The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1924-02-08
Miracle is
Needed to
Aid McAdoo
Doheny Statement Blasts All
Chances as Presidential Can.
,didate-Personal Aspect
May Be Cleared Up.
No Party Leader in Sight
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

Washington. Feb. 7.-Today's con-
cern Of the McAdoo democrats, vir-
tually all Of whom are now in Wash
ington, Is around to whom shall they
rally If McAdoo fails to restore him.
self, when he testifies at the senate
oil hearing. They have no second
man.
II McAdoo, after his testimony,
still seems as unavailable as he ap-
pears today, the McAdoo forces will
be, for time at least, leaderless and
demoralized. The McAdoo democrats
include somewhere between one-half
and two-thirds Of the national demo-
cratic organization and about the
same proportion of the rank and file.
They were well on their way toward
success, when the blow of Doheny's
testimony fell last week To the same
degree that the McAdoo army was
demoralized by that blow, the morale
of the anti-McAdoo leaders was in
creased.
Hard Blow to McAdOO.
The anti-McAdoo faction was con-
solidated, and in the short period OF
five days has gained such momentum.
that il the convention were held to-
morrow, the well disciplined anti-Mc-
Adoo forces and the able anti-McAdoo
leaders would be able to name the
candidate. Through what happened
to McAdoo last week, the chances
of Underwood, or some one like him.
are enormously advanced. That out
come, the giving Of the democratic
nomination to a conservative by the
cid regular" leaders of the party,
will continue to~be the probable re-
suit unless one of two things hap
pens:
Either McAdoo, by his testimony
must achieve such a personal triumph
and such political come back" as
TO restore his status as candidate;
or else the McAdoo end of the party
rttlst find new candidate.
Nearly everybody in Washington
believes that McAdoo will be able to
make a personal triumph to the ex.
tent of clearing completely his reputa-
ton as a man and a lawyer. But,
the question is whether he can go
farther and restore the political avail
ability he had six days ago.
Has Chance Yet.
On the day Doheny's testimony
broke" any accurate picture OF
Washington would have been com.
PEELED to record that the feeling of
the McAdoo democrats was one OF ex-
trcme dismay. You could see II on
the faces of the democratic senator's,
friends Of McAdoo, who were in
the room. On that day, the virtually
universal judgment was that McAdoo
had ceased to be a presidential pos
sibiIity.
Some, including a number OF Nc
Adoo's most devoted followers, still
hold that judgment. but, generally,
the dismay of that first day has been
succeeded by a determination that
McAdoo must have the general opper.
tunity to restore himself. A few OF
| tine McAdoo followers believe that by
the fearless frankness they expect
from him, and by the force OF his
personality, he may be able to come
back" in the political sense.
This hope among the most ardent
McAdoo leaders is encouraged by an
aspect OF the case that has devel-
oped through the days that have
permitted a careful examination of
Doheny's testimony as a whole and
the circumstances under which 1t was
given.
Served Only As Attorney.
This latter partial and temporary
revision OF judgment is not confined
to McAdoo's friends, but is shared by
virtually everybody. 1t Is seen that
there does not attach to McAdoo the
faintest trace OF odlum OF the sort
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