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The Commoner
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VOL. 20, NO. 7
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ha r defined - Unless some ono " la
tAorixea to aay what reservations are ac
ceptable and what are to be regarded
ftg objoctlonablo the troaty must bo de
fended as tho president lad it boforG the senate.
Senator Walsh secured an amendment oyer
the protest df Chairman Glass and Secretary
Colby, That permitted lntorprolative rcserva- .
lions, but this is also indefinite because no ono
tells what reservations are and what are not
interpretative. Senator Walsh voted for rati
fication with the so-called "Lodgo" reservations.
Some might construe this amendment to justify
the acceptance of those, although twenty Demo
cratic senators voted against them on the ground
that they wore nullifying.
The troaty is therefore not an issue because
the .Republicans and Democrats of the senate
were willing to accopt it. 'The league of nations
is not an Issue because both the conventions
docl.aro for a league of nations (tho Republicans
call it an association of nations, but a league by
any othpr, name would smell as well,)
Tho roal Issue is whotbor the president should
presont to, tho allies a ratification " of the treaty
with reservations acceptable to a considerable
majority of tho senate (including thirty-four
Republicans and twenty-three Democrats a total
of fittyseVon or nine more than a majority of
all tho ninety-six members of the senate), or
postpone our national entranco into the ieaguo
until tho sonato agroos to ouch torms as tho
president sees fit to choose.
In other words, tho American people are com
pelled, to decide between persldontlal infallibil- ,
ity and tho most fundamental Democratic prin
ciple, namely, tho right of tho people to rule.
If this principle is sound it applies to represen
tative bodies elected by tho people, as well as to
a diroct Vote of tho people, Instead of present
ing UiIb issuo direct and asking: the peoplgto
decide it, the evadors have attempted to obscure
and bocldud the controversy.
The Republican convention gave us many op
portunities. The Democratic convention . ne
glected to improve those opportunities,. x .
V
PKESTOENTTAL BOOMS IN HANDS OJ?'-
' ( OliD-XIME MACHINE LEADEKS y " W.
San Francisco, July 5. The man who . in
vented the submarine must havo Rotten tho
fldea at a national convention, for there, is no
place where the ship' for which tho candidate
waitS'Is more likely to be sunk by some hidden
projectile that strikes beforo its coming is
known. All sorts of stories are afloat and a
Candidate and his friends are kept busy deny
ing; them. But these do not give as much
trouble as the plots of leaders. Whou, a block
of -votes turns from ono candidate to another
the audience cheers the result without knowing
the cause. They have little idea of the under
currents that control, a convention. Open nomi
nations openly arrived at are badly .needn
ed. This article must bo put upon the
wire before the convention meets today
and I cannot therefore discuss the ballot
ing,, but there is no Indication of the un
locking of tho deadlock, and ;the reasons
for, this situation are difficult to fathom. The
cox contingent is held together by several ties.
First tho wets hail him as their logical chief.
They think of him every time they are thirsty
and their enthusiasm increases with, the stime
between drinks. He is the. shadow of a rock fn
a weary land. He Is the residuary' legatee of
all the booms that had any degr.ee of niolsture
in them.
Ho has also drawn luto nla ranks all the op
position to thePresidont that is personal and
his company has the beneft of skillful leadership
-that is, tho leadership of the men who are
acquainted with old fashioned politics. Chas.
Murphy is here, as of old, except that some of
hia wax figures were melted when tho unit rule
was abolished. It is a strange sight to see
the strength of tho empire state broken up and
each delegate blowing where ho listeth. Mr;
James Nugent, of Jow Jorsey, a past .master
Of machine politics, i3 with Cox. His power
wanes in proportion as the liquor question is
Bottled, but he Btlll has a clamoring constituency
lor which he speaks.
