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If JULY, 1920
than wo have seen in this country since the civil
Lar. second, necessity kncnys ho law, and hoy
may (eel that it is necessary to take anyone
' mhntrt thfl threo elements can acree.
Vice President Marshall prohahly has more
rerfional friends and admirers in the convention
than any other candidate". He is a likable fel
low and holds a position which has been used
as a stepping-stone to the presidency. Jeffer
son was vice president and so was Roosevelt, but
Marshall's weakness is -that he doesn't quite
suit either element. He has been as loyal to
the President as any member of his cabinet, and
yet he is suspected of- having convictions of his
own which might control him -if he 'were in the
principal place instead of in a subordinate posi
tion. The wets applaud when he chews the rag
about national prohibition and belches out a
little lava occasionally against a principle which
k abhorrent to him, but they know that he is
4 conscientious man and will live up to his oath
of office. That roeang that the wets could not
count on him to accept a position as president
ei-officio Of the united law-breakers if he be
comes president and took an oath to support the
constitution and the laws.
Neither is Wall street quite willing to ac
cept him, although he quickens the blood of fi
nanciers a little when he arraigns all innova
tions. Even with his short pjatform, "Old
fashioned democracy, nothing new since the
Nflood," he makes the plutocrats nervous by care
less remarks that indicate a tendency to interpret
his platform in such ' a. way, as to annoy the
plunderbund, . -
If the convention continues in deadlock, it
may bo worth while to discuss other dark horses
later. t ' '
he Commoner
FORCES THAT WORK IN THE DARK AND
AVOJD'OPBN ISSUES
San Francisco, iuly . r 'If I had but served
my God with half ( the seal t have served my"
king," is an exclamation that will be often re
peated by several "candidates "" in this conven
tion. With the exception ofv Senator Owen, not
a single candidate seemed interested in the plat
form. Mr. McAdoo was confidentially presented
as a dry, and yet in the fight on prohibition in
committee and on the floor, the; advocates Of
prohibition had no help ' from him. As far as
ho was concerned, it seemed a matter of indif
ference to him what the convention did. Some
of his strongest delegations, like Texas, for in
stance, voted against the dry plank. They were
expecting to have a chance to vote later on a
weaker plank, but the' opportunity never came.
They stand on record "opposed to a dry plank.
In the resolutions committee it was announced
that the sub-committee stood five to four against
any plank at all. Senator Glass, chairman of
the sub-committee, stated' that to' be the policy
Preferred in fact, it was understood that the
President thought it best that the platform
should bo silent on the subject, and the full
committee the word "full" beinff used in its
ordinary sense and not as a reflection pn the
membersvoted 36 to 12 against reporting any
P'ank on this subject.
Mr. Cox was supposed to be wet this fact
is borne out by the manner in ' which all the
Jjots flocked to Jiis standard. He did not urge
te adoption of a wet plank; hence there was
M direct issue made between- him and Mr. Mc
Adoo. if Mr. McAdoo had come out squarely
n favor of a dry plank he would have made
jt difficult for the delegates from the dry states
10 support any candidate less outspoken for
Prohibition than himself. But he did as candi
dates usually do; gave his entire thought to the
nomination and no attention to the platform.
Attorney General Palmer is in the same posi
"on. Not a word of support given to the dry
cause, and his delegation made up of wets and
JJW indiscriminately mixed. A considerable
majority of his delegates voted against the dry
Pjank, and quite a number of them voted for the
jet Plank, if he had come out and made a
Ght for the platform instead qf confining his
worts to the promotion of his own candidacy
w would have compelled, the delegates to sup
Port wm or Borae-0ne else as strongly committed
n?,v People's side of the various propositions
gm!ttefl. He Is ' described as a "fighting
X x " ana,et he gave, no support to, the ef
" to declare : against universal compulsory
""Mary training. He knows of the profiteering
The platform seemed to the candidates a no
Kffihp aU i!1tereSt8 bolng centeJeSfn .
glorifying the personality of candidates.
hoGn7fr??r1 CX could hardly b erected to
ho as bold in presenting his case as the others.
