Evening star., 1923-11-23
M'AD00 CAMPAIGN
OPENS IN EARNEST
Has Small Hope for Wilson
Support-Fears Possible
Opposition.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


The McAdoo effort to win the demo
cratic nomination for the presidency
is taking on the proportions of real
campaign.
NJ. Brice Claggett, formerly private
secretary to Mr.. McAdoo when he was
Secretary of the Treasury and later
private secretary to the director gen.
eral Of railroads. has resigned his po-
sitlon with the Guaranty Trust Com
pany of New York and passed through
here today en- route to Los Angeles.
to take charge of the political corre-
spondence of his former chief.
In almost every state of the Union
the McAdoo supporters are planning
to establish either a headquarters or
a campaign unit to capture the dele
gates to the next convention. The
victory of the McAdoo forces in South
Dakota is pointed to as evidence that
the campaign is on in earnest and
that from now on the fight for the
nomination will be pursued with all
the vigor of an electoral contest. No
longer is there any doubt where Mr..
NcAdoo himself stands. He will take
occasion to comment on puDllc QueS-
tions from time to time and demon
strate his right to assume the leader
ship of his party.
The beginning of the campaign at
this early date is due to the fact that
delegates will have to be pledged a
long time in advance, and if the Nc
Adoo supporters do not win them
aome other candidate will.
Wilson Strength Vital.
The real fight for the democratic
nomination. however. does not turn
upon what will happen in the pri-
maries. or even on the respective
merits CT the various candidates as
related to present-day issues. 1t
turns on the ability of the different
managers to capture the Wilson
strength in the party. which. by the
way, has nothing much 10 do with
wisconsin or the league of nations
or any other particular policies of
the former President. 1t means the
strength of the former office holders
who were put in power during the
wilson administration Of eight years.
The last convention at San Francisco
which the democrats held proved con-
clusively that three-quarters of the dele
gates in attendance were. directly or in
directly related to the Wilson admins
'tration. The Clash between McAdoo and
Palmer. however. for that Wilson
strength made it impossible for either
.IO "
Cox won by coalition of the anti-Wil-
son votes and large numbers of Palmer
supporters. who gave their help to Cox
rather than McAdoo
Since 1920 the Palmer faction has
disappeared. Many of the supporters
Of the former Attorney General are now
in the McAdoo camp. Similarly, some
of tile men who We're strong for Cox, as
for instance D. l.. Rockwell Of Ohio, who
who is Mr.. McAdoos manager. are COM
mitted to the McAdoo candidacy.
Up to now no candidate has ap-
who can take away from him the
Wilson strength New York never
was part of the Wilson faction, and
presumably will go for Al Smith.
Illinois and Indiana will ha rdly he
for Nc Adoo at the outset The
strategy of the McAdoo managers is
to make a combination of the west
and south as neclleus, and by demon
strating Il solid front prove to their
eastern brethren the wisdom of Join
ing the McAdoo procession. Indeed
II McAdoo is nominated the chances
are his campaign will be based on
IN expected combination of the west
and south. which was enough to elect
- democratic President in 1915.
Coolidge Strong in East.
II President Coolidge is the re-
publican nominee, he will have his
strongest support in the east. The
fight for the presidency may. there
fore, be staged in the west Mr.. Nc
Adoo may be expected to come forth
with a farm program in the hope of
benefiting by the discomfort in the
western states.
That's why the effort of his friends
to make a strong showing in South
Dakota can be considered as part of
their campaign to put forth McAdoo
as progressive" with SympathieS
for the agricultural elements who are
just now causing a rift in the re-
publican party.
Mr.. McAdoo's hesitancy to make
himself candidate in 1920 has often
been attributed to his unwillingness
to take any step that might be dis
approved by his distinguished father
in-law. Rumor had it that Mr.. Will
son thought he ought to have been
nominated then for a third term--if
vindication of his policies.
The recent visit of Mr.. McAdoo to
Washington is taken to mean that
he has let Mr.. Wilson know his plans
and that the former President now
has interposeu no objection to the
candidacy. 1t is not likely that Mr..
Wilson will openly support any can
didate or participate directly or in
directly in the pre-convention cam
paign so far as personalities are
concerned. He will no doubt en-
deavor to exert his influence toward
the shaping of a platform just as he
did in 1920. when 1t is reported he
sent wet" plank to the convention.
Mr.. McAdoo is a dry" While he
may never win the Endorsement of
the former President before the con-
if Mr.. Wilson does not indicate op-
position. Probably the test will
come when Mr.. McAdoo is. asked to
state his position on the league of
nations.
Copyright. 1928