Evening star., 1924-03-22
DENIES AID OF KLAN
PUT M'ADOO OVER.
Rockwell Says Candidates
Stand on Issue Was Clear
Iy Defined in Georgia.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

David Ladd Rockwell, campaign
manager for William Gibbs McAdoo.
said today that it was absurd to at
tribute the McAdoo landslide in Geor-
gia to the influence Of the Ku Klux
klan.
Mr.. McAdoo's victory was SO over
whelming," he declared, that no sin
gle element brought it about. AS for
the ku Klux Klan, the position of
Mr. McAdoo was not in doubt A
heckler in the crowd at Macon, Ga,
asked Mr.. McAdoo what his attitude
was toward the K. X. X. There were
cries of Put him out but Mr.. Nc
Adoo insisted that nobody should be
put out of any of his meetings SIM
ply for asking question.
He then proceeded to make an
swer: L stand four square with re-
spect to this and every other order
on the immutable guarantee of lib
erty contained in the first amend
ment of the Constitution of the
United States. that is, for the freedom
of religious worship, freedom Of
right of peaceful assembly,
He pointed out that the spirit OF
America was against religious IN
tolerance. His answer was met with
an outburst of cheers and applause.
Sees Victory as Significant.
while we were confident of a VIC
tory in Georgia, we had no idea that
it would be a landslide. We recall
that Woodrow Wilson stumped the
state in 1912, but that Underwood car
ried it. The victory over Underwood
south feels about McAdoo."
The campaign manager was in high
spirits. declaring that the organiza-
tion for McAdoo was growing so
strong that it would. without doubt,
be able to control the convention.
THE dispatches from Missouri aft
er the recent primary" he added, did
not give q clear picture Of what hap
pened there. We shall have a major
ity of the delegates at the democratic
state convention which is TO be held
shortly"
Face Fight From Reed.
The state convention will be an in
teresting battle. for while Senator Reed
failed to carry the primary, his
friends will be active in his behalf in
the hope of preventing Missouri from
indorsing McAdoo The fight, on the
other hand, for McAdoo is largely
anti-Reed. and there are many for
mer Wilson men in Missouri who are
not especially interested in seeing
McAdoo nominated, but who will join
forces with the McAdoo men to bring
about the reputation of Senator
the Wilson administration, is now
charged with having dragged Nc
Adoo into the oil controversy without
justification.
Mr.. Rockwell is having a series of
conferences here with leading demo-
Gratis He is an active person who
knows pre-convention politics back
ward and forward. Four years ago
he was the man who lined up SO
many states for James NJ Cox OF
Ohio that he assisted materially In
the final victory. Mr.. Rockwell
realizes that the charge Of X. K K.
influence is being made against Mr.
McAdoo, but he calls IL absurd
Cites Catholic Backing
where William O'Connell, a leading
Catholic, is managing the McAdoo
campaign. Also in Wisconsin the
candidate for delegate at large is
Tom Fleming. a Catholic. Would
these men take SO prominent a part
in the McAdoo campaign If they were
not satisfied that the man they are
working for is free from religious
prejudice?"
The victory in Georgia is undoubt-
edly a turning point in the whole
McAdoo campaign. 1t meant a great
deal to his candidacy. for it was the
first southern primary after the re-
cent revelations that he had accept
ed fees from corporations as an at
torney after leaving public Office
Had Georgia turned McAdoo down
it would have been the end of his
candidacy Conversely, those who
have been on the fence now are TAX
ing renewed interest in the cam
paign.
battle-ground in Dakota.
The next fight is in South Dakota.
where the Hearst influence is behind
the protest ticket In Iowa there is
q bitter fight. Wilbur Marsh, who is
one OF the western allies of Charles
+. Murphy. George Brennan and the
so-called organization leaders of the
democratic party, is a candidate for
national committeeman and is being
fought by Clyde Herring, a McAdoo
man. who recently ran for governor
The outcome is being awaited with
peculiar interest by democratic poll
ticians, for If McAdoo can get con-
troll of the Iowa delegation 1t will
help him in neighboring states of the
west.
Altogether the McAdoo campaign
shows no evidence of diminishing
energy, but, on the contrary, seems
to have taken on new lease of life
since the victory in Georgia
rAN nANHlFAIr0 onAn