Evening star., 1924-07-05
Candidates Active Direction
of Campaigns Brings Hot
Wave of Resentment.
HELD DEADLOCK CAUSE
Many Delegates Would Go Back to
Days When Office Sought
the Man.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
stan Correspondent of The Star.

NEW YORK, July 5.-Less than a
score of years ago avowed candidates
for the presidential nomination re-
! mained far away from the scenes of
the party national convention. Then
the candidates fate was decided by
the assembled delegates. In a meas
ure, at least. the Office was supposed
to seek the man. Many Of the dele
gates to the Democratic national con-
vention here are insisting today that
this is a practice which should be OBJ
served again. The presence in New
York of the leading contenders for
the nomination. they say, has been
one of the contributing factors which
have prevented the convention from
| reaching an agreement-possibly an
| amicable agreement-days ago.
Yesterday afternoon two resolu-
| tions seeking to have the candidates
| appear before the convention in per-
| son to present their cfaims for con-
| sideration were turned down by the
Democratic national convention. The
refusal to listen to the candidates
| was. in a measure, rebuke to their
| attempted interference in the delib-
erations Of the convention. Some Of
the delegates were glad of the op-
the matter. The defeat of the two
resolutions, of course, involved ques-
tions of tactics on the part of one or
| more of the factions taking part in
the struggle for the nomination.
Opposite Plea Preferred.
But some of the delegates said
frankly after the session at which
the resolutions were defeated:
Instead of passing a resolution to
invite the candidates to appear be-
fore the convention, it would have
been far more proper to put through
to retire from New York and allow
the convention to work out the
selection Of a nominee for President
and another for Vice President"
or the field Of candidates placed in
nomination there have been In New
York during the convention w. G.
McAdoo, Gov. AL Smith, Senator
Underwood, Senator Robinson OF
Arkansas, Gov. Davis of Kansas. Gov.
Bryan OF Nebraska. Gov. Ritchie of
of Delaware. John w. Davis and
Senator Glass of Virginia.
Others who have been voted for but
who were not formally nominated
and against whom therefore. scarcely
could lie the. charge of being on the
spot to advance their candidacy have
been Senator Walsh Of Montana,
permanent chairman of the conven-
tion; Senator Pat Harrison of Mis-
sissippi. temporary chairman of the
conventions; Senator Owen of Okla
homa and William Jennings Bryan.
Ralston and Cox Absent.
Two of the candidates who were
placed in nomination but who have
not been in New York are Senator
Ralston of Indiana and Former Gov.
Cox of Ohio. But they have been ex-
ceptions to the rule.
Bitter complaints have come from
or ~ AL 49, - +
manner in which Mr.. McAdoo and
Gov. Smith have established them
selyes-one IN the Manhattan Club
and the other in the Madison Hotel.
convention hall-and have there in
terviewed or talked over the tele-
phone. etc. 10 delegates and leaders
of delegations, seeking to influence
them to cast their votes for them.
Some of the delegates thus ap-
preached by the candidates have told
Mr.. McAdoo or Coy. Smith or some
other candidate that they do not like
this method of procedure. But in
most cases these strong personal ap-
peals have had their effect The dele
gates have been Influenced in a way
that was scarcely contemplated when
method of naming candidates for the
presidency was devised.
Charge Work Prevented.
The charge is made that the candi-
dates by such tactics have prevented
the convention from getting down to
business and working out the prob
lens of the party and selecting the
nominees to go on the ticket
The late Theodore Roosevelt. in
1912 when he was seeking the nomi-
nation against President Taft, believ-
ing that his candidacy was to be
steam -rollered out of existence, went
himself to Chicago to take charge of
the fight when the Republican con-
vention met in that year. His pres
nomination Of Taft, but it did cause
chaotic condition there and ended in
splitting the Republican party wide
open and Democratic victory.
In 1920 at the Republican national
convention in Chicago. the leaders
contending for the nomination, Gen.
Leonard Wood, Gov. Frank o. Low
den, Senator Hiram Johnson and
Warren G. Harding, were all in that
city. Nor did their presence in Chi
cago at that time help to relieve the
situation. 1t is true that the dead
lock in the Republican convention
was broken much more quickly than
in the present Democratic conven-
tion. But the Republicans operate
under a majority rule, and the Dem
ocrats under the so-called two-thirds
rule. whereby candidate must re-
ceive two-thirds of the vote cast to
be nomin ated.
At the Democratic national con-
vention four years ago, several of
the leading candidates for the nom
ination were on the spot, including
Gov. Cox and A. Mitchell Palmer. |
And the convention there was dead !
locked and required forty-four bal
lots before a selection could be made |
Two Cases Unusual.
On some occasions in the past ma
tional conventions of the two parties |
have selected their nominees from
the delegates This happened in the
case OF President Garfild and again
Bryan in 1896. But unusual circum-
stances were attendant upon these
selections, and the nominees were
not avowedly seeking the nomina-
tions when they went as delegates
to the conventions
One Of the problems which the
Democrats have had before them is
whether to mako their fight for vic
tory in the west and the south. or |
to make it in the south and the east. |
The s0uth will go Democratic, Of |
course. To win the west. the Demo- |
progressive. and to win the east, |
probably an eAsterner and less pro-
gressive: McAdoo, Ralston or Robin
son, or perhaps one Of the western
governors. like Bryan of Nebraska. |
have been the nominees favored for
western states. Gov Al Smith. Sena-
tor Underwood. John w. Davis and |
Gov. Ritchie Of Maryland have been
the leading contenders II the battle |
is to be staged in the eastern states |
Want G. o. r. Khan stand.
Democratic leaders now here are
determined that the Democrats shall