Evening star., 1927-09-17
Mr.. McAdoo Also Chooses Not"

William c. AfcAdoo joins the Il Do
dent Coolidge. He v.,'ites to a friend,
publisher of a newspaper at Chat
tanooga. in response to a letter of in
quiry, TO say that he will not be a
candidate for President in 1928. His
statement is explicit. leaving nothing
to speculation regarding his own as
piratlon. 1t does, however. open the
field of debate as to his purposes in
the campaign to come.
Whether Mr.. McAdoo's withdrawal
from the field of potential candidates
for the 1923 nomination materially af-
fects the prospect remains for CON
eideration. In the quarters in which
the Smith candidacy is most strongly
favored it will be greeted as an avowal
of the strength and an acknowledg-
nent of the victory of the Governor
Of New York in the race for the NOM
ination. But there is coupled with the
announcement of non candidacy
statement Of policies and declaration
of principles for which Mr.. McAdoo
proposes to continue to fight which
must give some concern to the sup
porters of New York's favorite Demo
cratic son.
These Democratic principles and
policies, TO which Mr.. McAdoo pledges
himself are: First, the preservation
,unimpaired of the Constitution of the
United States: second. the suppression
of notification and enforcement OF the
law. without which stable government
IL impossible and without which the
blessings Of liberty will disappear;
third, justice to agriculture, without
which the farmers cannot get their
rightful share of national prosperity;
fourth, social and economic justice
for all classes, without which human
opportunity cannot be widened.
It is in the first and second Of these
declarations of Democratic principle
that Mr. McAdoo most seriously men
aces the Smith candidacy. The Cali
fornian is a 5. He stands for the
complete sustaining Of the eighteenth
amendment and the enforcement OF
the Volstead act. To him failure to
sustain the amendment and to enforce
the law is notification" 1t may be
interpreted from the letter just writ
ten that he will endeavor, by the use
of such political power as he may
possess, to prevent the writing Of a
platform by the Democracy that does
not stand four-square with this prin
.ciple. and to prevent the nomination
of a candidate who does not conform
in practice and in principle to such
platform.
Note is to be made, furthermore, of
Mr.. McAdoo's reminiscence, in the
course Of brief sketch of his politi-
cal career, Of the fact that his candi
dacy for the nomination in 1924 was
rendered aborti by the unfortunate
injection, against my wishes, of the
false religious issue into the national
Democratic convention" Does this
signify that Mr.. McAdoo will not him.
self bring up the religious question
against Gov. Smith. or that he con-
-ceives that no such situation should
arise which could justify the raising
of that issue? The answer to that
question may later develop.
The fact is that for some time, in
deed in the view of most people for
more than three years. Mr.. McAdoo
has not been regarded as having a
chance to get the 1928 nomination
does not lessen the political impor-
tance Of this withdrawal. His follow
ing" has been greatly diminished by
his two failures, at San Francisco in
1920 and at New York in 1924. But he
still wields an influence. He may not
swing any considerable number of
delegates to any particular quarter,
but unless he has written in this let
ter his political valedictory he Will he
a factor, however negative, at the
next gathering of the Democratic
party.