The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-23
SECRET VOTE ONLY
WAY DEMOCRATS
CAN ELECT CHIEF
Lawrence Shows That This Is
Lone Method TO Break
Present HitChCOCk-U Under
wood Deadlock,
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Correspondent OF The News
SeImltar.l


WASHINGTON. Jan. 23.-Secret bal.
| lots may not be popular but that's the
| only way the Democratic party in the
senate viii be able to choose a leader
without leaving scars Of dissatisfaction
among the friends of Senator Hitchcock
| OF Nebraska and Senator Underwood OF
Alabama, the rival candidates As things
stand now the strength of each Is ex-
| actly the same, and only Carter Glass.
| the new senator from Virginia who
| takes his seat soon, and Senator Hoke
Smith of Georgia, who declined to vote
on the last ballot, can break the tie
1t would appeaG-that arguments favor
Senator Underwood. Should the Georgia
senator vote for Mr. Hitchcock, the bal
lot would still be tie The story goes
that Senator Hoke Smith gave .encour-
sgement 10 both Senators Hitchcock
and Underwood prior to the last caucus
and found himself in an embarrassing
position when the voting started. The
caucus had lively debate as to whether
TO invite Sens tor-elect Glass to par
tiClpate, but because the vote on the
invitation was 20 TO 19 and not unani-
nous the Virginia senator wisely re.
Trained from participating in the con-
test
Things have progressed to the point
where secret ballot alone will give the
Democrats leader and prevent hard
feelings in the future, for while SEN
atorS Hitchcock and Underwood are
both too big to be personally affected
by the votes of their colleagues, some
Of their friends have become so wrought
up over the leadership contest that the
Democrats will be a much more har-
monious body II the leadership question
is smicably settled than II it Is solved
the way the Republican battle for Lead
ership was in the house.
Feeling Exists.
As between the Mondeil and Mann
factions feeling has not yet entirely dis
appeared and it would have been much
better all around if secret ballot had
been taken in every case.
The public lis not required to sign
each ballot deposited in general elec.
tons and where the choice Of indvid-
uals from among their own number IS
concerned senator's ought not to feel re
duired to record publicly their likes and
dislikes or their respective judgments
of the worth Of colleagues.
The next vote on the Democratic
leadership of the senate will be taten
whenever Senators Hitchcock and TN
derwood agree to issue the call, which
will be about the middle Of next month
The DELAY Is due to feeling that
Senator Hitchcock ought to have a free
hand in the negotiations for a oo.nprn-
given the hearty support of all the Dem
ocrats, and, while ~ first there wa
q dsposifon to withhold support on
the theory that Senator Underwood
ought n manage the treaty fight for
his party, n would appear that the
Democrats are not going to swap horses
in midstream.
Negotiations for a compromise are
proceeding very well In another week
or so the public will know Just what
each side has yielded and whether, in
deed, there have been sufficient con-
cesstons to warrant ratification of
the compromise.
There Is no doubt that the friends
of Senator Underwood too, have felt
that, as long as the treaty was on the
calendar they could not make as eff
feetjve an argument for him as they
might when 1t was disposed Of The
partsans of Mr., Hitchcock have argued
that it would be giving aid and COM
fort to the Republicans to repudlate
the leadership of Senator Hitchcock on
the peace treaty.