Evening star., 1925-05-22
NJ 'ADOO DROPS IN
AND RUMORS FLY
Political Significance in Visit
of Former Secretary
Denied, However.

William Gibbs McAdoo, storm center
OF the last Democratic national con-
vention, unobtruSively came to Wash
ington yesterday. and as quietly left
for New York, where he is today and
will be for the next week.
In some quarters Mr.. McAdoos trip
TO the East is regarded as politically
significant. The feeling is that he has
his eye on the presidential nomination
of 1928, and that he and his friends
first will move to control if possible,
the Democratic national committee.
'McAdoo supporters in the last con
ventfon, however. deny that Mr.. Nc
Adoos visit to Washington and other
Eastern cities has anything to do with
politics. He is on a business trip.
they say. Furthermore, they insist
hat there will be no campaign for
The presidential nomination for a long
time to come. The next political race,
hey point out, is for the election of
he House and one-third of the Senate
in 1926, and the Democrats are now
bending all their attention to that
contest.
May Seek Rule Change.
Coupled with the McAdoo talk is
the suggestion that his supporters
are planning to move for an aboli-
ZION of the two-thirds rule of the
Democratic national conventions,
which requires two-thr1s of the votes
cast in convention for q Presidential
nomination. With a majority rule,
there would be greater chance of sue
cess of the nomination of MIR. MCAdoo.
1t is recognized, however. that a di
rect attack on the two-thirds rule
which has been in operation at Demo-
cratic national conventions for many
years. would he difficult 1t might fail
altogether. One plan, however, is
suggested to prevent such deadlocks
as arose at the New York convention
last year-an elimination of the cam
didate receiving the lowest number of
votes after a given number of ballots
have been taken. This, in the end
would result in majority selection
after the candidates had been mar
rowed TO two.
Limiting Ballots.
Prior to the report of the rules
committee at the convention. under
the proposed plan, the candidates
would be asked to agree to number
of ballots after which the elimination
of the low man would begin. Twenty
ballots-if so many are necessary
might be cast before the elimination
began. or even 40. if that many were
demanded. If two-thirds of the con
vention voted for any nominee dur
ing the specified number of ballots,
the choice would have been made
and the elimination process would be
unnecessary.
But IL no candidate received the
two-thirds vote necessary for nomi-
nation, then on the tWenty-firSt or
the forty-first ballot, as the case
might be, the low man would be
dropped from future balloting.
Advocates of such plan believe
that It would be successful in pre-
venting a deadlock like that of 1924,
and the bitterness which such
struggle engenders.
Before coming to Washington Mr..
McAdoo was in Louisville, where he
is reported to have talked with Gov.
Fields and other Democratic leaders.
Among those with whom Mr.. Nc
Adoo talked while in Washington
re Daniel c. Roper and Senator
hing of Utah. He visited also Mrs.
that Mr.. McAdoo's trip was for bust
ness only, and that while he and Mr..
McAdoo had discussed briefly the
political situation and the prospects
for the Democratic party, he saw no
evidence of a desire on the part of
Mr. McAdoo to build up political
fences for 1928.
.Both Mr.. McAdoo and / believe
that the West will turn to the Demo
cratic party as the party of progress"
said Senator King, who Travelled eX-
tensively in the West recently. THE
people are not sd atistied with the re-
actionary trend of the administra-
ton"