Evening star., 1925-04-12
SMITH TO PROPOSE
/ He AND RIVAL QUIT
Only Question Remaining to
Be Decided Is as to Time
for Making Offer.
BY ROBERT II. SMALL.

All present plans having failed to
make any sort of headway toward a
reconciliation of the still warning fac
tions of the Democratic Party, a new
strategic move is in contemplation
by that wing of the party which
backed Gov. Alfred Smith at the Madi-
son Square Garden convention last
Summer.
It is TO be nothing less than an offer
on the part of Gov. Smith to with
draw his name from any further con-
sideration in connection with the
presidential nomination, provided
William Gibbs McAdoo will do the
same thing. This move tacitly has
been agreed to in the Al Smith camp.
The only question for decision is
as to when il shall be made. The
governor may wish to remain in the
running until after the senatorial
contest for which he is preparing
himself in 1926 1t is felt some pres
tige may be lost to him if he definite
1y is out of the presidential race at
that time.
There is a chance the Smith propo-
Sition may come at an earlier date,
however, for none of his followers
believe Mr.. McAdoo will agree to such
voluntary withdrawal, and there
fore ii would be safe for Smith to
make the offer, irrespective of his
senatorial race. In this way, the
Smith men feel that credit for seek
ing Il solution of the national demo-
cratic problem would come to the
governor and perhaps add to his pop
ularity in the political contests of the
future.
Firmly for McAdOo.
The belief of the Smith men that
Mr.. McAdoo will not withdraw his
name from consideration by the party
is well founded. Mr.. McAdoo's faith
full followers would not permit him to
do 80 even if he were so inclined
They are for McAdoo first last and all
the time.
Furthermore, they are convinced
that Mr.. McAdoo can be nominated in
1928 and that Al Smith cannot be. Nc
Adoo men here in Washington-and
the woods seem still to be full of
them-say that the same sort of prop
osition emanated from the Smith
camp in New York last July-an offer
to withdraw if McAdoo would do like
wise. The offer then was turned
down with a wild whoop of defiance
and the attitude of the McAdoo men
has not changed one iota.
They feel that even if Al Smith should
be successful in reaching the United
States Senate a year and a half hence,
tions or prejudices-call them what you
will-to his nomination for the presi-
dency.
There is no denying that Mr.. McAdoo
has a large faction, if not a majority
of the party with him. He confidently
claims majority in the party organ
ization-the national committee-being
varticularly strong with the woman
members of that body
Mr.. McAdoo's advisers have told him
that the AL Smith bloc will not be
strong enough to prevent a McAdoo
nomination q little more than three
years hence. Through their command
of the party organization, the McAdoo
people still are hopeful of bringing about
reform in the method of selecting a
nominee, so that a majority of the dele
gates can nominate, thus abrogating
the twothirds rule, which has been in
effect for SO many decades and which
has thrown so many Democratic con-
ventions into death grips.
Conference Question.
Meantime, here in Washington
among conservative Democrats, de-
sirous of party success rather than
f-aggrandizement, there is a hope
that so-called reconciliation confer
ences or proposals emanating from
either the Smith or the McAdoo
camps will cease. The proposal
brought forth here a few weeks ago
for an informal conference of Demo-
cratic Senators, Representatives and
Governors to be held just prior to
the next session of Congress still
holds. 1t would have to do with the
party policy in the coming Congress
and the party plans for 1926.
The hope here is that a soft pedal
d0O-Smfth XI6
split the party last year, can be
maintained until after the next con-
gressional and gubernatorial cleo
tions. 1t will be time enough to
squabble about the presidency after
that.