The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-12-13
FOX LEADS
REFORM
DRIVE
Inside Party Fight Reported to
Be Aimed at Bosses" of
North and East
By WILLIAM HARD.

Virginia, Democratic national COM
mittee chairman, discussion again
broke out as to present develop
Inents within the Democratic party
In relation to its recent Internal
injuries and in relation to the
medicines Oh exercises or amputa-
tons necessary in order to re-
store it to health.
Line Up for Battle.
In the first place there are re-
ports here of the organizing Of
numerous "Al Smith for President
clubs" in anticipation of 1928.
In the second place, M. L. Fox,
of New Mexico, who used to be
secretary of the McAdoo campaign
forces in the days before the last
Democratic convention, is on the
point of installing his quite con.
siderable staff of mimeographers
and mailers in his new office in
washington for the purpose of
sending out progressive and liberal
information to a list of some five
or six thousand newspapers
In the third place, while these
activities are reported in the case
OF the Smith forces and in the case
OF the McAdoo forces, the Demo
cratic national committee head
quarters here continues to- present
the spectacle of no activities at all.
Committee Disintegrated.
Mr.. Shaver, chairman of the
committee, is here seldom. Mrs.
Blair. vice chairman and head of
all women's activities for the Demo-
cratic party, has departed home
TO Missouri. MIR. New, executive
secretary OF the committee, has
sundered his ties with me commit.
tee and has not been replaced. Mr..
Linthicunl, veteran publicity mana
ger for the committee, has returned
to private life. So has his as
sistant, Mr.. Kearns. Their places
are untitled
There is no such thing in Wash
mgton any more as Democratic
party publicity.
In the Democratic national com.
mlttee headquarters here is the
new furniture bought during the
last campaign and there are some
capable young ladies capably acting
as custodians of it. Otherwise the
place is vacant.
Gazing at it pensively with fold.
ed arms today, an ex-functionary
OF the committee listened to the
silence and observed the vacant
rooms and profoundly remarked:
POndering Deep Question.
We'll, we Democrats here hay,,
At any rate the two creates;
things there are. We have space
and time
With this situation in the nation.
al headquarters and with loud &C
tlvities reported from the Smith
forces and with intense activities
ABOUT TO begin in the offices OF
Mr. Fox of New Mexico, Demo.
cratic leaders here are resting their
toreheads on their uplifted first
fingers and are pondering the deeL
question:
Have we a party? Or, instead
OF having a sparty, have we two
parties?"
Mr.. Fox. on being interviewed by
this suspicious reporter, denied that
he was reforming the McAdoo ma.
chine for getting the Democratic
PRESIDENTIAL nomination for Mr..
I McAdoo in 1928
Talked With McAdoO.
II know of no movement having
for its object the nomination Of
William G. McAdoo in 1928" he
said. Il talked with Mr.. McAdoo
shortly after his arrival back here
from Europe. Neither then nor
since has he indicated to me or, so
far as / know, to anyone, that he
has even remotely in mind the
nomination for President in 1925"
Accepting this indignant dis.
claimer at it's face value, this re.
porter then inquired of Mr.. Fox
further as follows:
If you are not trying to norni.
nate somebody, why all this pros.
pective mimeographing and in.
structive and educational mailing
to newspapers"
He Explains 1t All.
II can explain. it readily and
perfectly" said Mr.. Fox. ut is
like this:
THE Democratic Party, in order
to win, must be a progressive
party: and, in order to be a pro.
gressfve party. it must be led by
the progressive Democratic leaders
OF the South and of the West.
My work here is to help in that
development.
We Democrats must no longer
get our Presidential candidates
through situations and arrange
ments necessitated by Eastern lead.
ers who then thereafter deliver us
no electoral votes.
The interests of the South and
Of the West are almost identical.
The. Democratic Party must follow
its founder. Thomas jefferson, the
/ apostle Of liberalism. It must win
through an understanding between
the South and the liberal and pro.
gressive West
Full Of Conviction.
Thus spoke Mr.. Fox, full of ar
Sent convictions and also in posses
sion Of fund for giving mimeo-
praphed and postage prepaid voice
10 those convictions.
His section OF the Democratic
party has a fund while the Demo
cratic party itself in it's National
Committee headquarters has a de-
hcit Of several hundred thousand
dollars.
He also has much more than
tund. He has in sympathy with his
general views a large number of