The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-11-03
HAS LABOR
AND DRY
PULL
Receives Endless Callers Here,
But Maintains Status as
''Inactive" Candidate.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

answer TO q henry 1O4O SAAA@ -
party ticket. That is the argu-
ment circulating widely and rap
idly through Democratic political
Washington while McAdoo re-
csives an endless line Of callers
In his hotel here and blandly tells
reporters that he enjoys renewing
his acquaintance with his dear
old personal friends here and that
November is fine month.
Announcement Unlikely.
It 10 unlikely at this moment that
McAdoo win make any announce
ment OF his candidacy for the DEM
ocrafic nomination for the Prest.
ton. There 10 q chance that he
may do so; but at this moment his
inclination Is the other way, accord
ing to best obtainable information
current among his supporters.
The true definition Of his present
position is that he is an inactive"
candidate. The advantage In being
an inactive" and undeclared candi.
date, instead Of an 'tactive" and
announced one, is that you can go
about and make speeches IL you
want to but you do not have to
answer questions from opponents
and engage In controversies If you
do not want to.
An inactive candidate can pick
his own occasions and his own sub
jects for his public utterances; and
McAdoo, it IL believed, will remain
an inactive candidate as long az
It Is politically feasible.
See Him AS Ford AnfidOte.
Some of his friends are arguing
that it win not be politically fea-
sible much longer; and at that
point, along with discussing Nc.
Adoo's visit, Democratic Washing.
ton is beginning to listen to large
claims about the necessity of bring.
Ing McAdoo forward immediately
in order to check the growth OF
the Henry Ford ti1ird.part idea.
II Is believed that Ford today
il distinctly tending toward q third
party rather than toward trying for
q Democratic or Republican nomi-
nation, Tt is believed that he real
Tres that most OF the politicians IN
each old party would rather go to
defeat without him than go to vic
tory with him. IT is believed that
he realizes that they can prevent
him from getting q regular party
nomination, no matter how madly
e-the people may want him.
1t is believed therefore that ne
10 turning definitely toward a third
party; and there are astute and ex-
perienced Democrats in Washing
ton who maintain that on a third
party ticket Henry Ford could he
elected il the candidates opposing
him are thought by ''the people" to
be too close to ''the interests"
Claims Are Urged.
Taking this view, they now are
listening with considerable interest to
the chief argument set forth on be-
half, OF McAdoo by the active pro-
motors OF that inactive" candidate.
These gentlemen alIege-and per-
4ectly truly-that McAdoo is the only
prominent potential Democratic can
didate with an outrightly progress
eive" temperament and record in
the field of economic and social prob
lens. They claim, accordingly, that
he Is the only one who could broadly
and fayorably appeal to the sort OF
Ford and, that he-and he alone
could prevent millions of Demo
cratic voters from going over into
the Henry Ford fold.
They point to the fact that McAdoo
has dripped social justice" from
every pore all his life. They remind
their hearers that years ago. when
McAdoo was managing the tunnels
under the Hudson river. he was the
first known large employer to estab-
fish the principle that women en-
ployes should receive the same wages
rs men employees for the same sorts
Of work.
Raised Rail Wages.
They boldly defend his raising of
the wages of railroad employees
while he was Director General OF
Railroads during the war, point
ing out that before that raising
there were more than so per cent
OF all railroad EMPLOYEES who Were
getting less than SIS a month. and
pointing out also that McAdoo, in
raising their wages gained the
gratitude Of many times more men
than Ford has ever employed.
They argue that McAdoo is
stronger with labor than Ford is:
because McAdoo, besides being
known as a great wage-raiser, is
also known as a great friend of
trade unions, whereas Ford opposes
them
They claim further-and with
much truth-that McAdoo has dill
gently and successfully cultivated
the friendship Of the agricultural
interests through his well known
activity in the matter Of co-opera-
i've marketing ana of lower freight
rates; and that no other prominent
potential Democratic candidate
Underwood or Davis or Ralston or
al Smith-has any such record or
any such hold on Henry Ford's
cnler source Of strength-the fIivver-
Tying farmer.
They maintain-in short-that Nc
Adoos strength IL precisely the
strength that would pull votes
away from Ford's strength and keen
those votes from leaving the Demo
cratic party.
Is BOne-Dry" Too.
They add that McAdoo ia az hona-
Gry as Henry himself and much
0r1er than Smith or Underwood on.
Davis, or even Ralston.
McAdoo. in other words, accord