Evening star., 1924-02-20
Politics at Large
BY N. O. MESSENGER

MS followers and political managers,
he has decided that his usefulness to
his party as candidate for the demo-
] cratic presidential nomination has
not been impaired, but that, on the
contrary, he is the man in the party
best fitted to lead the militant de-
mocracy, and he is going into battle.
The fact that his encouragement
was received from his own faction,
men who attended the conference by
his own suggestion and at the behest
of his manager-in-chief, does not de-
tract in his opinion from its value as
an indication of his standing with the
democratic party at large. He is going
to push his fortunes to the utterrnost.
| Now, the big undertaking before
him is to convince two-thirds of the
delegates to the democratic national
| convention that he is the candidate
most entitled to carry the banner Of
democracy to the polls and to dissi-
pate the objection that his former
connection with the oil interests i'm
paired his usefulness.
In that effort. many democrats de-
clare he has his work cut out for
him."
| The Chicago conference afforded
him opportunity, which he promptly
utilized, to place his platform before
| the country. getting d need of coun-
try-wide publicity to an extent which
otherwise probably would not have
! -ic
| of the measures he recommends show
that he did not overlook a single Uto-
| plan plank.
| Mr.. McAdoo received a clean bill of
health as to his connection with the
oil interests from Senator Walsh of
Montana, who unquestionabiy has the
confidence of the democrats in his
conduct of the oil investigation. A
! telegram to the conference from
| Senator Walsh said that the charac-
| ter of Mr.. McAdoo "is untouched by
any revelation made before the Sen
| ate committee investigating the naval
| oil leases This is expected to be
counted upon to satisfy democrats
when Mr.. McAdoo's availabil as a
| candidate is impugned.
A line upon his prospective cam
paign is furnished in his address to
! the conference. 1t is evident that he
expects to ride high on the wave Of
popular Indignation over the oil scan
dals. He said that he would drive
| corruption out of official Washing
/ ton" and would take the grip of
Wall street" off the Treasury De-
! partment and the Federal Reserve
| system. He insisted that "there is
! decentralization in government in
| Washington. The republican party
has ceased to function" He added
! that 1.-The condition of affairs at
! Washing gton beggars description"
! Mr.. McAdoo's determination to car
| ry on with his candidacy was no sur
/ prise to the democrats in Congress
who are either lukewarm to his can
/ didacy or are convinced that il was
| damaged by disclosure of his connec-
: ton with the oil interests. Some of
{ those who talked with him realized
| that he would not give up without a
fight. .
| the finish and that from this time on
| ii will be carried into every state
| solely upon the ground of party
merit of his policies. But. they point
/ out. the same policies can be advo-
' Gated by some other candidate who
! does not carry the handicap under
which they regard Mr.. McAdoo as now
! lahoring.
! On this question OF availability Mr..
| McAdoo showed the country one as
| set regarded as of value TO nomi-
nee which he still possesses. Prior to
| the meeting of the conference there
was a caucus of railroad labor lead
| ers which adopted a resolution de-
| claring that I'VE. as representatives
Of railroad labor. assert our belief
/, that his availability as a candidate
| is no valid reason why any faIr-
minded person should oppose Mr.. Nc
| Adoo on account of the allegation
made regarding his association as at
| torney for the oil companies.
{ His railroad support has been rec
! ognized as one of his strongest as
| sets to the party if he were nomi-
mated, and apparently it is his own to
command. The resolution was intro
! duccd by the president of the Order
! of Railway Conductors and was
! signed by seventeen representatives
/ of rail union organizations attending
/ the conference.
! Mr.. McAdoo's friends here say that
, as the campaign for his nomination
; proceeds they will be able TO present
! similar expressions of confidence IN
his availability as a candidate from
, other sources
1
| The republican national committee,
: in current statement, prophesles
that capital will go on strike if Con-
sress enacts an unfair tax-reduction
ibill.. '.The right of labor to quit work
rather than continue under conditions
(which it considers unfair says the
tcommittee statement. lis conceded In
this free country There IS no law
lAmerica which can compel labor to
remain at work if it chooses to
strike.
"Capital is as independent in this
respect as labor. 1t cannot be com
ipelied to work under conditions which
it regards as oppressive. 1t will walk
iout under conditions which 1t regards
as unjust Whenever, by legislative
Tor judicial decision or executive order.
lcondjtions are imposed upon capital
lin any country which capital regards
las unfair. capital goes on strike: II
Twill not only go on strike, but will, IT
necessary for its own protection,
leave the country"
| Continuing its argument. evidently
aimed at the proposal pending in Con-
,Rress for an extreme surtax, the com
lmittee says: ''Confiscation of wealth
lis a vice which feeds upon itself once
1.-THE machinery of confiscation is set
lin motion. 1t does not stop with the
rich. Those who have nothing soon
seize upon it and proceed to confscate
1.-The property of all those who have
lanything.
fof nroof than the fact that whenever
a tax is laid on capital which it re-
CARDS as unjust it Immediately passes
tthat tax on to the mass of the people
lin the form of higher interest; higher
rents. higher freight rates and higher
Icosts of living in every particular
"It is a process which economists S
}for generations have attempted to