Evening star., 1924-06-29
ISSUES SUBMERGED
IN FIGHT ON KLAN
Managers Recognized Fate
of Candidate Might De-
pend on Result
UNDERWOOD MEN HAPPY
Point Out Fact That Alabama
Senator First Brought Issue
Before Party.
UNDERWOOD MEN HAPPY
By the Associa ted Press.

By the Assoca ted Press.
NEW YORK, June 28.-The Kan
issue overshadowed all else today at
the Democratic national convention,
and boom row"-the candidates
headquarters-was almost deserted,
and the campaign managers virtually
ceased to campaign.
Disposition of the Klan question
in the platform fight waged in the
platform committee and in the full
convention down in Madison Square
Garden touched SO directly on the
candidates. of several of the aspi-
rants for the party's highest honor
that the forces behind these men
packed up and went to Madison
Square Garden. Besides, all Of their
working material-the delegates
were down there.
Most of the emanations from the
headquarters, as 1t was, revolved
about the Klan question.
Denies Smith VIII withdraw.
Franklin D. Roosevelt. campaign
manager for Gov. Alfred E. Smith,
denied that his candidate would with
draw If the convention voted down
tic plank IOT Spe-
cific condemnation Of the Klan.
David l. Rockwell. leader Of the
forces behind William G.. McAdoo,
also touched on the Klan question in
a public statement. declaring that
should an anti-klan plank be voted
in no way consider himself elm
mated or his chances adversely af-
fected.
TAEEnrt Lnys Low.
Thomas Taggart, the Indiana lead
er. like Brer' Rabbit, Lay low while
the Klau fight was the hottest, but
even he had been forced out early
in the day when an attempt was
made in some quarters to fasten the
Klan label on his candidate, Senator
Samuel NJ. Ralston. Taggart denied
it vigorously, meeting the stories
with smile, but declaring that Raj
ston would welcome anti-Klan. Klan
and any other kind of support he
could get. as he was the candidate
Of all factions and peoples, even
though he was not a Klansman.
These declarations by three of the
leading campaign managers were in
terpreted as a move to set the sails
of their candidates SO that regardless
of the shift of the wind over the
Klan question in the convention, their
crafts would not be blown out of the
water.
Underwood Men Happy.
The Underwood hackers, however,
seemed to take particular delight in
the conventions klan fight, and con-
tinually pointed to declaration by the
Alabama senator months before the
convention which asserted had been
largely instrumental in bringing the
Khan issue today before the conven-
ton. The minority plank on the
klan was placed before the conven-
tion by William r. Pattengan OF
Maine, who seconded the nomination
of Senator Underwood. and support
ers of the Alabama man said that op-
ton if nothing else was sufficient tC
tell where treir candidate stood.
The Klan controversy was declar-
ed by the proponents of the move
ment behind John w. Davis. to have
unaffected their campaign except as
it brought day of inactivity be-
cause the mind of the convention and
its component parts was centered
not so much as to whom the nominee
should be as to what the platform
should contain.
Suspension of activity also was
noticeable about all the other head
quarters, including those opened for
Senator Glass of Virginia, former
Gov. Cox of Ohio, former Secretary
Houston, and Gov. Ritchie of Mary
land.