Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-01
CHAPTER Xiv
The San Francisco Convention

Inc san FRANCISCO convention
a S the days Of the San Francis
| ~ co convention approached. those
n of us who were intimately as
ISOLATED with the president at the
White House were warned by him
that in the convention fight soon
to take place we must play no IA
vorites; that the convention must
be. so far as the White House was
concerned, a free field and no favor,
and that our attitude of "hands off"
and strict neutrality must be main
tanned. Some weeks before the con-
vention met, the president conferred
with me regarding the nominations,
and admonished me that the White
| House must keep hands off, say
| ing that it had always been charged
| in the past that every admlnlstra-
| ton sought to use it's influence In
| tie organization Of the party to
throw the nomination this way or
that. Speaking to me of the mat
ter, he said: 1--WE must make 1T
clear to every one who consults us
| that our attitude is to be impartial
| in fact as well as in spirit. other
presidents have sought to influence
! the naming Of their successors.
Their efforts have frequently
brought about scandals and faction
al disputes that have split the party.
This must not happen with us. we
must not by any act seek to give
| the impression that we favor this
| Or that man."
This attitude was IN no way an
| evidence of the presidents 1ndlffer-
| ence to the nominee Of the conVen-
ton, or to what might happen at
| San Francisco. He was passionate
| ly anxious that his party's standard
brearer should win at the election,
if for no other reason than to see
his own policies continued and the
League of Nations vindicated.
There was another and personal
reason why he insited that no White
| House interference should be
brought into play for any particu-
lar nominee. His son-in-law, VIII
liam G.. McAdoo, was highly thought
of in connection with the nomlna-
ton, and therefore the president felt
that he must be more than ordlna-
rily strict in insisting that we keep
hands off, for anything that savored
| of nepotism was distasteful to him
and, therefore, he leaned back
ward in his efforts to maintain
neutral position in the presidential
contest, and to take no part, d1-
rectly or indirectly, that might seem
to give aid and comfort to the
friends Of his son-in-law. While Mr..
| McAdoo's political enemies were
busily engaged in opposing him on
the ground of his relationship to
the president, as a matter Of fact,
the president was making every eff
fort to disassociate himself and his
administration from the talk that
was spreading in favor Of McAdoo'
candidacy. While every effort was
being made bv Mr.. McAdoo's enc
mics to give the impression that the
federal machine was being used to
advance his candidacy, the president
was engaged wholly in ignoring the
candidacy of McAdoo.
Misinterpreted Family Visits
Every family visit which Mr.. Nc
Adoo and his wife, the president
daughter, paid the White House, was
distorted in the newspaper reports
carried to the country into long AND
serious conferences between the
president and his son-in-law with ref
erence to Mr.. McAdoo's candidacy
I know from my own knowledge
that the matter of the nomination
was never discussed between the
president and Mr.. McAdoo. And Mr.
McAdoos real friends knew this
and were greatly irritated at what
they thought was the gross lndlI
ference on the part of the pres1
dent to the political fortunes or his
son-in-law. So meticulously carefu
:. was the president that no one shoulc
be of the opinion that he was at
tempting to influence things in Mr.
McAdoos behalf, that there was
never a discussion even between the
president and myself regarding Mr.
McAdoos candidacy, although we
had canvassed the availability Of 9th
err Democratic candidates, as vel
as the availability of the Republican
candidates.
I had often been asked what the
presidents attitude would be TOWARD
Mr.. McAdoo's candidacy were hi
free to take part in the campaign
NV only answer to these inquiries
was that the president had dee[
affection and an admiration for Mr.
McAdoo as a great executive, tha1
grew stronger with each days con
tact with him. He felt that Mr.. NC
Adoo's sympathies, like his own,
were on the side Of the average
man; and that Mr.. McAdoo was 9
man with a high sense OF PUBIC
service.
And while the president kept 81
lent with reference to McAdoo, the
basis of his attitude was his con
viction that to use his influence tt
advance the cause of his son-ln-laW
was. in his opinion, an improper use
Of q public trust.
That he was strictly impartial II
the matter of presidential candidates
was shown when Mr.. Palmer, thu
attorney general, requested me t.
!, convey q message to the presiden
with reference to his Palmer's) can
didacy for the nomination, saying
,, that he would be a candidate ant
would so announce it publicly if thu
president had no objection; or tina
he would resign from the cabinet /
the announcement would embarras
the president in any way, and tina
he would support any man the presl
} dent saw fit to approve for this grea
office.
Message to Palmer
/ conveyed this message to Tn
president and he requested me t
; notify Mr.. Palmer that he was fre
: to do as he pleased, that he had NJ
personal choice and that the conven
= ton must be left entirely free to &C
as it thought proper and right an
that he would gladly support tn
nominee Of the convention.
Homer S. Cummings, the perma
nent chairman Of the convention
Senator Glass, Of Virginia, and MI
Colby, secretary Of state, called upo
the president at the White Hous
previous to taking the train for Sal
Fra ncisco to inquire if the presl
dent had any message for the cor