Evening star., 1923-08-01
UNDERWOOD ADRO|7
IN ENTERING RACE
Politicians Praise His Cap
ture of Priority Advantage
From McAdoo.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE,

| opinion consider that Senator Oscar
w. Underwood has tossed his hat into
| the democratic presidential ring in
uncommonly adroit fashion. He now
becomes the first openly avowed can
! didate for the nomination and thus
| achieves the inestimable advantage of
| priority. 1t is thought likely that his
] chief rival, William G.. McAdoo, will
not lag far behind in publicly con-
Tossing his own ambitions. To date.
though the 'McAdoo movement is in
full swing. California's adopted son
| officially is not in the race.
! Undoubtedly the surprise in the Tn
! derwood manifesto is it's uncompro-
missing support of prohibition enforce
| ment. This writer foreshadowed on
| Lne eve OF the senator's return from
Europe month ago. that he would
| be found as sound as President
! Harding" on the enforcement issue.
Wet Hopes Unfounded.
Certain eastern vets, nevertheless.
continued to hope that Underwood
would make at least a moist gesture.
| They will hunt in vain for any such
| encouragement in the Montgomery
declaration. Mr.. Underwood, like all
wise politicians, understands perfect
| ly that the wet takers" of the
United States are overwhelmingly
| outnuhbered by the dry voters" His
own southland is case in point
about which he can be under no il
lusions.
His scouts in the west, IL they have
| reported facts. have not failed to as
sure him that politically, the mid
! continent and the rest of the prairie
regions are irrevocably for prohibi-
q n q fba IN to- dc
There is light wines and beer SEN
| ttment everywhere, of course. But
| the point is, any candidate aspiring
| for high office on such a platform is
hour surface indication. Underwood
has unquestionably played shrewd
politics in mailing law-enforcement
colorS to his mast He has the ad-
vantages there, too. of having es-
poused the dry cause before Mr. Nc
Adoo, well known dry, did so in the
| guise or presidential contender.
Charge of Conservatism.
On the other count which Under
| wood supporters feared might jeop-
| ardize their leaders chances-the
| charge of ultra a-conservatism - the
Alabama senator makes a couple of
shrewd points. In the midwest and
west people identify conservatism
mainly with the protective tariff.
They particularly consider the Ford
| ney-M -McCumber tariff the creation of
| me conservative" and stand-pat east
| In bitterly assailing the tariff as
preJudtcial to the farmers interests.
! Underwood has struck a heavy blow
at his popular reputation for CON
servatism' The farmers will like his
| aliegatlon that the existing tariff
| "throttles" them and prevents that
unrestricted American intercourse
| with Europe that many of them be-
ieve Is at the root of their woes.
from a stricktly democratic stand
| point Senator Underwoods insistence
| on the simon-pure southern aspect OF
MS candidacy attracts serious atten-
tlon. Mr.. McAdoo Will take the field,
! not as southerner, thought IA native
! or Georgia, but Californian. Yeti
1 IS an open secret that he has ALWAYS
| expected to capitalize in 1924, his
| strong southern affiliations. At least
four OF his chieftains are southern
ers-former Commissioner of Internal
Revenue Daniel c. Roper, a Virgin
ian; Jouett Shouae of Kentucky.
Robert W Woolley' of Virginia. and
committeeman from Texas. Bernard
NJ. Baruch. sometimes called the
! angel" of the McAdoo boom, has old
time southern affiliations, too. Sena-
| tor Underwood evidently expects that
| the southern delegations to the 1924
| democratic national convention shall,
| from the outset and now on, be un-
der no misapprehension as to the first
| and only true son of Dixie aspiring
for presidential honors.
| West for McAdoo.
| 1t will be from the south and east
unqestionably that the Underwood
! movement will have to derive its
chief support. This writer's investi-
cations in ten mid-western states
during the month of july indicated a
surprising unanimity of McAdoo
sentiment. Underwoods name is not
being discussed, apparently, among
| western democratic leaders A com
mon reason assigned for that fact
was that they looked upon him as a
/ wet and therefore ineligible from the
/ political standpoint. Now thag he is
out, unmistakably, for law enforce
| ment, Cnderwoods cause may prosper
| in the agricultural regions in a
! manner that did not seem likely be-
/ fore.
| The Alabaman does not espouse
horse, foot and dragoon WilSonian
| foreign policies. but he brackets the
| former President with the outstand-
Ing democratic leaders of American
| history and thus at least is inter
preted as supporter of Mr. Wilson's
scheme for American cooperation in
I WoElu dIdlTS. OnuerWOOQ, III other
words, is not an "isolationist" but an
! "interventionist." He evidently be-
lieves the United States, in a spirit
of enlightened self-interest. can par
| ticipate over there" without league
| of nations "entanglements."
"Big Interests" Charge
Senator Underwood found a subtle
means, Washington politicians were
prompt to observe, to acquit himself
of the impeachment that big inter-
ests' are behind his candidacy. His
! assertion that he has neither the
financial support nor the organization
successfully to make a nation wide
campaign" is thought to have been
made for the special purpose of kill
ing the big interests" charge
The same factors that, as many au-
thorities think, are eventually going
to inure TO President Hardings cam
paign advantage in 1924-the menace
OF dicalism"-should operate in
Senator Underwood's favor. Both the
republican and democratic parties a
year hence may feel that salvation
of known conservative leanings. They
that neither of the great parties can
| afford a candidate whose character
and ideals make any sort of conces-
sion to the La Toilette -Brookhart-
Magnus Johnson cult.
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R0Y CIIES E0R 0En mn