The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-21
DEMOCRATS TURN SAvACELy ON FORD
Accuse Him Of Going Over To Special Interests That
 Are Backing Coolidge
By RAYMOND CHAPTER neased Wire To The Age-HeraId.


 WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-The prob lem of the democratic party now is to undo the d;.mage caused by Henry Fords endorsment of President Cool idge's candidacy. Already democrats have turned savagely on Ford, ac- cusing him of having gone over to the speI4al interests behind Coolidge. They are declaring that Ford cannot carry his followers with him when he accepts Coolidge without reserva- tions.
 Though Ford's politics have always been matter of some mystery. most democrats felt he was on their side of the line and that he would hep them during the campaign, whether or not he was actually nominated as the democratic candidate. They have felt close klnship with Ford, and have done what they could to foster his Muscle Shoals project. Now they feel he has deserted them in much the same fashion that Herbert Hoover ran out on his democratic friends under similar circumstances on the eve of the 1920 campaign.
 The democratic reaction to Fords declaration was summarized by Cor dell Hull, chairman of tie democratic national committee. Asked what the effect of his move would be, he said
 Tt will not weaken in the slightest the stranglehold which the big pre- datory interests behind Coolidge have on the republican party and President Coolidge many times has indorsed all the Harding policies, which include Newberryism, Daugh- ertyism, Harry Sinclairism, and other notorious scandals in different de- partments of the government
 Cannot Swing Followers.
 MT. Ford cannot carry his fol- lowers with him when he, by i'm plication, swallows at one gulp all the conditions which smell to heaven. Farmers, who have been practically told by Coolidge to help themselves, will hardly follow blindly after Ford into the Coolidge special interest campaign"
 Assuming that the Ford announce ment practically clinches Coolidge's hold on the republican nomination, thereby keeping the republicans bound to a conservative candidate, the democrats are more inclined than ever to nominate progressive in order to appeal to the insurgent ele- ments in the republican party. The effect of this sentiment is to strengthen McAdoo, who at the mo- ment is the outstanding progressive ll6 Q6nOcTaIlC y.
 Many democratic leaders-Without regard to personal preferences-feel that 1t would be a mistake to put up conservative against Coolidge. They would like to see the campaign waged on a conservatives progressive line of division, feeling that the min ority party would thereby profit by the dissatisfaction which the insur- gents are stirring up in Congress. This state of mind is decidedly fla vorable to McAdoo.
 Not Blind To Sentiment.
 Democrats are not blind to the which has swept over the country since the Presidents message to Congress. They attribute It largely to the universal desire for lower taxes which is voiced in the Mellon tax plan. In that connection, they will not oppose the Mellon program on a partisan basis, but will attempt to show the country that the demo- crats made numerous efforts to re- duce taxes in 1921 only to be thwart- ed by the republican 4-4s iority. The democrats do not profess to be worried over the general enthusias m which is being showered on Cool idge, part of which comes from lead ing democratic newspapers. It is rn- fortunate for Coolidge, they say, that the crest of his popularity has come so early. They believe a reaction is inevitable and that 1t Is likely to come just when the campaign en- ters its formal stage six months hence.
 They believe that the force of the Ford declaration will have worn away by that time and the accumula- tion of insurgent criticism in Con- gress will have begrn to show it's ef- feet on the country. Furthermore, they are counting on a do-nothing Congress to add to the woes of the Presjdanf