The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-07-06
POOR STRATEGY
Continued Prom Page One)

mcnt was at the mercy OF the conrcn-
ton winds. by the fifteenth or sin
lccnIh ballet the Mc.AduO leaders were
scared blue. They were seeking con-
frrrnCcs and were willing 1" d" any
thlng and accept anybody who would
save their faces. At that umc they
would nave been glad to accept any
body but Cox.
Just a Little Luck.
Then a little later on. when Cox fcIl
benin and MCAduo gained a little. the
amateur McAdoo leaders Cheercd up as
c~xtravaGantly as they had been cast
down before. This change in McAdoo'S
fortunes had not como through any art
or MANAGEMENT Of theirs. 1t had come
largely through Palmer. who. however
violently he might h" opposed TO Nc
Adoo. Mas even more opposed L. Cox.
because Palmer. next TO his own per-
Sonal fortunes. had his largest anxiety
IN the direction OF preventing the win
ming Of an aYoWed anti-adnlnlStratlon
man like Cox. Palmer had been able TO
help the MCAdoo people just at the
moment when the adjournment over
Sunday came. lie had don" his by
"loaninE" his fourteen Georgia votes
to McAdOo for on ballot.
ON Sunday The amateur MCAdoo
leaders were as unrcasonahly CoCky as
they were anxious to persuade tho Nc
they would listen to no compromise
whatever. They would SIT tight. They
thought they could put McAdoo over
by no greater art than merely the ca
pacity To sit in their seats and say
"MCAdoo' every time the roll was call
cd. The other friends OF the admins
l~ration. especially the Palmer leaders.
realized the danger OF Cox winning and
they were anxious to cprsuadc the Nc
Adoo leaders to compromise with Thorn.
tn" Palmer leaders. but the McAdno
leaders would have none Of il. and 80
Monday morning came.
Shnuad TnaHnArianrA
Even at that time. Meade could
still have won. If the McAdoo leaders
had been men of experience and sub
stance. who could force the respect of
won. They could havc come into The
convention Monday morning nnnounc-
Ing. We mean what We SAY. This
convention Is going TO nominate either
McAdoo or Cox. On that We propose
10 stand" II the McAdoo leader had
SAID this. and If they had been men
whose political experience and who's"
personality commanded the respect Of
the convention. they would have forced
the convention TO name MCAdOO. h"-
CONVENTION who diSlik"d Cox as a wet
10 prevent his nomination. The bal
ancc Of power in the convention was
distinctly with the "dryS." and how
have dislikcd MCAdoo, they dIS.Iked
COX NOR" because he was a "wCt.' If
the McAdoQ leaders had taken this po-
SItion MCAdno might yet have won. His
victory would ave been very much
SOilcd compared to that nomination by
reclamation winch his friends had pro-
claimed IN the beginning. yet IT would
have been n victory.
So much for one ClcnlCn in Me
Adoo's defeat. There was another.
These dispatches have frequently point
ed out that the convention was divided
into the administration group n tho
state leader group. Tho administration
group consisted Of those who either
knew the presidents wishes or were
in n position 10 claim they knew tho
presidents wishes. These were Homer
Cummings, the national chairman: Scna-
tor Carter Glass Of Virginia. Secretary
Of State Colby and one or two others.
This administration group had DON'T
mated the entire convention up To- the
point of naming the candidate. They
, T$rS i GSEmpisH Gr,G s4cG SssdTso III ibe %ys rrg.
resented the administration and be-
cause they were united. but when 1t
came to the matter Of naming the can
didate they lost their dominance COM
plctciy. They lost it because they no
longer had their two assets of The ad-
miniStratlon backing and their har-
mony.
Wilson's Silence.
In tho matter Of the nomination they
could not say that such md such the
N''''' go ''1i@N h-'1 N'a'AAH
fore. II must he done because the prcsI-
dent had specifically declined to tax" a
position on this ono point Of the can
didatc. Moreover. the administration
among themselves. They were without
harmony because each of them had Il
boom Of his own. Carter Glass. Balm
bridge Colby and Homer Cummings. all
three had become identified with tho
ak Of a dark horse compromise. All
three werc embarrassed by personal
hooms. Thus they were prevented
from standing together to save tho ad-
mlnistration's face and prevent the nomi-
nation Of Cox by nominating some ad-
ministration man. II these administra-
ton leaders in the recess Of Sunday had
achieved harmony and agreement they
could probably even nave nominated
MrAdoo. hut whether they could nomi-
Surcdly could have named any dark
horse who was dry" and who was
agreeable to tho administration if they
had agreed upon him. But when Mon
day morning anne there was no sign
of this agreement. or course, II is
air to say Of the administration lead
Crs that one big reason for their in
ability TO agree upOn n dark horse ia
Norable to the administration was tho
fact that tn" Mc.AdoO group Of leaders
still insisted on standing out. They
stlll insistAd they could he successful
with MCNdOo. and they refused to join
any movement looking to putting for
ward some other administration candi-
date.
50 matters stood when the nve
ton came together Monday morning.
The first OF the Monday ballots made no
material change whatever.
There was not in these ballots tn"
r~aintcst indication OF any change from
the deadlock. In fact. the spirit Of the
delegates was such that n few Of them
began to indulge humorouslv in casting
n complimentary vote here and there
for their friends In the press gallery.
Ry this time tho cleavaScs in tho con
vention were completely apparent. The
most annarent cleava. was III" ono
already frequently alluded to between
the administration leaders on one han