The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-24
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
President COOlidge's Chances for
denomination are Becoming
Better Each Day.

pledged delegates, out Of total of
555 required for a majority, the nom
ination Of Calvin Coolidge for Presi-
dent is now regarded as absolutely
assured. Attention of the leaders
must now be turned to matters of
organization and an effort to get the
facts-more or less obscured by the
miasma of Democratic undertaking
to the voters. Each primary that has
| rolled up delegates for Mr.. Coolidge
has tended only to increase the uncer-
tainty regarding the Democratic can
didate. Democratic voters have made
it plain that they do not desire the
| nomination of Crown Prince McAdoo;
but they have given nothing even APP
proximating an indication of whom
they do wish nominated and sugges-
ton of any of those mentioned for
the Democratic nomination is certain
to bring from some influential Demo-
crat one or more reasons why he is
impossible" The Democratic race
this year is one in which "there
simply amt no favorite."
The Indictment of Senator Wheeler
for prosecution of claims against the
Government after he was elected
Senator has given new turn to af-
fairs in the Senate. The suspicion,
somewhat entertained at first, that
Wheeler's indictment was due to the
animosity ofAttorney General Daugh-
erty has been dispelled by the dis
closure that it was at the instance of
the Post Office Department-not that
of the Department of Justice-that
the indictment was procured and the
further fact that it was investigation
by post office inspectors-not Justice
detectives-which disclosed Wheeler's
conduct. The statute under which
Burton K. Wheeler is indicted is the
one under which Senators Burton of
Kansas and Mitchell of Oregon were
convicted. Naturally Senator Wheel
er entertains a denial and a commit
tee has been appointed by the Senator
to investigate the facts, but Wheel
| er's friends regard his situation as
extremely grave.
Senator Cuzens of Michigan, hav-
ing "foundered around" to use his
own graphic description, in his efforts
to get even with Secretary Mellon,
has retained at his own expense that
prince of muck-rakers, Francis ].
Heney, as special prosecutor for the
| committee of which Queens is chair
man and which is investigating the
Internal Revenue Service Queens
attacked Secretary Mellon in a series
OF statements and speeches and each
time Mr.. Mellon came back with q
Knockout for Queens. Then Queens
procured the appointment of an in
vestigating committee with himself
as chairman. Thus far, the committee
has been unable even to stir up a fair
sized smell, but Queens is counting
on the shrewdness and adroitness of
Heney to make white look black, and
probably Heney possesses sufficient
ability of that type to accomplish all
| Queens is paying him for-although
the continued deception of the Ameri
can people is not always as easy as
! some Senators seem to believe.
Senator Walsh is throwing away
money-the taxpayers money, of
course like a drunken sailor in his
efforts to create a scandal where
none exists. Having paid all the ex-
penses of Al Jennings, reformed
bandit, from Oklahoma to Washing
ton, etc, to have Jennings retail to
the Walsh Committee fairy-story
Jake Hamon told Jennings about his
(Hamon's) Importance in bringing
about Harding's nomination, Senator
Walsh has now sent for another
group of Oklahomans on the same
terms. Everyone who knew Hamon
knows how well he loved to boast
and draw the long bow and also
knows that under certain conditions
there was no limit to the length of
the bow he drew. Also, any sincere
inquiry would convince the least in
telligent Investigator that Jake Ha-
mons stories of "an oil conspiracy
to bring about Harding's nomination
were pure bunk. But then, of course,
Walsh is not seeking facts but per-
sonal publicity and political advan-
tage; as he has been from the begin
ming of his oil investigation, and
there will be no end of his "investi-
cation" until the newspapers weary
of it and refuse him further publ
city.
Once more the so-called insurgents
in the House have betrayed their
party. They voted to seat Rep. Sol
Bloom of New York, whose seat was
contested on the ground of grave
fraud by former Rep. Chandler. This
seat was prize for which the Demo-
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