Evening star., 1924-07-04
USEDAS WEAPON
AGAINST LEADERS
Ralston Also Cut Down by
Suspicion That He Is
KIan Friend.
MAY INJURE CAMPAIGN
Drift Is Definitely Headed Toward
Issue in Election in
November.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

NEW YORK, July 4.-The dele
gates to the Democratic national con-
Vention-and the country at large
are getting a taste of the religious
warfare into which the national po-
iitical campaign is fast drifting, If
something is not done to halt it.
More than any one factor which is
preventing the nomination of either
Gov. AL Smith of New York or Will
liam Gibbs McAdoo is religious in
tolerance. 1t is responsible to a great
extent for the deadlock in the con-
vention.
catholic sentiment-the latter is now
being termed here Ku klux Khan
sentlment-preventin the nomina-
ton of the two leading candidates in
the race, but it is being used against
other candidates as we'll. For ex-
ample, Senator Samuel NJ. Ralston Of
Indiana, former governor Of that
state, is being looked upon askance
by the Catholic or anti-Klan group
because only handful of the Indiana
delegation voted in favor of the mi
norlty plan, proposed to name the
hlan in the Democratic platform,
~hen the vote was taken last Satur-
day night.
Denial Is Ignored.
The fact that Senator Ralston has
declared repeatedly that he is not a
hIansman and has nothing whatever
TO do with that organization is ap-
parently having little effect In the
end, should kalSton show sufficient
strength, he may go over" but the
feeling against him today is largely
along the lines indicated.
The supporters of Gov. Smith say
that it is only the anti-Catholic SEN
timent that is preventing his nomina-
tion--that the so-called Khan bloc is
holding him up. They forget the
strong dry" sentiment in the west
and south is also operating against
the governor.
Is Barrier to McAdOo.
On the other hand. one of the big
gest barriers against McAdoo is the
charge that he represents the Klan
group.
The Klan question was raised in
part at this convention to kill off
the candidacy of McAdoo. 1t was
raised also in part by men who re-
sent the attack on Gov. Smith be-
cause of his religious beliefs.
That the Democratic party should
the freedom of religious belief seems
incredible in this country, which has
stood for such freedom since its foun-
dation. But that is what is threat
ened. Politically it suggests the old
rum, Romanism and rebellion re-
mark which killed off James G. Blai1 e
years ago.
Day OF Suggestions.
Today is d day of suggestions"
Suggestions of how to break the
deadlock through adoption of a kind
of modified majority rule, proposed
by E. II. Moore of Ohio; suggestions
that the convention be moved to some
other city where the feeling may not
run so high as in New York; sugges-
tions of how to finarce the stay of
the delegates to the convention in
New York-delegates whose purses
have grown lean in the two-week stay
already made.
Mr.. Moore's suggestion is that a
majority of the voting strength of the
states, plus the SO votes of the ter
ritories and District Of Columbia, be
hxed as the strength necessary to
T nomination. This would make the
vote necessary to nominate 56S. He
takes this plan rather than a straight
out majority of the strength of the
convention SO as to minimize the i'm