Hon. Thomas Taggart.bf Indiana -is probably
th,e most adroit individually behind the Cox
boom. He knows tho pontics of yesterday as
few do and ho has all thop.ass words neces-'
sary to admit him ,to tho. Inner circle of tfro
Nl?', York- financiers. ',Mr. Cpfrgo Brennan, ofc
-Illinois? successor- to Roger Sullivan is-th'e;-dominant
factor in the Illinois delegation. Those
men, having combined tho political power of a
decadent liquor traffic With an irritated group,
of big business men, are standing out for their'
man, and to .all outward appearances are hold
ing the linox
Mr. McAdoo represents a different eldmeht."
Tho leaders of his forces are largely office hold
ers, of whom there are a groat many in this
tJonvontlon. Ho Is, being urged as tho dryest
of the leading candidates, although a number
of his le.ders are on record against any mon- n
tlon of the liquor question in the platform.
Attoruoy Ceneral Palmer has all of the Fed
eral brigade except those supporting McAdoo.
There is a mystery about ouij the division in tho
ranks of the administration men somo aro
for McAdoo and some for Palmer. There la even
some animosity between the frionds of the two
cndldrtos, if you: could judge by the undertone
.of indignant criticisms. Why should federal
officials, tracing their title to a common source
be so unlike, the two hearts that beat as one?
Mr. Palmer says that Mr. McAdoo will not.
be nominated and he says it with as much de
termination in his tone as when he declares
that Mr. Cox will not bo nominated. Mr. Mc
Atiaoi "he says nothing but just lies low," while
his friends try to nominate him,.p spite of his
withdrawal. Some day, possibly in that "beauti
ful isle of somewhere,'' we shall know why this
discord exists among those who would natural
ly be dwelling together in unity and drawing
thoir salaries in peace. ' y
Outside of these contending .forces are tho. :
candidates with just a few votes--still hope--'
ful, and the dark horses, increasing in number.
Secretary Colby is talked of but the mention
Orhis namo is generally accompanied by refer-
ence to his Democratic birth certificate,, and the-.t
ago of his democracy is inquired about, as carer
fully as the politician inquires about the ago of .
the children when campaigning. "How large for
his age?" . ,
Ambassador Davis has a, boom, but it, too,
seems in , need" of nourishments , The amount
of time require to'- explain, whd ho ,is andHafc;,.
he has done interferes with the rabidity W the '
movement. When it is remembered that Secre
tary Colby and Ambassador Davis are being
mentioned in connection with the highest office
within the gift of tho people of the world, it
does aeem strange that it should take so long to
makeknown their recommendations. The sud
denness of their comet-likp entrance into the po
litlal sky recalls a story used to illustrate im
mature ambition: At a ward caucus in the City
of New York, a local politician placed a candi
date in nomination for .Alderman. An old resi7
dent rose to inquire about the individual named,
saying, "I have lived in this ward for 20 years
and I have never had the honor of meeting the
gentleman," The sponsor of the aspiring can
didate immediately explained by drawing from
hiB pocket u. letter with a European postmark
and signed by the proposed candidate. It read
something as follows: "My dear sir: I beg to
say that if nominated and elected I will be thefev
in time to qualify."
CONTENTION DEADLOCKED WHILE CER
TAIN INTERESTS MANEUVER FOR
ADVANTAGE
San .Francisco, July 5. I have seen tho horns
of two bucks so intertwined that they could
not bo separated. They told a pathetic story of
a conflict which ended in a victory for neither,
but in death for both. Such a conflict is almost
impossible in a convention" where the majority
has the right to rule, for it nearly always ends
in one side securing onq or a few votes more
than tho other side; and a majority usually
becomes two-thirds
In this convention at the hour of this writing
tho situation may change complotely-Jn a
moment's time the horns, are seemingly locked
but a careful inspection Of tfte horns reveals
that there are three pairs instead of two. The
White House, Wall street, and the wots have
locked horns and neither element has "thus far
been able to get von a majority. There are
three distinct groups in this Convention. Tho
largest and most influential group is made up
of those who boast that Jhey, represent the Presi
dent and unto whom not only his word hut his
Wish is law.- The. second group in. size is com
posed of the, wets. The;!? number can be ac
curately determined; because they had a roil
call'and'366-dol6gates-wa;lkedupto-the wet Una
and mado obeisance to a beer parrel
It would be difficult to bring the Wall street
crdwd up to a line so distinctly drawn Th
Wall street group, the least of the three,' is un
certain in, number and not united in action
The most of them are with Governor Cox who
has wisely entrusted this parf of liis cam'paieh
to Ex-Governor Harmon, who was the. Wall
street candidate- for president at Baltimore
eight years ago, but Mr. McAdoo and Mr. Palmer
havo some supporters among this element, but
a man who is really under tho control of tho
financiers is moved from candidate to candidate
as a pawn on a checkerboard is moved from
square to square. According to the plan of tho
ono who ic playing th- 'game.
