New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-04-23
POLITICAL TIES
LESS BINDING
PEOPLE SEEM MORE INTEREST
ED IN PRINCIPLES THAN
INDIVIDUALS.
WAR MEMORIAL FOR CAPITAL
To Be Used as National Center for
Official and Unofficial Public Life of
Nation-How Uncle Sans Postmas-
tiers Are Chosen.
BY M p.

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.
Washington. - Approximately one
third of the delegates to each of the
national political conventions have
now been chosen. The interest in the
election of delegates is largely on
fined to the Republican party, because
every one of the candidates for the
Republican nomination Is trying to get
as many instructed delegates as possi-
BILE. On the Democratic side the policy
is to choose uninstructed delegates,
and while two or three men who are
in a certain sense candidates for the
Democratic nomination are interested
in the selection of delegates, not one
of them is making an actual fight.
The most competent political Observ-
ers are now of the opinion that the
Republican convention, as well as the
Democratic convention, will be open,
in the sense that no candidate will go
into the convention with anything like
enough votes to nominate him on the
first ballot. Such a situation always
lends zest to a convention, and so 1t is
a fOregOne conclusion that the gnther-
ing at Chicago on June s and the meet
ing at San Francisco on June % will
hold the undivided attention of tho
country for a few days. The old
timers in politics are making the OBJ
%servatiOn that they cannot recall a
more mixed situation in each of the
old parties two months prior to the
opening of the convention season.
Ties Less Binding.
The well seasoned political writer's
who are touring the country, almost
without exception report that political
ties are less binding, apparently than
ever before; that the masses OF the
voters seem to be interested in prin-
ciples to a greater extent than ever
before and less in personalities, indi-
viduals. The professional politicians
In both the parties are not attempting
to hide a good deal of concern which
they feel YER the incoming reports to
the effect that If the two conventions
do not do what the masses of the vot-
ers believe they should do there might
be another effort made 10 form a new
party. No one takes this mix very
seriously and yet there Is no question
but what it is being INDUCED in to
some extent.
1t does seem to he IA fact that there
is being voiced more than ever before
an objection to the sO-called profess
sional politicians picking the candi-
dates for president. 1t is this mani
festation that is putting SO much life
into the contests for delegates in the
states that have provided presidential
preference primary laws.
Neither of the old political parties
is quite certain at this time what IL
will put in its national platform.
Neither can say, for instance, whether
the treaty of peace with Germany, and
the League of Nations covenant in par
t~icular, will be an issue in the cam
palgn. Ever since the treaty went
down to defeat for a second time IN
the senate the politicians in both the
parties have been trying to figure out
how the treaty and the league covenant
could be presented as an issue. and no
one has as yet come forward with any
plan satisfactory. The truth Is that so
far as the national organizations of the
two old parties are concerned there Is
still the desire to have the treaty dis
posed of before the national onven
ton season comes IN.
Adjoins National Museum.
A movement to erect u world
war memorial building in the ma
tional capital Is now well under way.
Under the plans that have been
worked out this memorial is to take
the form of a majestic national vie
tory memorial building. The 0
gress has donated the site for the
building on the Mall about half way
itol. adjoining the new National
museum. and has authorized the
George Washington Memorial associa-
ton to collect the necessary funds for
its construction and maintenance. S10.-
OOO.0O0. The George Washington
Memorial association has been in ex-
istence a good many years. IL started
out to raise money with which TO put
up n George Washington memorial
building. That project did not sue
coed and now the two ideas have been
combined.
Plan Big Auditorium.
The tentative plans for tbe proposed
national victory memorial building
provide for an auditorium that will
accommodate 1000 persons. a banquet
hall seating 100 persons. a special
room for each STATE in the Union. and
for each of the country's outlying pos
sessions. national headquarters rooms
for the George Washington Memorial
association. the national council of
women, and the American Legion, and
other patriotic. industrial. social and
civic bodies of national character. II
is proposed to erect In front Of the
building a suitable victory commemor-
alton statue or statuary group sur
rounded by gardens which will be
symbolical of the part taken by the
House Quickly Delivered by Truck.