Evening star., 1923-07-08
Alliance to Block G. o. P. or
Democratic Nomination of
Auto King Formed.
UNDERWOOD WELCOMED
AS DELEGATE GETTER
Determination to Have "Organiza.
tion" Man as 1924 Nominee
Seen in Both Camps.
BY ROBERT T. SMALL.

There is every evidence of gem
tlemen's agreement being formed
among democratic and republican po-
! litical leaders against Henry Ford
] for President-a sort of alliance
which says He shall not pass!'
The republican leaders claim they
| have little to fear from Henry Ford,
at least SO far as the G.. o. p. nomj-
nation is concerned That nomina-
ton, 1t is agreed, shall go to Presi-
! dent Harding. But the blast against
! the fiivver multi millionaire issued
| last week by Charles ID. Hilies, for
! mer chairman of the republican ma
| tional committee, was not a shot in
| the dark. The republicans still have
before them the bugaboo of a possible
decision by Mr.. Harding not to run
! again. In that event the radical ele-
p;ents might get control Of the con-
vention-and what then?
Have Fear OF Ford.
The democratic leaders, while most
| Of them talk big against Henry Ford,
| have a wholesome fear of him in their
| hearts. An attempted poll last week
of the democratic national committee
men and committeewomen found a
| decided stiffness in the replies re-
| ceived
| We don't know that Mr.. Ford is a
democrat" said a number of the DEM
ocratic chieftains, but in their hearts
they have a fine suspicion that Mr..
Ford is so regarded by the people at
| large. Mr.. Ford, he is like Br'er Fox.
layin' low and sayin' nothin',- but 1t
was as democrat and backed by
| Woodrow Wilson that he ran fos<the
Senate against Truman II. Newberry.
! The democrat leaders. therefore,
! are looking around today for ways
and means Of encompassing the de-
| feat of any movement In the next
! national convention to make Mr..
Ford the nominee. They are thank
| ing providence for the long standing
| democratic rule which requires a
two thirds vote to accomplish
nomination. II the democrats were
/ governed as the republicans are in
their convention. by majority rule.
! the Ford menace" would be far more
| real than Is actually regarded at
i
| the moment.
| Only Need One-Third.
! The democrats believe they can
muster enough Organization" votes
to prevent a stampede to Ford, be-
cause one-third Of the delegates can
| bring about that consummation. II
the task were one of mailing down
a majority of the delegates 1t is
| frankly admitted it would be next
| to an impossibility.
! As matters stand today there is a
| tacit understanding among the lead
| ers of the two old parties that Henry
| Ford shall be stopped at all hazards.
/ The situation is unique, to say the
| least. The republican leaders are
more than anxious to help the dem
/ ocratio leaders create national
! sentiment against the automobile
| king. Their motive in this is not
wholly an unselfish move. The truth
| is they do not greatly fear Mr.. Ford
| as a third party candidate, but they
do fear him as the nominee of the
democratic party.
In these circumstances 1t would
| seem that the democratic leaders,
| through a desire to win the elections
next year, would grab at Mr.. Ford.
| Their position is. however, that a
| Ford victory would not be a demo-
| cratic victory and that the party
itself, to say nothing of it's consti-
! tuted leaders, would get little or no
! credit and have little or no influence
| in the Ford administration. In 9TH
| err words, the democratic leaders do
not believe Mr.. Ford would go along
with them and they are not in
! trigued by the idea of Henry Ford
choosing the democratic party, rath-
er than the democratic party choos-
| ing Henry Ford.
Welcome for Underwood.
eSsn their fight against Ford both
| the democratic and republican lead
ers welcomed last week the evidence
! that Senator Oscar w. Underwood of
Alabama Is about to toss his hat into
| the ring for the democratic nomina-
| ton. What has been particula rly
| feared in the democratic convention
| is the possibility of a stampede of
/ southern delegates to the Ford BAN
ner, provided the west and middle
| west place the Detroit. ma agnate in the
| running. If Senator Underwood can
| get and hold a large block of the
| southern delegates the leaders feel
their hand against Ford will be i'm
| mensely strengthened, regardless of
! what may be the Senator's fate in
! the long run.
Senator Underwoods' ability as a
delegate getter remains to be seen.
He will have powerful organiza-
tion. OF that there Is no doubt.
There are evidences of it here in
| washington already. Many of the
| powerful influences that were behind
A. Mitchell Palmer in 1920 are to be
found to-day allied with the Under
wood boom. 80
Wet Issue TroublesomG
The ayowed wetpess of Senator
Underwood is likely to prove a big
stumbling block to his ambitions. A
terrific fight will be made against
him by the "drys" of every southern
II