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Show NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENT EVENTS Much Guessing As to Action of the Democratic National Convention. TWO BIG QUESTION MARKS Attitude of Wilson and McAdoo a Puzzle Platform Issues Promise Fight Side Parties Interesting Irish Situation Is Grave France and England to War on Turk. By E. F. CLIPSON. Political wiseacres are at this time os busy in naming the nominee of the Democratic convention at San Francisco Fran-cisco as they were a short time ago in making wrong predictions about the Republican affair at Chicago. Indications Indica-tions are that most of them are guessing. guess-ing. In fact, it looks like a good old-fashioned old-fashioned guessing contest. If you are lucky you win the barrel of flour or the ladies' watch. Straws are no guide to the direction of the political wind for they are pointing In all directions, especially straw ballots. Possibly President Wilson, Mr. Bryan or one of the other party powers knows who will be the standard bearer, but he Is not telling. The big interrogation point which has been planted in the public mind concerns chiefly William G. McAdoo 'and also President Wilson himself The former secretary had for some weeks been boomed so persistently that many political forecasters believed be-lieved he was going to make a runaway runa-way race of it. But just at a critical time came his announcement that he was not seeking the nomination and preferred that his name should not be placed before the convention. Ardent supporters point out that he has not definitely refused the honor and are proceeding on the theory that he will accept if it comes to him unsolicited. Several state delegations which have been for McAdoo announce their refusal re-fusal to take his declination as unalterable unal-terable and their intention of voting for him in the convention. President Wilson Is the great enigma enig-ma just as he has been all through the months since his early illness and the ambiguous bulletins and interviews inter-views issued by his physicians. The first Interpretation of Mr. McAdoo's voluntary withdrawal from the race was that the Republican plutform having hav-ing largely made Mr. Wilson the issue in the campaign, it was fitting that the president should meet it by becoming the opposition candidate. This view was considerably strengthened by an interview which the president gave to a representative of a prominent New York newspaper, in which Mr. Wilson discussed issues but not candidates and stated that he appeared to be the principal Issue. The interviewer stressed stress-ed the point not of the president's complete recovery, but of his 'm-proved 'm-proved physical condition. Newspapers Newspa-pers throughout the country have been flooded with recent photographs of the president which indicate a fair degree of vigor. Sources close to the White House, notably Senator Glass, scout the third term idea, but the inference gained In many quarters from the interview, in-terview, the photographs and a few minor straws, is that the president, If not an active aspirant for the honor, proposes to be the power behind the office. Those upholding this view believe be-lieve that Mr. McAdoo sought to eliminate elim-inate himself In order to give his father-in-law a clear field. Others modify the view and Incline to the belief that there Is a divergence between be-tween the president and Mr. McAdoo on the League of Nations question. The tight In the resolutions committee com-mittee will be on the question of endorsing en-dorsing the administration's peace treaty and League of Nations policy, era the liquor Issue and on Ireland. A large share of opinion is to the effect that the committee will back the administration ad-ministration in Its league plan, possibly pos-sibly Insert a mild declaration for personal liberty without mentioning either light wines or beer, also a declaration of sympathy for subject nations desiring Independence, without with-out any specific mention of Ireland. Inasmuch In-asmuch as the Wilson league covenant cove-nant will be opposed by the Bryan faction, fac-tion, the Democratic senators who voted for the Lodge reservations ond by other nntl-admlnlstration elements; and as strong forces are working for a modification of the Volstead prohibition pro-hibition enforcement act, either of these questions is regarded as sufficient suffi-cient to force a fight on the floor of the convention Itself. While there are many friends of Irish independence In the convention, It is not a domestic question, and may go through in any manner In which the resolutions committee com-mittee decides to treat It. Both Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency will have the usual amount of company in the way of side parties. These are very interesting this year. Certain elements ele-ments among the suffragists ' are threatening an Independent party on account of failure of Democrats and Republicans to force a sufficient number num-ber of states to adopt the suffrage amendment. Certain drys threaten a party because Republicans nnd Democrats Demo-crats are too wet or neutral. The wets threaten a party because the other parties are too dry. Some negroes threaten a party of their own and propose to substitute William Hale Thompson, mayor of Chicago, as their patron saint, instead of Abraham Lincoln. Radicals, each one of whom Is a party to himself, are going to try and unite under the banner of the "Committee of 48" with much enthusiasm enthu-siasm for Senator LaFollette of Wisconsin Wis-consin for president ; notwithstanding the fact that the senator in all his past periods of dlsgruntlement over the actions of his party, has overcome his disappointment and remained "regular." Editor Hearst, who failed to dictate dic-tate the nomlnet , of the Republican party and whose counsels seem to have lost some of their weight In the Democratic party, Is trumpeting loudly loud-ly for the formation of a new party. Mayor Thompson, who was a Republican Repub-lican until defeated for national committeeman com-mitteeman and until the supreme court oi his state heaped1 an indignity upon him by knocking out a primary law under which his machine had been successful, is said to be building a springboard to make some