The ideal candidate, measured by the stand
ards of this convention, is a man who will lot
the president direct him on every question ex
cepting finance and liquor, and who, on these
two questions, will submit hfs, views to the liquor
interests and Wall street fOr revision. In other
words, tho coimmtion requires a bond with throo
:roties and so far has not been able to secure
more than two. Can they find a man who ex
actly fits into this situation? If ao, ho can havo
the place for the asking.
There have been many attempts at compro
mise. Ambassador Davis is the one most spoken
of. He has been represented as satisfactory
to the President, but the office-holder friends of
Mr. McAdoo and Mr. Palmer aro not yet will
ing to give up hope of their respective candi
dates. Mr, Davis-'has received a Wall street in
dorsement of no little value in the support given
nim by the Jtew Yotfkr Times.. The Times would
not knowingly propose a man unacceptable to
the financiers, and it would. ,not bo likely to
make a mistake in its judgment of men, meas
ured by this test. In thig case we know that it
has made no mistake because its wisdom has
been indorsed by Mr Littleton and Mr. Beck.
Geometrical calculation will show that the
agreement of the Times, Mr. Littleton, and Mr,
Beck on this subject WOULDt make a mistake
almost impossible., if Mr.Davk is big. enough to
be-presidentV'hls failure i& thrw-the weight of
"so great an influence ontho side of great reforms
would be difficulf to explain before popular audi
ences. A little man might excuse inactivity on
tho ground of modesty, but great intellects and
great hearts are assumed to have a courage
commensurate with tho opportunities presented.
Mr. Davis is represented as dry; if he Is his
influence has not yet been felt on that side of
the question in this convention." His delegation
voted no on both the dry and the wet plank,
and unless misrepresented by his delegation he
is left in the twilight zone .that envelops just
a little more than half of this convention,
Secretary Colby is another dark horse that,
according to rumor, is bejn& groomed jn the ad
ministration stable. He is, of course, satisfac
tory to the President since ho accepted the posi
tion in the cabinet after the President bad de
clared that he desired some- on wnose mind
would run alonr willingly with his. If Mr.
Colbys mind doos not keep up with the Presi
dent's, the-impediment will bo purely physical,
for the new secretary will try hard! enough to
trail immediately behind the President.
He will also be entirely satisfactory to the
wets. Ho comes from New Jersey and unlesa
the secretary is grossly misrepresented, oven
GovOrnor Edwards himself is no" more jealous
than he his of the inalienable right of the in
dividual to drink himself and communicate al
coholism to others. ,
Whether Mr. Colby would be acceptable to tho
Wall street interests remains to be "seen. The
fact that ho was a follower of Col. Roosevelt
would not be decisive on this subject because
the late ex-president had a way of attaching to
himself antagonistic groups of men, One group
represented Wall street and another protested
against Wall street. Mr. Perkins, who was prob
ably the closes political friend Mr Roosevelt
had, was identified with a very influential ele
ment in Wall street finance, - and I would
not venture upon information so far athapd to
classify Mr. Colby.
The abjection most frequently heard to Secretary-
Colby is that his conversion to the Demo
cratic, party is; recent,' but that objection, serious
as it might be- in normal times, would have loss
force now than usua First party lines are
lesjj strictly , drawn now tjmtf". ever before in
fifty years; there is more independent -voting
,.
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