Evening star., 1924-10-29
Politics at Large
by N. O. MESSENGER.


| figured In some other contests for
| the presidency. In my judgment, as
| IL longtime observer of and COM
mentator upon politics, it's most nota-
| bic feature is the fact that for the
| first time there Is clear-cut issue
| between the extreme radical thought
Of the country and the mild to ultra
| conservative thought For the first
time there Ia assembled under one
party. indeed. 1t might be said. one
| candidacy and ersonallty the believ-
| ers In radicalism, the victims of un-
rest and general disgruntlement. the
| sincere advocates in the name of
progress OF change. all Of the ex-
ponents Of the various gradations
| Of resistance to the order Of things
down to those who would change by
| violence. They are all under one
leadership, and now, on next Tues
| day. we can take census of them.
| Praise be. Let's find out how many
Of them there are, 50 that the country
can set It's house in order.
We have had various census taxi
| ings In tho past on other questions
among the voters: on the class issue
| of agrarianism, as expressed in the
| fight with the populists; green
backism. and on sound money, In the
| epochal and decisive action Of 1896
| when once for all the people set their
| disapproval upon free silver coinage.
| Now we are facing showdown on
| radicalism and on the subtle effort to
| undermine the basic institutions of
our form Of Government. Speed the
! issue to determination.
n n X
| The other question: on trial before
| the voters next Tuesday is deci :
| sion over the economic differences be-
| tween the Democratic and Republican n
parties and their policies, scores of
years old and frequently battled over
before, yielding victory first to one party
and then the other as the peoples s
| moods and Judgment changed. But
! these differences are set aside from
| the issues raised by the third party.
Republicans and Democrats alike can
| believe in their respective parties
| economic policies and yet hold the
radicalism Of the third party para :
| mount. Now let them go to it and
| express the paramount issue, stand
| up and be counted
| so, 1t is to be an illuminative show
ing, partially marred. 1t is true, by
| the conspiracy which is believed to
! be working out between certain
| Democrats and third party men to
throw the election into Congress. But
| Democrat who would be d party to
| that must be a radical of sorts after
all. and not unwilling to be counted
! with the radicals, 50 his status is
| loca ted.
After the noise and the shouting q
has died away and the victorious CO.
! horts withdraw into the distance it
| VIII be interesting to look back and
consider some of the antecedents of
the campaign and the springs which
moved the action of events One of
the most interesting to ponder will
be the collapse of the McAdoo boom
| for the Democratic nomination. the
most carefully planned and long con-
sidered enterprise of political propa :
/ ganda the annals record 1t was a
| work four years in building I'D and
| careful nursing
And in day, indeed in an hour. it
| went blooey."
When Democratic politicians at the
Capital emerged from the committee
room after hearing the testimony OF
| Mr.. McAdoo's employment as counsel
for the oil interests. the general com
ment was "Good-bye." And good bye
1t proved, despite a gallant and heart
| breaking fight
| And yet, with this discrimination
| against him, he had to witness the
nomination of John w. Davis, counsel
of interests of more far-reaching e
| magnitude than those with which he
was connected, thouThAto be sure, not
attainted with charges of corruption.
| His defeat was a great blow to Mr..
! McAdoo, as was to have been expect
ed 1t fell out that he was not al
lowed to take the stump for his sue
cessful rival, a surgical operation in
| tervening, but it is wondered if some
of the pains of surgery were not allie
ras I,s r g.
necessarily must have been grind
ing.
The question is frequently asked by
| politicians as they review the Incl
| dents of the nominating campaigns
if circumstances would have faller
out differently had Mr.. McAdoo been
the nominee of the party instead OF
Mr.. Davis Particularly would have
Senator La Toilette sought the radi-
cal nomination with Mr.. McAdoo the
regular Democratic candidate? Prob
| ably not, many Democrats say. With
Mr.. McAdoo not in the field Senator
La Toilette saw and improved the op-
portunity to gather unto himself
| the great railroad vote and the sup
port of the council of the Federation
| of Labor. tremendous assets to the
| radical campaign. Mr. McAdoo's un-
doing was the making of La Toilette
While La Toilette entered the field
before the Democratic convention
chose a candidate, the defeat of Nc
Adoo was forseen and the Senator
could cut his cloth accordingly.
ono Of the most interesting studies
of the whole campaign was the pre-
| nominating campaign of President
Coolidge. 1t was phenomenal in the
history Of American politics. After
the death of President Harding there
was reasonable possibility of spirit
ed contest for the Republican presi-
Dental nomination and some of the
| wouldbe kingmakers set about to
| groom candidates. But a significant
! thing happened There blazed up in
the space of very few days a won
derful support of President Coolidge.
He had caught the imagination of the
people in a wonderful way, not in
| hysterical enthusiasm, but in a sober
| realization of his character and pur-
pose. A tide of approval of him set in
to which there was no slack and no
ebb. 1t seemed to be a spontaneous
| movement.
| Soon the men who had been men
toned as possible rivals got cold
feet" When approached they would
shy violently. Secretary Hoover would
not have it. Secretary Hughes mot
on your life" Gov. Lowden. beat it."
Senator Jim Watson shifted at it and
passed it up. All saw the handwriting G
on the wall calling for Coolidge ex-
| cept Senator Johnson of California,
| and a few rounds of the primaries
| revealed it to him. President Coolidge
was the demand of the united Repub-
| licans of the country and many saw
in the unanimity of the call what they
thought expressed the demand of the