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The Commoner
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VOL. 20, NO. G
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HugheB whllo a progroaaivo convention waa in
.session in anolhor hall. Ho will have Wa.Il airoot
with' him wiihout tho loos of a man. Ho ' will
Valjy about'him all of tho privilogo-huhtora and
iho 'profitCOra. His nomination, with thc'plat
fbtni on which lie runs, will make tho TijOpnbti
tintf side of tho iaauo clear.
Thoro wiljl .ho no diaguislng of tho situation
which tho voters havo to meet. Now tho rep
resentatives of predatory wealth can move from
Chicago to San Francisco, whore they will under
take to manipulate tho Democratic convention as
they havo thja. Tho interim of two weoks will en
able them to travel leisurely, atopping in the
Jriountaina to roat up ao they will be frcah and
frpndy for businoaa when tho convontion opena.
Westward intoroat, like the atar of ompiro,. takes
Its course, and the question is, can they aucceed
at San Franciaco?
Labor will be hoatllo to Senator Harding and
Ills platform. Tho Democratic party has a great
opportunity if It will improve it. Tho party must
take the people's sido. If tho Democratic party
(loos not tho aoclalist party and tho newly organ
ised labor party will havo a largo summer's
growth, and it may bo added that Mr. Hard
ing's attitude on the liquor quostion, coupled
With silonco on that subject in tho platform,
pives tho Democratic party a chance to draw a
large number of prohibition Republicans to the
Democratic standard. The south, the Democratic
south, led in tho prohibition fight. It now has
a chance to holp put tho Democratic party in a
position to appeal to the conscience of the nation
as tho guardian of tho homo. The Democratic
party has tho chance of a lifetime, and there is
ovory reason to believe it will improve tho op
portunity ,,
-The people must look to tho Democratic party
for justico at honie and peace abroad1. ' ' - -
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PLATFORM AND NOMINEES
Chicago, Juno 12. The convention is ovor
"The tumult and the shouting1 cease."' Tlie plat
form is full of invective against tho president
and full of boasting of Republican accomplish
ment, but that is not unnatural. It is 'the custom
of partios to "point with pride'! to all they do
and to "view with alarm" all that the opposition
has done or proposes to do.
The platform is a compromise, but what olso
could it bo when the Republican party is rent
with' division and hold together by party name
ynther than by agreement upon principles? In
1912 more than half of the voters of tho Repub
lican party bolted an unprecedented thing.
Even then a majority of the leaders wore reac
tionary and tho percentage has increased until
.it is safe to say that three-fourths if not four
i fifths of 1 ho prominent mon in tho party are dis
, tinctly reactionary.
j On aomo questions the pronouncements were
clear and unequivocal. For instance, on the
private ownership of railroads, telegraph lines,
land telephone lines, the attitude of the
J party is unmistakable. On the subject of
profiteering the evasion of tho issue was
apparent and in the interests of the ex
ploiters. On the subject of the. soldiers' bonus,
the party's position was not duo to hostility to
the soldiers or to lack of appreciation for their
teerrlces. The Republican loaders would be glad
"to give a bonus if they could do so without of
fending Republicans, who, though few in num
ber, have more influence with the leaders of that
Xarty than all tho service men combined. Ap
propriations have to bo provided for and the
Republicans loaders could not find a way of rais
ing monoy that would not arouse violent opposi
tion. To tax all tho pcoplevould offond a larg
er number than the bonus Would please; to
issue bonds would depress tho price of the bonds
'outstanding, and that would create antagonism;
to put It on stock dividends and war profits
ould irritate the capitalistic class, so the sol
dier boys get compliments instead of cash. Their
labors are to be hold in "imperishable remem
brance." The leaders certainly did "say it with
flowers."
lk ' Tho woman's suffrage plank underwent a ma
terial alteration in the full committee. In the
report of tho sub-committeo as published the
governors of states that had not ratified wore
Wged to call special sessions for tho hastening
ratification. In tho platform as finally pub
lished tho governors were not mentioned, but
legislatures that had not ratified were urged to
tfHo. This seems like a very slight change,
but it may mean tho delay of ratification until
aftor the election. f
Tho history of the lost prohibition pJank
would make a sidesplitting comedy. Some said
it was in; aomo said it was not. Some claimed
that it was put in and lost out, and ought to
havo boon road when it wasn't. One member
of the committee wrote out a minority report
and then went off' to his hotel' instead of pre
Benting it to tho convention. He sent it by an
outsidor to a delegate who was afraid to present
it becauso ho was going to mako a nominating
speech and feared he would hurt tho candidate.
"They all with one accord bean to make ex
cuse." No one scorned disposed to do tho na
tural and easy thing, namely, bring it into the
convention and have tho mistake corrected. -And
this is the convention of a party that has
claimed a monopoly of high purpose and con
scientious endeavor.
I have already called attention to tho ambiguity
of tho plank on tho League of Nations; it says
anything or nothing or both, according to your
pleasure. Call for, anything you want and you
will lind it there.
A number of tho farmers' demands were in
cluded in tho platform, "and several planks sug
gested by the women, but labor received a scant
hearing. Tho lino between the corporation and
its employees ig too clearly drawn to permit the
party to straddle tho issue, and, being compelled
to chose, It could not take other than the em
ployer's side.
The candidates are men of ability and will
prove acceptable to a large majority of the party.
Senator Harding, while entirely pleasing to Big
Business, cannot be attacked as successfully as
Governor. Lowden might have been. The cam
paign expense scandal did not involve him to
anything like the extent that it did General Wood
and Governor Lowden. He will make a stronger
candidate than either the Governor of Illinois or
the soldier aspirant. As a campaign orator Sena
tor Harding will be a great asset to his party.
