Evening star., 1924-07-06
Party Is Facing
Disruption if
Peace Fails.
LEADERS MEET
AS LAST RESORT
PrejudicesContinue
to Run High as
Delegates Wait.
BY N. O. MESSENGER,
Of The Star.

Stan Correspondent OF The Star.
NEW YORK, July S.-One ray of
possible hope enlightened the chaos
of today's proceedings in the Demo-
cratic national convention when a
proposal was made and accepted
late in the afternoon to adjourn until
Monday, in order to afford con-
ference between the members Of the
national committee and representa-
tives of the remaining candidates to
see if some plan could be worked out
by which an agreement could be
reached for procedure which would
offer some hope for breaking the
tragic deadlock
1t was realized that going along
as it has been for six days, in fruit
less balloting, the convention is
getting nowhere except deeper in
the mire of hatred, political, religious
and sectional. Delegates are near
the point of exhaustion, physically
and financially.
Party Seen Suffering.
Likewise they realize that the
Democratic party is suffering dis
paragement, il, indeed, not approach
ing a menace of disruption which
would imperil party prospects in No
yember- The situation is becoming
well nigh tragical. The national
committee. which Is the overlord of
the party. became alarmed at the
way thinEs were going throughout
the earlier hours Of the day. 1t was
quite evident from the votes that the
two leading candidates were at each
others throats in a death grappIe,
Mr.. McAdoo and Gov. Smith.
McAdoo had the superior number
of votes on the last ballot Of the
day and Gov. Smith, with the allied
opposition, had the power to veto a
two-thirds majority. There the cards
rested, face up on the table, patent
to every beholder. In that emergency
up spake Thomas Taggart, the In
diana leader. and proposed to calf
some Of the hands thus displayed
His own candidate, Senator Raj
ston. in the interest Of harmony and
the breaking Of the deadlock, had
withdrawn; so had Gov. Cox Of Ohio
for the same motive and objective.
Taggart suggested the, plan, which
the convention unanimously adopted.
Committee Acts Promptly.
Immediately after adjournment the
national committee met to take the
first hurdle confronting them-the
question Of who should be invited
into the conference.
To go back to the events leading
up to this procedure, which every
one hoped would result in producing
tangible results, the day had been
devoted to balloting without avail,
interspersed with consideration of
several motions which failed OF frui-
tion. The convention was in des-
peration and turned to one device
after another to extricate itself from
its dilemma
A proposal was put forward to ad-
journ the convention to Kansas City
0AN W Sdiy "A UTIcI
mentary tangle resulted over pro-
cedure, the result of swift condem-
nation of the project in some quar-
ters, and then the convention over
whelmingly voted it down. The dele
gates are fed up" on conventions
from every viewpoint and shudder
at the prospect of another. Then it
WAS prODOSed that the DroceSs of
elimination of candidates be resort
ed to-that is to say, dropping out
the low man" until only two re-
naming candidates be left from
whom to choose.
Vote Under House Rules.
That plan did not appeal to a ma
jority, for, mind you, these votes
were being taken under the rules OF