The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-02
TEGY
HAS WON
IN PAST
Indiana Governors Boomers
Feel Democratic Favorites
Will "Burn Out"
By WILLIAM HARD.

cratic Presidential running ring
for 1924 there is going to be a
little dark second-choice Ralston-
for-Indiana hat; and when the big
hats have all gone and got them
selves blown away by the storms
IN the Democratic convention, the
little hat will get waited up and
will catch the nomination breeze
and viii start sailing toward the
White House.
Such is the quiet cute plan of
Ralston's friends, according to
information reaching here today
from many sources and mingling
with the tumult of the daily as
sertions and contentious of the
friends of the big-hat candidates
William G. McAdoo, James M.
Cox, Al Smith and Oscar Under
wood.
Point to Precedent.
In Mr.. Ralston's camp, or among
MIR. Ralston's volunteer admirers,
1t appears that there is somebody
OF a deep historical turn of mind
who has made a profound study of
the second-choice double-play by
means of which Err. Harry Daugh.
erty in 1890 acquired the Repub-
ican Presidential nomination for
Warren Gamaliel Harding.
Initiating and duplicating this
play, the promoters of Mr. Ralston's
candidacy in Ohio, for instance, are
In many cases doing their best to
avoid all competition with the can
dtdacy OF James NJ. Cox. II Mr..
Cox feels that he should have an
other nomAlaton, and il he feels
that he should have the delegates
from Ohio to the Democratic con.
vention, they experience a feeling
Of sympathy with him. All they
want is that the delegates should
be men who reciprocate their SYM
pathy by entertaining a secondary
affection for Mr.. RaIston.
Similarly in California, according
to this plan, the ,Ralston people
would be Mortified at the idea of
impeding the candidacy of Mr. Nc
Adoo. They rather like Mr.. Nc
Adoo. All that they want is that |
when the McAdoo California dele |
cation gets through liking Mr. Nc I
Adoo and when 1t has shed its |
last tears over his chances in, the |
Democratic convention, It shall be |
not married Mr.. Adoo it would |
have married Mr.. Ralston.
Seek Second Choice.
The Ralston enthusiasts will be
perfectly satisfied il only they can
make Mr.. Ralston the chief reject
ed lover OF every married delega-
ton in the convention. They cal
culate that all these married dele
cations will be widowed delega-
tons at the end Of the first three
days of convention combat and
that thereupon, Just as Harding
inherited the mourners for Leonard
Wood and Frank Lowden and
Hiram johnson in 1890, so Raj
heart-broken political families of
Cox and McAdoo and Smith and
Underwood in 1924.
Mr.. Ralston already had the
reputation of being one Of the most
dangerous and darkest dark horses
that ever came into a presidential
race.
He is not so wet as AL Smith.
He is not so dry as McAdoo. He IL
not 50 far east as Edwards. He is
not so far West as Robinson. He
il not so far South as Underwood.
He is not 50 far North as Forris.
He is not so tied to Wilsonianisfn as
Cox. He is not so loose from it as
Copeland. He is not such an old
fashioned Democrat as Glass. He
Is not such new-fashioned Demo
crat as Ford.
There are more things that he is
not than is the case with any other
Democratic candidate. He carr;ea
with him the prestige, moreover, of
having just beaten Albert j. Bev-
eridge who stumped Indiana against
him on a platform all full of
vehement positives. The voters of
Indiana, it will be said, preferred
the calmness. the moderation, the
rounded sober second-thought of
Ralston.
Advocate of Peace.
The sober nd-thought and
silent seconded candidate-that
IL the role that Ralston's propo-
nents in numerous various parts of
the country are causing him to play
in their negotiations with the local
political leaders.
Meanwhile Mr.. Ralston is a large
ana heavy man with spacious
bosom and with fatherly ways
which would amply. qualify him to
act as the reconciler Of fighting
factions and as the head of a weep
ing but reunited political household.
In the last campaign in converse
ton with this writer he spoke
chiefly OF two things. One was his
manifestly sweet and sincere desire
for peace throughout the world.
The other was the number of dol.
lars and cents he saved out of cur
rent state expenses to apply on the
State debt while he was governor
of Indiana. He was for peace and
pennies.
His followers calculate with some
reason that 1t is a record and a
platform with little thrill and lots
of appeal.
(copyright. 1928. by Washington Press
Service.)