San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-20
FRANK DAVIS
QUITS NEFF
OVER NJ ADOO
Democratic State Chair
man Criticises Gov
errors Stand.
REGRETS ITS NECESSITY
Says Bitter Charges by
Neff Against McAdoo
Are Unjustifiable.

An open break between Frank c.
Davis of San Antonio. chairman of
the State Democratic Executive Com
mittee, and Governor Pat NJ. Neff,
over the question of an instructed dele
CATION from Texas TO the National
Democratic convention and over the
candidacy of William Gibbs McAdoO,
is disclosed in a statement given out
by Mr.. Davis at Dallas Saturday aft
ernoon. The break caused consider
able surprise in San Antonio in view
of the close relationship between the
governor and Mr.. Davis and the fact
that 1t was largely through the sup
port of Governor Neff and his friends
that Mr.. Davis has risen to high po-
sition in the Democratic ranks in
Texas.
Mr.. Davis, in his statement, openly
favors the candidacy of Mr.. McAdoo
and openly denounces the attitude OF
Governor Neff in seeking to have the
Texas delegation go TO the national
convention uninstructed. Mr.. Davis
/ arrived in San Antonio from Dallas
at 10 o'clock Saturday night. He
stated that he had been TO Dallas
purely on business and declined to am
pity the statement given out by MIN
| earlier in the day.
g. Regrets to Part With Neff.
r This is the first time Chairman
Davis has openly opposed Governor
Neff and his statement marks the
I first break in the ranks of the state
committee so far as the governors pol
icy IS concerned. Chairman Davis,
presiding over the last called session
of the committee in Dallas, voiced no
opposition TO the resolution enoors-
ing Governor Neff for the presidency.
Chairman Davis statement follows
"Since Governor Neff first became
q candidate in 1920, / have expert
enced both pride and pleasure in fol-
lowing him implicitly through good
and evil report, and it is with sin
cere regret that / find myself unable
to follow him in his party campaign
to secure an uninstructed delegation
from Texas to the Democratic nation
al convention.
Al regard William Gibbs McAdoo
whom have known since 1912, when
j met him in the Baltimore conven,
ton, as a great constructive Dem
ocrat whose absolute honesty and
incorruptibifity was conclusively dem.
onstrated by his incompatible record
as Secretary Of the treasury, both in
time of war and peace. No man in
the history of the world ever handled
so much money and no charge has
ever been responsibly made affecting
the integrity of any one of his Off
cial transactions.
Cannot Eadorse Neff's Statements.
Governor Neff in his speeches has
made bitter charges against Mr.. Nc
Adeo, which / think are unjustifiable.
and as l believe, unwarranted.
Coupled with those charges he asks
that an uninstrueted delegation be
sent TO the national convention. The
governors speeches have been widely
exploited by the reactionary press of
the country, and broadcasted to the
world, and under the circumstances l
cannot but feel that to vote for an
uninstructed delegation is a vote to
endorse all the governor has said and
OF brand Mr.. McAdoo as being what
l know him not to be, and l would
reply In like terms if the proposition
were reversed.
/ "This / am unwilling to do. Nc
Adoo has done too much for Texas
and for the nation and for progress
sive Democracy for any one to get my
aid or consent In discrediting him,
and / hope and believe that the pro-
gressive democracy of Texas will an
swer these charges as the Democrats
ct Missouri and Georgia have answer
ed them. ] favor Texas delegation
instructed by the people without die
tation from any source.
Texas Instructed for so Years.
/ 1t Is insisted that the people might
as well send parrot trained to an
swer q roll call as to send an in
structed delegation. That involves a
reflection on every delegation that has
been sent from Texas to annual con-
ventions for nearly fifty years, for
all of them have been instructed.
Il have had the honor to be a mem
Der OF several of them, and 1 have
always felt proud to be the instructed
agent Of the great Texas Democracy.
When the Texas delegation at Balti-
more for more than forty ballots,
through ITS great chairman, Gone
johnson, spoke out in clarion tones,
Forty votes for Woodrow Wilson,
throughout the long and weary days
and nights of that struggle it did not
sound like the prattle of a parrot, but
It impressed that great convention and
the nation that they were hearing
not merely the voice Of one man, or Of
forty men, but of millions of Texans
who had told the Texas delegation
what TO say and how to say it, and
the voice of Texas prevailed and the
immortal services of Woodrow Will
son were given to mankind.
Would Be Reacti0nary Victory.
II have noticed in a special dis
patch from Washington printed in a
Texas daily of April 10, that the
brokers in Washington are offering
to wager odds that the Texas delega-
ton will be uninstructed. This is
most significant. These Washington
brokers are representatives of Wall