He brings to tho p?.rty tho best equipment in this
respect of any candidate in recent years. He
has a fine presence, a genial manner; and a wife
who will grace the White House1 if her husband
reaches that goal.
Governor Coolidge will stronghon the ticket
in the east. Ohio, while east of the center of
population, is considered so western by those on
the Atlantic coast that thoy could not think of
going to Kansas or Wisconsin for the second
man. Governor Coolidge became famous in the
pollcomen's strike, and has added to his popular
ity in the west by vetoing a bill authorizing
beverages containing a higher alcoholic content
than tho federal law permits. The Governor's
.veto message was published only a few days
bofore the Supreme Court decision which would
have invalidated tho law had it been signed.
The platform and the nominees of the Re
publican convention are a challenge to the Demo
crats to do their best. They present a clear cut
issue. If the Democrats accept it as bodly as
the Republicans have presented it tho people will
be able to vote with intelligence and choose their
policies as they choose their president. The
Democrats could not ask more than the Republi
cans have done to insure a lively campaign
unless the Democrats confess judgment in ad
vance by attempting to crowd into the same
seat.. It all depends upon what is done at San
Francisco. If the influences which. were con
trolling here dominate the convention at San
Francisco which God forbid! we will have a
repetition of 1904, when Wall street picked out
our candidate for us and then threw him over
broad. If Wall street takes charge of tho Demo
cratic party .this year, it Will be, not for the pur
pose of electing the candidate but to save them
selves from the necessity of making a campaign
PROHIBITION OUTS CRIME
An Albany dispatch to the New York Tribinn
dated May 21 says: There were 914 cases of
intoxication before magistrates in New Ynrlr
City during tho first three months of this year
according to a statistical statement issued to
day by the New York State Probation Commis-
?neota?;as?rSPOnding laat
Plied by Charles L.'chute, secretary of the com
mission,, to support this declaration. q
A Good Platform
At the convention of tho Democrats of t
castor county, (Lincoln), Nebraska, Mav '
called to select delegates to the Btato convent?,'
at Omaha May 11, Charles W. Bryan was cho n
chairman of tho delegation. The fSllmving reh
form," were adopted: . w " ra0Uel
"We, the Democratic voters of Lancaster
county, Nebraska in convention assembled Tot
sire to reaffirm our adherence to the time hon
ored -principles of good old Thomas Jefferson
democracy, favoring equal rights to all and snc.
cial privileges to none. l
"Wo commend tho splendid administration of
that magnaiflcient stateman' whom wo delicht tn
honor as president, Woodrow Wilson. His viZ
conduct of the nation's affairs during tho trroif
est war of all history; his wonderful work as a
member of the peace conference, and his master
ful efforts to effect participation on tho part of
the United States in the league of nations de
serve the praise of all. We favor the ratification
of tho league of nations at the earliest possible
moment.
"We congratulate the Democrats of Nebraska
on the notable moral victory recently won in the
state primaries under the leadership of our
esteemed fellow citizen and leader, Honorable
William Jennings Bryan; and we wish the Ne
braska delegates Godspeed in their efforts to pre
vent any departure from the party's stand on
the great great moral issues.
"We rejoice in the constitutional amendment
that makes the nation dry and unhesitatingly
condemn any efforts to detract from the force or
efficiency of the Volstead law.
"We congratulate the women of the nation
upon their partial admission to the ranks of vot
ers, and commend to them tho Democratic party
as offering a more promising field for their po
litical activities and affording better opportun
ities for promoting such needed reforms than
any other party; We are heartily iu favor of the
immediate ratification of tho national suffrage
amendment to the constitution and favor an
amendment to tho Nebraska 'constitution giving
the women full and complete equal suffrage iu
this state.
"We denounce tho present Republican state
administration as tending to extravagance and
neglect of tho public V business, and too great
laxity in the staters policy toward convicted crim
inals. We. condemn the multllation of the state
primary law-which took place in the 1919 legis
lative session and favor the repeal, of all the
amondments thon adopted.
"We condemn the unconscionable profiteer
ing that is going on anjd is being permitted to
continue in this country, and favor specific fed
eral, state and municipal remedies' to protect the
people from tho impositions? to which they aro
being subjected by organized profiteering.
"We favor the licOnsing by the state of all
dealers in the necessaries of life, such as food,
clothing, fuel, etc'ahd limiting the per cent of
profit to a reasonable basis the same as banks
are limited in tho per cent of interest that they
can charge for the use of money.
"We favor the appointment of a state trade
commision similar to the federal trade commis
sion with powers to investigate profit
eering and to furnish evidence of violation of
' laws. '
"In order to protect the farmers and live
stock raisers we favor a state bonded grain com
mission and a state bonded livestock commis
sion which will . protect . them in the market
ing of thoir grain and livestock.
- "We favor tho establishment of municipal
market houseSjinunicipaj slaughter houses, mun
icipal coal yards, and municipal produce stores
when necessary to. protect .the public from the
organized profiteer.
" "We favor tho. strengthening and the exten
sion of the state hail insurance law so as to give
ample protection to, the crop-growers of the
state.
"Wo favor state fire insurance, state owner
ship o"f elevators and, stockyards on whatever
scale may bo necessary to restore competition
and "protect the people of Nebraska from evtor
tionate rates and rujfes,. .
"Wo favor the eight hour day, for labpr ana
tho principle.,. of cpllectlyo, bargaining between
capita and. lahpr.
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