Pocahontas star herald., 1924-07-18
Outlook For Democratic Party

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that the leaders in the New York
convention failed to get together and
make nominations, before the contest
between McAdoo and Smith became
so bitter as to divide the party and
lessen the chances Of democratic sue
cess in November.
In the first place, the delegates
could not have prevented the Klan
question being injected into the pro-
ceedings-the blame for this should be
placed upon two or three men.
When this fight was started, it was
impossible to prevent the bitterness
that resulted between the Smith and
McAdoo forces, thus rendering it much
harder to make nominations.
Then the delegates, with their minds
centered on the work before them,
perhaps did not realize at first the
effect the religious question had on the
rank and file of the party throughout
the country.
There is no denying the fact that
what took place at the New York con
yentiOn, the long drawn out fight be-
tween McAdoo and Smith, has dampen-
ed the ardor and crushed the hopes of
thousands of good democrats, who had
little doubt a few weeks ago about win
ming in the national election this fall.
But there is a greater danger to
the party that might follow, than the
lessOning of chances to win the nation
al election this fall. We fear thou
sands of disheartened democrats will
stray away from the fold, and join
other political movements, or 90 over
to the republican party.
People of the south are holding
lightly the La Toilette movement.
While no one thinks seriously that
the Wisconsin senator has any chance
Of carrying any number of states, still
If the present state of mind continues,
he will receive a large vote in some
Of the western and eastern states, and
he win also have followers in the
north and south, though his support
viii likely not effect the results be.
tween the two old parties in the two
last mentioned sections.
No matter how deeply democrats
deplOre the turn affairs took at the
national convention, and regardless of
who was responsible for injecting the
religion issue into the proceedings,
it will take the party years to over
come the spirit of bitterness created.
There is no use in democrats trying
to convince themselves that this pre-
judice and bitterness can soon be for
gotten, for il will be kept alive, If not
by dissatisfied democrats, at least by
the opposition, during the entire cam
paign, and for years to come.
We can look back now and see where
the big mistake was made, and that
was when the convention was permit
ted to go to New York City, where the
people were drunk with ambition that
their favorite son, Al Smith, should be
the nominee The conduct of those
who filed the galleries at Madison
Square Garden, was extremely disres-
pectful 10 all who made any move in
terpreted against Smith, and this
naturally was great hindrance to
orderly procedure.
Then there was lack of leadership
Of the right hand. True, Bryan made
great fight against Smith and the
magnetism to sway a convention TO
his candidate, failed, no doubt, be-
cause many Of the delegates had real
lied by this time that they should
not nominate either McAdoo or Smith
Besides, the personnel of the delega-
tion from many states was antagonis-
tic to Bryan, from one cause or
another.
But under the circumstances, true
democrats will make the best fight
possible for the ticket, but before
another four years rolls around there
must be a reorganization of the party,
with able and patriotic leaders to the
front, men who will not play for local
advantages regardless of the effect
their actions may have upon the party
nationally; men who realize that the
principles of Jefferson and Jackson
still live in the minds and hearts Of
the great masses of the people, If only
these principles are defended and bold
ly set forth as the foundation upon
which the party seeks to survive and
rule.
The democratic party must discard
and disown those would-be leaders who
persisted in their effort to inject the