Evening star., 1924-07-06
Conferees ,Iarnn,ed on Choice
To End Convention Deadlock
McAdoo Defies Foes Threat to STAN pede
Delegates, to- Dark Horse,
Meet Again Today.

exchanging more than conventional
pleasantries on the way out with
Brennan generaliSsimo of the anti
McAdoo forces.
PraiseSS Brennan'S OrntOry.
I'm five mole years you will be the
headliner of the American orators"
Kremer said, placing both arms on
his rivals elbows and talking at close
range.
You undere stimate him. by
stander offered Give him four
years and he'll be< the candidate"
Rules Changed Discussed.
During the first hour of the confer
ence talk centered largely around pro-
posals for abrogatfon of both the unit
rule and the two-thrds rule. but the
ma jority opinion was that it would not
be quite fair to change the rules of the
convention at this stage of the pro-
ceedings
The discussion then swung to the
question of the elinina ton of candi
dates Spokesman for the minority
candidates took the position that
solution could be reached if the two
leading candidates would withdraw.
This brought immediate obbjection
from both the McAdoo and Smith
groups. who voiced the opinion that if
the ..minority" candidates would elm
mate themselves the convention could
give expression To its real sentiments.
Al no time was any offer made by
any OF the candidates to retire from the
field and after very general discus
sion of this proposition the matter was
dropped
Minority to Meet.
1t was then that agreement was
reached that the representatives of the
minority" candidates should hold a
joint conference in the early afternoon
Sunday to formulate some plan by
which in their Judgment the deadlock
might be broken.
Further agreement was reached that
both the McAdoo and Smith managers
should hold separate meetings for the
drafting of proposals emtodying their
ideas of how the convention might be
led out of its difficulties.
The plans arrived at by these three
groups will be submitted to the gem
eral conference late in the afternoon.
Chairman Hull made this supple
mental statement to newspaper men:
Result Held CONFIDENTIAL
This was a preliminary conference,
which we agreed should be of a con-
fidential nature. that the gentle
men present might speak out without
reservation and thus permit the fullest
| and freest possible interchange of views
with regard to the convention situa-
| ton
| ference a good spirit of fellowship and
| no disposition to indulge in contro-
versies about individuals. The rep
resentatives of the various candidates
of course showed proper loyalty to
their respective candidates, but at the
same time they exhibited fine party
spirit and an earnest desire to facil-
itate in every possible way the work
of the convention.
mo conclusions naturally were reach
ed at this preliminary meeting. The
discussion was general in its nature
without the suggestion or consideration
of concrete proposals except in gen.
| eral way. A number of general sug-
disclose at this time were made and
| these will be, in part, the basis Tor
consideration at the next meeting.
General Meeting Today.
There will be a general meeting of
the representatives of the candidates,
| Senator Walsh and myself being pres
ent at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon. This
will give the representatives OF the
| candidates an opportunity for separate
| and proper conferences with the sup
| porters of their respective candidates
| in the meantime This can be done in
| the light of the impression eacn group
| gathered during this discussion"
| Asked whether there had been any
| proDosal of plans for the elimination of
candidates Chairman Hull replied:
There were no concrete proposals
taken up tonight. There was general
|
shall hope when we reach concrete pro-
| posaIs at our next meeting to make
| progress and through general dls-
| cussion of the different questions get
down to a clarifying of the situation.
In Better Position
| Mr. Hull refused to state whether the
| discussion had indicated a deadlock
among the representatives of the DIFF
ferent candidates. 'Those who were
| n q better
uation to offer definite suggestions for
| consideration and action at the next
| meeting he added.
Asked whether there had been a dis
| cussion of the availability OF the dff-
| ferent candidates, he replied:
| "The members present assumed that
| thew all were entirely familiar with the
merits of each candidate and therefore
we did not go into that question
Surrounded by a detail of police
and sergeants-at-arms. more than a
| score of men and a single woman
| gathered around the conference table
| tonight in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
| Each of the sixteen candidates
| whose names are now or have been
before this convention was represent
ed by one or more spokesmen. Chair
man Hull of the national committee
presided, and sitting with him as ad-
visors or directors of the conference
lwere Senator Thomas J. Walsh, chair
man of the convention. and Mrs.
Emily Newell Blair, vice chairman Of
the national committee.
Made to Identify Selvea.
AS the representatives approached
the anteroom to the conference
chamber they were required to iden-
tify themselves to the sergeant at
arms of the convention and to state
for whom they were to speak. Then
they were usiered into the council
room-the Office OF the national COM
mittee chairman.
Views as to the purpose OF the
gathering were conflicting. Spokes-
men for William G. McAdoo entered
the conference chamber, announcing
there was no thought of having their
candidate withdraw and that it was not
their understanding that the purpose
/. was the elimination Of candidates
Thomas Taggart Of Indiana, author OF
the convention resolution, countereo
sharply that any one who placed such
an Interpretation on the language OF
the resolution knows better. ASKED
If it meant an agreement on recon-
mendation for a candidate, he said
|, that it did.
Approved ~ Smith.
Representatives of Gov. Alfred E
| Smith went into the conference recog.
!. nizing that any proposal that opened
the way to speedy nomination
was a. proper subject for discussion
IT. o,~r xroc vnodo kuovru that Cov