Evening star., 1928-06-06
Politics at Large
BY C. Could Lincoln.


the poirrt of view Of party harmony In
| the selection OF the national convention
cities this year Kansas City, Mo, where
| the Republicans are to open shop next
| Tuesday, is In the heart of the corn and
wheat belts, where the so-called rebel
| lion OF the farmers against the Coolidge
administration and the candidacy OF
Secretary Herbert Hoover Is said to be
at fever heat. The fever may not
be fatal. however. Judging from the
number of MidWestern leaders, who are
not at all excited over the prospect OF
AL Smiths carrying these farm States
against Mr. Hoover II they both be NOM
| mated.
The Democrats selected Houston.
/ Tex, for their quadrennial fracas, in
the South which has been particularly
hostile to the nomination of Gov Smith
Of New York for several reasons. Can
Hoover be nominated or President
Coolidge II he will have the nomination,
| In the heart of the corn belt? Can
| AL Smith be nominated in the sunny
South? A few weeks will answer both
these questions and determine to some
/ extent the psychology of staging such
fights in the cnemy's country. William
| Gibbs McAdoo of Georgia. California
and other States, sought in vain to win
| the Democratic nomination in New
York Citv four years ago He went to
New York with hundreds Of delegates
| instructed for him and approached A
majority Of the convention vote. but nc
was turned back The East was strongly
hostile to McAdoo.
Three subjects, at least, are bobbing
up which may give the Republicans
| come real knockdown fights in their
| consideration OF the party's national
platform next week. They are the farm
plank the wet and dry plank. and the
possible plank denouncing corruption
in elections Senator William E. Borah
of Idaho, with the Endorsement OF MS
own State for the presidential nomina-
ton, Is to be a delegate in the conven-
| ton. end he plans to raise his voice IN
regard to both the wet and dry plank
and the matter of political corruption.
| The platform. according 10 present
plans, will be framed and adopted be-
| fore the Republican convention gets
| down TO the business Of nominating
candidates for President and Vice Presi-
| dent. The adoption of the platform IS
/ likely to give real indication how the
| contests for the nomination are going.
The Lowden- Dawes Curtis Watson Nor
ris- for President boosters are demand
| ing that the farm plank in the platform
shall give the Western farmers prom
| !se of the passage of bill similar to
| the McNary- -Haugen bill, which was
vetoed by President Coolidge twice.
| They insist that the equalization Zee
| principle must be included in the plank.
| If they lose the fight for such plank
and 1t seems more than probable they
willard the platform is adopted with
a farm plank more satisfactory 10 the
| Coolidge administration, how in bally-
hack can they expect TO nominate one
of the candidates who has made the
! McNary- -Haugen farm bill an issue in
his campaign for the presidential NOM
nation? That is giving some Of the
managers of these candidates no little
cause for concern.
X y
In fact. the Hoover campaign has
| been aided to no little extent by the
| fact that the opposition has been forced
to line up solidly against President
Coolidge by the vigorous veto of the
| farm bill. which MFR. Coolidge sent 10
The Senate a week or two ago. In this
matter President Coolidge and his Sec
| retary of Commerce seem to be tied
together. The blasts which some of
the farm leaders in the Midwest have is
sued since the veto message was read
| in the Senate have been aimed as
strongly against the President rs against
Mr.. Hoover.
Are the Republicans going to ignore
In their platform the charges OF cor
| rtiption in elections and in the payment
| OF campaign deficits which have been
lodged against them in the senatorial
investigation of the naval oil reserve
leases and the investigations conducted
bv the Reed slish fund committee?
| They are not, II Senator Borah has
| anything TO do with the matter. The
| Democrats are much interested in the
manner In which the Republican ma
tional convention will deal with the
| corruption issue They are planning
| to bring ths issue into the national
| campaign as vigorously as they can.
The Republicans say. however, that If
| the Democrats nominate a Tammany
| sachem. In the person OF AL Smith, they,
| the Republicans. should worry about a
| corruption issue. They will dig up
enough material against Tammany TO
make the Republican organization look
/ like a pure white lily. Will the Re-
| rublicans repudiate in their platform
| the Use of Sinclair bonds by former
National Chairman VIII H, Hays TO
pay of the campaign deficit OF 1920
| in the year 1928? So far there has
been no indication Just what will 90
into the platform. Senator Reed
| Smoot of Utah is the choice for the
| resolutions committee chalrmanship and
| he is sitting on the lid He says that
| he hopes the platform will be drafted
and adopted without any serious rows,
But he is optimistic, to say the least.
| **&
The Hoover headquarters IN Kansas
| City are In the Baltimore Hotel. and
tho Lowden headquarters are in the
! same hostelry. On the second floor
Clarence r Buck, the Lowden manager,
| Is directing the early skirmiShing, He
declares that the Iowden people are
not particularly concerned with the re-
suits of the contests for delegates from
the Southern States, Nevertheless, the
| Hoover leaders are delighted with the
| seating of ooecr-instructed delegations
/ from the Southern States. James w,
| Good of Iowa, former member OF the
House and manager OF the Hoover
campaign, holds forth in an upper
story Of the Baltimore Hotel In both
headquarters Rre hung pictures Of
| PRESIDENT COOHQGC,
MIR Lowden is due to arrive in Kansas
City on Saturday, He Is a genial gentle
man with an attractive personality. As
many delegates To the national conven-
tion as possible will be made 10 feel
the effect OF this pleasing personality,
Mr. Hoover. on the other hand, Is p,an-
ning 20 stick to his post IN Washington
during the convention. leaving the
handshaking to his principal opponent
| u y
| G, RaSeom 1lemp. power In Re-
| publican politics of the South and ma
tlonai committeeman for Virginia, is IN
Kansas City working hard for the
| nomination OF Mr. Hoover. MIR Slemp