kind of a flop. Editor Alexander Moore of Pittsburgh, a rampant Progressive, has come out for Harding. Senator Polndexter, who was regarded by many as the only real "Bull Moose" In the senate, has announced his Intention Inten-tion to support the Republican ticket. Neither the Hardlng-Coolldge forces nor those who will nominate a candidate candi-date at San Francisco, manifest much perturbation over the various Independent Inde-pendent parties threatened. Their attitude at-titude seems to be serenely that of "the more, the merrier." The more conservative branch of organized or-ganized workmen, as represented In the American Federation of Labor, closed a two-weeks' annual convention at Montreal, Canada, June 19. Samuel Sam-uel Gompers, the re-elected president of the organization, succeeded after a stormy opposition from the friends of Ireland In securing an Indorsement of the Leogue of Nations without reservations. res-ervations. The opposition was against the covenant because of the view that it guarantees the integrity of the British Brit-ish empire. Labor's program as formulated by the convention demands follows: Ratification of the peace treaty. Government ownership with democratic demo-cratic operation of the railroads. Curb on profiteering ond high cost of living with jail sentences for profiteers. prof-iteers. Right to strike and abolition of compulsory com-pulsory arbitration nnd anti-strike legislation. leg-islation. Hands off in Mexico by the United States government. Indorsement of the Irish republic. Right of collective bargaining. Advances In wages wherever necessary neces-sary to maintain the American standard stand-ard of living. Shorter workday If necessary to prevent pre-vent unemployment. These recommendations will be launched against the Democratic convention con-vention at San Francisco, with a strong effort by President Gompers am' other leaders to secure their In corporation In the platform. The executive ex-ecutive council of the federation also was instructed to consider a plan for procuring control of a number of dally newspapers to represent the cause of labor. If no strikes occur and present conditions con-ditions of production continue, there Is less prospect of a famine in soft coal next winter. The United States geological survey announces that production pro-duction so far in 1920 Is about 89,-000,000 89,-000,000 tons ahead of the same period last year. The action of the interstate inter-state commerce commission in providing pro-viding more cars of the mines and In granting preference and priority orders or-ders for the transportation of soft coal have had a favorable result. Nevertheless, forehanded people, warned by the experience of last winter, win-ter, are laying in coal wherever possible. pos-sible. Coal prices show no inclination to drop. Although a condition very much resembling civil war has existed for more than a. week at Londonderry, Ireland, with rioting, street barricades and casualties mounting into the hundreds, hun-dreds, It is not believed that it is the match which will touch off the great conflagration Involving Unionists, Nationalists Na-tionalists and Sinn Felners. While conditions have also been bad in Belfast Bel-fast and a few other places and the general situation is regarded as grave, it. is pointed out that the disturbed areas are the centers of violent partisanship par-tisanship and frequently subject to turbulence. The government statement state-ment says that such outbreaks are to be expected and do not .indicate that a state of war throughout Ireland Is Immediately Impending. The railroad situation, wherein the employees refuse re-fuse to operate trains carrying soldiers sol-diers or military supplies Is the most serious with which the government has to deal. The authorities have mode two threats against the strikers, one to operate the trains with troops, and the other to stop rail traffic entirely. The course of near events appears to hinge upon the government's ability to handle the transportation crisis. With the ending of the armistice between the French In Cillcia and Mustapha Kemal Pasha, leader of the Turk Nationalists, came the announcement announce-ment of a conference between Mar-shah- Foch of France and Sir Henry Wilson, British chief of staff, at which It was decided to wage a strong campaign cam-paign against the Turks, Neither Frnnce nor England being willing to send more soldiers, it is reported that Greece will furlnsh the troops and the two allied countries most of the officers. As a reword Greece is to have Smyrna. The Turkish situation Is regarded as a serious one. The peace treaty practically abolished the Turkish empire, parceling the richest rich-est portions among the allies and confining con-fining the Turks to a small district In Asia Minor without a port, which leaves them ringed by Greeks, Armenians Armeni-ans and other hostile nationalities. A realization that this would occur was responsible for the revolt under Kemal. Kem-al. The total French casualties during dur-ing the temporary occupation of Cillcia were 6,000 men, Including Armenian Ar-menian troops, and 124 officers. Already Al-ready the British have suffered heavily heav-ily from Turk attacks, although their casualties have not been announced. Troops are on the way to meet Rental's forces, which are said to have advanced ad-vanced beyond Ismld In the direction direc-tion of Constantinople. Last week British ships were reported bombarding bombard-ing the approaches to Ismld. American Red Cross units are engaged en-gaged In handling refugee work for southern Russia from Constantinople and general relief work In Poland, the Baltic states, Montenegro. Albania, Serbia. Czecho-Slovakla, Greece and Italy, but activities of the United States in foreign countries are rapidly rapid-ly being -curtailed. Outside of Germany, Ger-many, the only military mission of the United States Is that headed by Col. W. N. Haskell, which was assigned by President Wilson In November, 1010, to assist the near East relief committee commit-tee In Its work In Asia Minor. In Germany Ger-many 30 United States officers nr serving on the inter-allled high commission, com-mission, being Included among the 771 officers who, with 16.031 enlisted men. constitute the United States army of occupation. |