The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-06-12
KEEPING UP.
e n With
THE NE WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY

BY LUDWELL DENNY
II ANsAs CITY, June 12.-Tha
N big show is on. Crowds, bunt-
ing, bands, noise, speeches. No one
listening-its only the preliminaries,
organizations, committees.
The keynoter is up. Great party.
great administration, great Coolidge
cheers. They are having a good
time. Everybody important. Going
to pick the next President.
AS the boys watch the show, the
the leaders move in and out. A
hurried whispered conference with
their floor managers, and out again
to the back room.
HooverS aids are confident. Lick
'em on the first ballot-or the third,
anyway. George Moses and Jimmy
Good are smiling. No, Coolidge
won't let Hoover down. The Presi-
dent will silence this draft Coolidge
hokum, when the time comes. Then
Pennsylvania and New York will
have to swing to Hoover, and we'll
go over with a bang.
A report comes in that the Hoo
yer delegation from Maryland will
filter away, Here is another. The
enemy has reached" some of the
boys from Tennessee and Missis-
sippi. Probably not true. Think of
Massachusetts, Missouri and Ve--
mont getting ready to fall into line
Everybody will be doing it soon.
Maybe.
MEANWHILE the Lowden dele
4VA cation is willing. No chance.
Frank slumps in an uncomfortable
chair, resigned. A gentleman farmer,
capitalist, husband of a Pullman
company heiress. Straight as a string,
his friends say. Nothing to that
scandal which kept him from the
nomination in 1920. He didn't know
his managers were distributing cash
unwiSely in Missouri. The fates
against him then and now. Why
won't the dirt farmers rally to his
leadership? Can Dawes slip in any,
way, as into the vice presidency
four years ago? Perhaps Dawes luck
still is running Funny thing,
politics. You never can tell. Lowden
gets up YEARLY and walks out into
the air.
Anyone but Hoover says Frank.
Mrs. Mccormick remains. Daugh-
ter Of Mark Hanna, widow of the late
Senator from Illinois, candidate for
Congress, she drives the Lowden
group. She has faith. I'VE have
Hoover stopped; he can't hold them
much longer" Over and over she
repeats this to her delegates. They
nod, shift their feet nervously, and
look away.
THUBBY CHARLIE CURTIS sits
~ with his mighty mustache,
waiting for the lightning to strike
him as the compromise candidate.
Isn't he man Of the people from
Kansas, center of the farm belt?
Didn't he, the great, great grandson
of Indian chiefs, rise from a Jockeys
saddle to be floor leader of the
United States Senate? Hasn't he,
been making friends with both fac
tons of the party for thirty yearsP
Didn't he just vote for the Nc
Nary Haugen farm relief bill, and
then turn around and vote against
it to uphold the Presidents veto?
Now if the convention will only
jam into deadlock, surely they will
turn to him.
Anyone but Hoover" says
Charlie.
jim MISUNDERSTANDING, back
slapping Jim. Strategist of the all
lies. He learned his politics straight
from the old master, Uncle Joe
Cannon. Jim is determined to be
in on the kill, again. He helped
turn the trick in the Chicago con-
vention, and in that midnight bed
room conference agreed with other
bosses on Warren Harding. Why
shouldn't he be able to do it again,
even though Penrose, Lodge, King
and Healing are dead, and Harry
Daugherty no help any more?
ANY one but Hoover" says Jim,
HILLES slides about noiselessly,
a Il with the customary and sweet
smile of the mortician. Boss of
New York, vice chairman of the ma
tional committee, spokesman for
Wall Street and collector for the
campaign war chest. Hilles is sad
from years of effort of trying to
stop AL Smith and the Democrats
from bagging New York. He started
the draft Coolidge movement to
block Hoover.
Now, Hilles is afraid he can't keep
up the bluff or Coolidge candidacy
much longer. He is grooming his
dark horses. First, he is in touch
with Hughes friends. The next min
ute he is trying to arrange the COM
bination for Charlie Dawes, that
modestly unavoWed candidate Of
both the embattled farmers and Of
their Wall Street enemies"
ANY one but Hoover" says EIilles,
Hilles talks much of Uncle ANDY.
a shy, frail little Fman of halting
speech. Uncle Andy owns coal mines,
banks, aluminium combines and
other things. AS Secretary of the
Treasury he also manages prohibi- :
ton enforcement. Some say he
manages Coolidge. He is Pennsyl-
vania boss. He can deliver that
delegation, Those seventy votes
hold the balance of power here.
7 TNCLE ANDY'S first choice is
" Coolidge. At one time he was
for Hughes But now he fears he