Evening star., 1924-08-12
Party Issues Made Living by
Magic of Words in De-
tense and Attack.
SCORES G. O. P. RECORD.
UPHOLDS OWN CAREER
Candidate Justifies Selection a
Campaigner, Reminding Hear
ers of Wilson.
BY q. GOULD LINCOLN,


CLARkESBURG, ". Va Angus,
l|.-John w. Davis, standard bearer
or the Democratic party, today Is
iauhcneo formally on the long trail
that is to take him either into the
White House or into that company
Of defeated candidates for the presi-
dency of the United States-of whom
there are still extant including Will
liam Jennings Bryan, Alton B, Parker
Charles Evans Hughes and James NJ
Cox.
Let 1t be said that no presidential
candidate ever launched his campaign
under more trying conditions. He
spoke while a down-pour, of rain
soaked the thousands of his admirers
who had gathered to hear him. And
thousands remained, drenched though
they were. until he had concluded his
remarks-a tribute alike to Mr.. Davis
and to his address.
In his speech accepting the nomin-
alton of the Democratic party, Mr..
7 Davis was both on the offensive and
the defensive. He attacked. with all
the skill of the able lawyer he is, the
Republican administration. He de-
leHuSu LliiiStu from the cTlticISm
levelled at him by the La Toilette
Wheeler ProgressiYes-cr r I i C / s m
which attempted to place the Wall
street label on him, to show him as d
Conservative and as unfriendly 10
labor.
Free From Pledges.
Freedom from Wall Street domino
tion-charged against him by Wheel
er, the Independent-Progre
nominee for Vice President and one
time adherent to the democratic
standard, and by William Jennings
Bryan during the New York conven-
ton, was declared by Mr.. Davis In
his statement that the call to the
nomination finds me free from
pledge or promise to anv living man"
Mr.. Davis. after explaining that he
had servered all his legal connec-
tions. including those big corpora
tions with whose legal business his
name has been connected, said:
Il have no clients today, but the
Democratic party, and if they will il
SO the people of the United States.
Remarkable for IdeaIism.
Mr.. Davis speech was remarkable
both for its punch and for its ideal
ism. 1t presages a vigorous campaign.
He stated his position clearly in his
Interpretation of the Democratic
platform. No one who heard it. or
who may read it. can fail to under
stand where he stands on progressive
legislat ton so-called. on the league
of nations. the World Court-the
country's foreign relations, on farm
relief, and on the ku klux Khan
though he failed to mention that or
ganization by name-as did the
Democratic convention in adoptins
the platform.
The failings of the Republican ad-
ministration Mr.. Davis pictured with
the skill of the .rained prosecutor. Ia
a word, he accused the Republican,
of corruption in administration AMI
in legislation, and at the same time
he pointed to the fact that the party
has been utterly ineffective, with the
President pulling one way and the
Congress another. What right, he
asks, has such a party to seek tn
suffrage of the people? What hope
can the people have in continuing Il
in power another four years?
Speaks Among Hills.
Mr.. Davis is a hillsman-as is Presi-
dent Coolidge. He made his first great
speech in the heart of the West Vir-
ginia hills, amid the people with
whom he grew to manhood, and with
whom he has labored. The great ana
the near-great in the Democratic
party were present to listen to this
keynote speech of their candidate for
the nomination.
They were not disappointed. They
wanted to know, above all things,
whether Mr.. Davis was a campaigner
"a man who could carry conviction
to the people, a man who could sell
himself as well as his ideas to thi
voters. Any one who heard Mr.. Davist
speech last night could not fail to bl
impressed with the fact that he is Il
strong personality-a winning peIe
sonality-and that his mind works
quickly and clearly, going to the rott
of the issues involved. The Demo-
Gratis have raised up right cham
pjon-a man who is ready to co.
Ever since the Democratic national
convention came to its dramatic
close after weeks of fruitless bicker-
ing, it has been we'll understood that
success or failure depended in an
unusually large measure in the
coming campaign on John w. Davis
himself. Will he be able to sell him
self to the people? Will he be able
to convince the Progressives that he
and his party really are progressive
and different from the Republican
party, notwithstanding the charges
of the Progressiyes that both the old
parties are tarred with the same
brush? These are the questions
that the Democrats have been asking
themselves, some with misgivings,
these past few weeks.
Leave Full of Hope.
To many OF them the answer was
given last night, and they are wend-
ing their separate ways homeward
today filled with hope. But few of
them are so deluded as not to know
that Mr.. Davis has a tremendous
task ahead; that he has really made
only the first step. 1t takes more
than one swallow to make a spring,
and 1t takes more than one speech
to make a campaign.
Mr.. Davis in his speech made the
issues involved in the campaign
living things through his mastery of
expression. He has turn of mind
and trick of speech that reminded
his auditors of Woodrow Wilson at
his best. Even in his idealism, he
kept at least one foot firmly on the
ground. Many of his phrases are
we'll turned eDigrams.
In bristling sentences he told of
the scandals of 192124." a Republi-
can production. he charged. which
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