The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-04-01
IS WEARY.
Of POLITICS,
SAYSHARD
Writer Finds Apathy General,
With Party Leaders Slow
to Make Choice.

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Illinois for delegates at large and
for District delegates to the Demo
cratic national convention. This
slate was named dominantly by
George Brennan, the Illinois Demo
cratic leader. whom the McAdoo
forces are fighting with a slate
of their own. The McAdoo slate IL
outrightly all Of McAdoo people.
Brennan Slate Mixed.
The Brennan supposedly anti-Mc-
Adood slate contains persons who
are for McAdoo. persons who are
for AL Smith Of New York, persons
who are for Ralston of Indiana,
persons who are for Silzer Of New
Jersey, at least one person who is
really for Davis Of Kansas, at least
one person who is for William Ran
doiph Hearst. and persons who are
for other candidates.
This delegation, dominantly named
and dominantly controlled by MFR.
Brennan, might be taken as an In
dtcatton Of Mr.. Brennan's state of
IL
shopping for candidates.
1t Il noted here further that the
continued successes of McAdoo are
an indication that in this part Of
the country the voters who go to
primaries and who elect delegates
to State conventions have not been
excessively impressed by the idea
that anybody mentioned in any oil
scandal at Washington must be
necessarily bad man.
Noticing this fact, numerous lead
ing Democrats here are criticizinR
the Democrats at Washington for
continuing the scandal inquiries.
One such Democrat here. occupying
a high elective office. said today.
with the concurrence Of other lead.
ing Democrats who were sitting
about his table:
The inquiries have reached the
stage where everybody seems to
be guilty and so the next step in
the public mind is that nobody is
guilty. We ought to have stopped
when we proved that a few certain
named Republicans were guilty"
G. o. p. in Quandary.
Meanwhile the regular organiza.
ton Republicans of this state are
likewise running an "uninstructed"
slate of delegates for their national
convention and are likewise in
numerous instances quite lacking
In any heated admiration for their
party Management at Washington.
They criticise Coolidge for not
either sticking to Daugherty or
else discharging him at the start.
They accuse Coolidge of being pro-
crastinating and irresolute. They
crtticise him for having allowed
former Congressman Rodenberg to
put up a half slate OF Coolidge in.
structed delegates against the Off
cial Republican Illinois uninstructed
slate. They accuse Coolidge of be-
ing uninspiring.
However. when they look around
for somebody else whom they
would like to support, they do not
see him. Not finding him, they
relapse back toward Coolidge.
Thus in both parties If there
were an outstanding magnetic per.
sonality who could charm the local
party leaders in this region no
might make considerable Roadway
against Coolidge in the. one case
and against McAdoo in the other;
but inquiry here reveals no such
personality in the thoughts of local
political circles.
Apathy Apparent.
Nor does inquiry reveal that there
exists in those thoughts any specific
new national issue on which to
fight a great political battle. 1t
had been thought that the oil
scandals might furnish such an issue.
but with McAdoo winning delegates
steadily and with the vaudeville
theaters turning scandals into Jokes,
it begins to be felt in political circles
In this part Of the country that
by the time November comes around
the oil issue viii be a subordinate
one.
To the travelling observer from
Washington, who expected to find
the country all excited, the situation
revealed in fact seems one Of much
calmness, both about public men
and about public policies.
Copyright, Washington Press Service.)