, but simply condemned the in
strument as President Wilson signed
1T. Although, he said. he had not
sought the views of the Democratic
Senators who voted to ratify with
the Lodge reservations, either on
November ls. 1919. or March 1s, 1920.
Third Term Talk squeIched.
Although Mr.. Cummings was not
sufficiently Informative to justify
positive conclusions as to the Presi-
dents position relative to another
nomination, the view of influential
Democratic leaders, of unquestioned
loyalty and devotion to Mr.. Wilson,
clearly is that the third term
chatter is without real foundation.
The effort in some quarters to have
1T appear that Mr.. Wilson, in his
interview with the New York World,
intended to leave a wide door by
which he could enter upon a third
term effort, has rot impressed lead
ers here in a position to have con-
fdential information on that score.
The very patent effort by Mr..
Wilson to defend A. Mitchell Palmer.
the Attorney General, against the
oft repeated charge of unlawful and
high handed methods in the Red
raids was not wasted upon some
leaders. The Presidents voluntary
defense of the Department OF JUS
Itice and his rejection of the evil
Idence submitted from several
sources of unwarranted action by
government agents in the campaign
against the radicals could not fail
to impress those national leaders
who are working in behalf of Mr.
Palmer.
mr. Cummings anticipated no diff
ficulty on that score even in thos'
States where ratification Democrat.
are up for reelection this fall He
indicated that their position woulC