Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-06-30
KHAN BATTLE KILLS
HOPES OF LEADERS
Smith and McAdoo Camps
Determined to Fight Each
Other to Death.
BIZ FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


NEW YORK. June 30.-Balloting for
the presidential candidate who can
heal the Klan-league schism in the
Democratic party is now in progress.
AS it proceeds, the bitter need of such
a man becomes increasingly urgent
in delegates minds. The convention
reassembled, after a week end of
soul searching unparalleled in Demo-
cratic annals. amid an external show
OF philosophic calm and restored
unity. Leaders eXude relief, not re-
morse They pretend to believe that
useful housekeeping has taken
place. They claim that party pros
poets for victory in November are
better than they were before Satur-
day nights cyclonic storm. But as
SertionS of this sort mask resentment
and rancor that honeycomb the con-
yention through and through. 1t will
take more than a New York week end
to blot out the painful memories of
the Khan controversy and the league
conflict.
Time heals in politics as in other
things. Democratic leaders comfort
themselves with the hope it will not
fail the party now.
Seek Wound Healer.
= Meantime the convention, admit
ting that the knife of dissension has
cut deep cash in plans for victory
, in November, has set itself the task
of choosing the man most capable of
binding up the wound. Platforms ex-
cite conventions, but seldom stir the
hot h,1 a h.,
~ the case this year, now that Meth.
or the Republicans nor the Democrats
have found it expedient to hoist para
mount issues to the main mast. Had
the Democrats gone to the country
either on the league OF nations or on
the Straight-out issue of anti-klan-
ism, they would have had a battle
cry with an emotional appeal. Now.
leaders here confess. they have little
or nothing that can be got hold of
for popular purposes-nothing that
can be sloganized like "16 to l." or
league of nations" or free trade"
or keep US out of war" They &C
knowledge regretfully that their plat
form is as platiudinous, vague, I'M
inspiring and negative as they claim
the Republican platform is. That be-
. ing the sorrowful state of affairs. the
wiseSt Democrats in New York real
. ize that they now must find the man.
. The man they're after is somebody
constitute a platform in themselves.
He must be a man SO outstanding
and of such pre-eminent quality that
lie can make warning Democrats for
get their internecine strife and rally
around him in a united fight for the
overthrow of Calvin Coolidge. The
search for the man was difficult
enough before the events of the past
week. Today the quest has become
more battling than ever.
Leaders, Hopes Wrecked.
The league and Khan votes, taken
in the stressful hours of Saturday
night, have undoubtedly wrecked the
hopes Of various outstanding as
pirants for the nomination. Despite
their intrepid claims. no one in New
> York outside of their comps believe
{, York outside McAdoo or Smith now has
Il leg to stand on. If it was certain
p week ago that the leaders in dele
gate strength would "eat each others
doubly and trebly certain today.
They have the animosities en-
sendered by the Khan fight to thank
for that certainty. McAdoo people
Smith and Smith people will do any
thing to overwhelm McAdoo. AS each
rival group easily controls third of
the convention, it's veto power is alb
solute in situation that requires
two thirds to nominate.
= AS the Khan controversy, with its
bitterness and it's chickering's has
played havoc with the plans of Nc
[Adoo and Smith, so it has likewise
disarrayed the prospects of Senator
oscar W. Underwood and Senator
Samuel NJ Ralston. The argument is
that if the convention, at the end Of
"a dramatic discussion, rejected the
idea of condemning the Ku KluX
X Ian by name. it cannot very con-
ssistently nominate the one candidate
who precipitated and who still per-
sonifies that lost cause. Underwood's
friends say this theory is fallacious.
They declare that although, for
strategic purposes, the Democratic
party refuses to call the Klan names,
its religious freedom plank is 100 per
cent anti-Klan and that nobody fits
the platform containing it so ideally
as Underwood. But the much wider
view is that the brilliant and expert
enced statesman from Alabama has
become unavailable.
: Ralston's emphatic denial of Khan
leanings, both personally from his