Evening star., 1924-06-23
Sheer Fatigue Will
Kill Off Chance,
Foes Think.
CANDIDATE COUNTS
ON SAME TACTICS
Elements For ColOrful
! Convention Opening
Tomorrow Seen.
BY N. o. MESSENGER,
STAFF CORRESPONDENT of The Star.

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN,
NEW YORK. June 23.-With his
back to the wall, William c. Nc
-Adoo is facing group of determined
foes who are seeking his political
destruction in his candidacy for the
Democratic presidential nomination.
They are attacking him with the
ferocity of wolves, bent upon tear
ing him to pieces. A hostile local
press is aiding and abetting the at
tack
Mr.. McAdoo has the support of
very near a majority of the dele
gates, but falls short of the two
thirds vote necessary to nominate,
and it is the present purpose OF his
opponents to withhold that requisite
from him until he wears out from
sheer fatigue.
1t seems now that he has realized
the unlikelihood of being able TO
change the rules so that d majority
can nominate and that his only hope
is to hang on in the possibility that
he can increase his strength by de-
grees and climb the grade to the
two-thirds. He thinks that he is dem
onstrating beyond doubt that he is
the strongest man in the field and
that he will wear the others out
inst cad of being broken down him.
self. =
Opponents Divided.
His opponents are divided among
themselves, presenting a negative in
stead OF Il positive force. There is
logic in his position. for he points
out, he stands for something. while they
stand only against HIM.
The convention week begins with
every prospect of this same situa-
tion standing for days and until the
delegates become wearied of the dead
lock and break to some other candl-
date All through yesterday there
was increasing talk of John w.
Davis as possible compromise
nominee. William ]. Bryan. however.
upon arriving. was apprised of the
increasing Davis sentiment and i'm
medately went up in hte air. He
was quoted as saying: They might
as well nominate J. 7. Morgan him
self"
Mr.. Bryan is evidently getting
ready to try to repeat his perform,
ance at Baltimore when he ditched
Champ Clark and nominated Wood
row Wilson.
McAdoo Emulates Bryan.
There is strong working alliance
between McAdoo and Bryan. Mr.. Nc
uAdoo in his line of talk is emulating
Mr. Bryan, talking about the inter
ests," the minions of Wall street and
all that sort of hing. Mr.. McAdoo is
evidently going the limit in reckless
ness of utterance and in denunciation
of the conservative element Of the Dem
Ocratic party.
There are all hte makings of a live
1y row in the convention when they
begin calling spade spade and the
two elements come to open clash.
Taggart, Gov. Smith, Brennan and 9TH
er conservative Democrats do not IN
tend to remain silent under the castl-
CATION of Bryan and McAd9o; Me-. %.or 1t is is
said and propose to hght back at
them in vigorous fashion.
II is very clear at this early stage
of the proceedings that it is the pur
pose of Bryan and McAdoo to radi-
cahze the Democratic party and the
10 do so. Other leaders do not sym
pathize with this objective, holding
that while the Democratic party nat
uraIly will be looked to to present
party, it has not reached the depths
of extreme radicalism and they in
Q tend to see that it does not so de-
scend.
Fear McAdOo Radicalism.
The objections to McAdoo, there
fore, are more than one. In the first
place, the delegates who are resisting
him are doing so on the ground
that he has weakened himself as a
prospective winner" at the polls in
November by his connection with the
oil interests, and they are looking for
a winner and not a martyr. In the
second place they fear that his ex-
treme radicalism will ALLEVIATE the
conservative element in the north
and west and drive voters to Presi-
dent Coolidge.
McAdoo has one element of
strength--in the ardency of his sup
Dorters Those who are for him are
for him with an almost fanatical en-
thusiasm. The attacks upon him
since he came to New York have re-
suited in solidifying their ranks,
arousing their resentment and draw
ing them closer together in a COM
pact mass This fact is going to help
him to counteract the wearing
down" process which his opponents
The Ku Klux Klan specter is grow
ing in PROPORTIONS as the day draws
near when the committee on resolu l.
tioris will have to go TO the mat on
the subject.
This issue is the greatest menace to
the McAdoo fortunes. His opponents
are determined to force into the plat
form, if possible, downright denun- :
citation of the Klan in no uncertain
terms. If it is not done. the Demo
cratic party is threatened with tne
loss of votes in New York, New Eng
land and New Jersey. If it is incor-
porated it threatens to form plat
find difficulty, in standing. The plat
form is to be made before the candi-
date is selected. Mr.. Bryan says ne
is willing to compromise on almost
anything except the suggected near.
wet plank. He will meet them half
way on everything but that, but
when II come to recommendation OF
modification or weakening of prohl-
.bition he will meet them at armaseo-
don and fight to the finish
Mr. Bryan has his fighting clothes
on and is rallying his supporters In
the convention to his side in