Evening star., 1924-05-17
M'ADOO Confident
FACING Chief FOES
Times Arrival in New York Clev-
erly-Emphasizes His Assets
to Democratic Leaders.
CITES LA TOILETTE THREAT
Warns of Third Party Menace if
Conservative Is Nominated.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Gibbs McAdoo has come to town at
just the psychological moment. There
are conferences now among Demo-
cratic leaders which may influence
the whole trend of events at the
weeks hence.
Mr.. McAdoo and his associates are
confident of the outcome. They
neither look doubtful nor talk that
way. Arrangements are being made
for the convention itseIf-that is
what has brought several national
committeeman here-but the under
current of conversation is not who
shall be temporary or permanent
chairman, but what the strategy of
the convention will be.
The McAdoo men are sure of more
than 400 votes on the first ballot.
They say they have more votes in
store on subsequent ballots. If they
get majority they believe the
whole convention will swing toward
them and furnish the necessary two
thirds.
See Oil Talk Kick Back.
On what is all this confidence
based? You can't talk five minutes
with any of the McAdoo men before
learning that they are absolutely con-
WINGED that the dragging in of Nc
Adoo'S name in the oil constroversy
has been boomerang, that it is the
kind of thing which Republicans will
think harmful, but which, the Demo-
cratic party will not. For. in the first
place, Mr.. McAdoo feels he has done
nothing wrong: that nobody has ac-
cused him of any legal wrongdoing,
and that his activity as a lawyer aft
er he left the Treasury Department is
no different from the activity of
Charles Evans Hughes after he left
the supreme Court of the United
States. Mr.. Hughes, it is pointed out.
argued before his former associates
and was highly paid for his services
But the McAdoo men say the oil
discussion is "old stuff" and that the
people in several state primaries have
passed on it and given McAdoo their
support.
Point to La Toilette Threat.
Far more significant at the moment
is the course that the McAdoo gen.
erals are taking in mapping out their
campaign for the nomination which
McAdoo men point Significantly to the
statement by Senator La Toilette
that he would run indepe ndently if
both parties name a conservative.
The inference which the McAdoo
strategists draw from this is that he
may not run if a radical or liberal
Democrat is nominated. Anyway. the
whole basis of the McAdoo campaign
is that there must be d differenc be-
tween two candidates and the parties
in the forthcoming contest. that the
west and south can be counted upon
to support liberal and progressive
while the east will naturally vote to
large extent for a conservative.
McAdoo's speeches in the west are
exactly in line with that doctrine,
While he himself would probably say
that to describe his doctrines as radi-
cal is erroneous because he thinks d,
radical is essentially an extremist,
nevertheless the utterances are not in
the least conservative. For instance,
he has been advocating the repeal of
the much -mooted section 15-A of the
TRANSPORTATION act which limits the
earnings of the railroads. he has been
favoring the repeal of the labor
clauses so that the present labor
been talking in favor of a cash bonus
while the present soldier insurance
bill does not appropriate money for
that immediate purpose.
wilson Kinship Helps.
As for foreign affairs, the man
whose great liability in 1920 was his
kinship with the fate Woodrow Will
son is today finding it his biggest
asset. Mr. McAdoo has been careful
not to come out in favor of any
particular formula of cooperation
between nations, but says he would
call an international conference If
elected. In such a conference would
Of course, be discussed all formulas,
and it goes without saying that Mr.
McAdoo is not hostile to an amended
and revised covenant Of the League
of Nations. The Democratic national
platform will chart the course of the
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