Ho represents a side that works in the dark,
and avoids open issues. The wets don't do their
campaigning with frank statement of the issues
and as Governor Cox seems to represent more
than any other candidate, though not exclus
ively, what is known as big business, ho could
not bo expected to be very definite on the ques
tions in which big business Is especially inter
ested. If either McAdoo or Cox had alowed it to
be known that they preferred a good platform to
the nomination, clearly outlined the Issues aa
they saw them and announced the position that
they thought the party ought to take, wo would
have had a very different convention, but the
wot president has tried to run a dry convention
on a straddling policy and the same evasion has
.characterized the other important issues. Wo
have not improved the opportunity presented
ro us by the Republican convention, and we go
before the country appealing only to partisans
and they are less in number today proportion
ately than they have been for decades. Aside
from the other causes that have contributed to
independence we must remember that some four
millions of young men have been mingling to
gether as soldiers. It will never be possible for
them to draw a party line between themselves
and those who shared the risks and dangers
of war with them at least, not to the same ex
tent that could have been done if there had been
no comradeship in arms-.
.The personal elemont cannot bo considered
until the nominations are made but as I have
remarked before, the personal element is greatly
overestimated. The platform controls many
where the personality of the candidate influ
ences one. We had a chance to espouse the peo
ple's side on soveral important issues; instead
of doing so we have run from the most im
portant of these issues, and even on the issue
declared paramount we draw no distinct lino
between the friends of the League of Nations
and the opponents of a league. We invite the
voters to entangle themselves in the discussion
of reservations that are difficult to distinguish
one from another.
SURRENDER TO REACTIONARIES ON
LIQUOR AND FINANCE
San Francisco, July 6. The nomination of
Governor Cox signalizes the surrender of the
Democratic party into the hands of the reac
tionaries on both the liduor question and fi
nancial question generally. A candidate, like
an tadividual, is to be judged by the company
he keens and Governor Cox's company eaves
control of the party imm, the
not seejn that cither mem Inated a wet
tiCk?M J an n w t Platform! although the wet
candidate on.a.7 convention was not so noisy
element n their c"10 Francisco. Big
or impudent a fosted in electing the
business will f-J "," tob simply interested
Democratic candidate t s P
in preventing the nom interests,
could wage VStotoyir as it did in 1004,
VT ?hrow 1" candilfe overboard and sup
port the Republican ticket.
,,. Arv Democrats ran away from their
When GJTJ allowed the conven-
greatest mrat0,!Le it invited just such a
tion to dodge .the issue it a
nomination as has been ted ,.
plank we ldnnoUld have proceeded to se
didates and I then l woum g fl
lect the most JSSno to be seen what posi
candidates. "'Stakes on the treaty ques
tion the eandWate taKe 6apport f lh0
tion. Not having receive 0 ,at
ministration, Mr . ,on that the President
Torm the intSSSaids would bav e
Venm Now that SeflgM is over the defeated
13
candidates will have an opportunity to review
tho past and note the mistakes made.
A PRESIDENT WHO "SOWS THE WIND"
San Francisco, July 0. This article has' to
bo placod upon the wire before tho nomination
of tho candidate for vice president, but It may
bo assumed that tho "tail will go with the hide,",
or, "In other words, that those who own the ship
will furnish tho crew." Tho vico presidential
candidate ought to bo In harmony with the
presidential candidate. The head of tho ticket
may very properly bo challenged to debate with '
rival candidates, but he ought not to be expected
to hold a joint discussion with his running
mate.
I have long slnca reached tho conclusion that
the vie president should have a largo part Itt
our government. In tho first Issue of my paper,
nineteen yoars ago last January, I presented an
argument in favor of making tho vlco president
cx-ofllcio a member of the cabinet, so that he
could bo fully informed as to the work of the
administration. We glvo a prosldont about four
months In which to prepare for his work after
ho is elected. A vico president may be called
upon to assumo tho duties of tho chief exocu-'
tlvo at a moment's notice. But while this re
form seems to bo so wise and necessary that it "
ought to bo accepted as a self-ovldont truth, it
seoms as far from accomplishment as over. The
convention usually makes tho nomination in
haste during tho closing hours, when tile suc
cessful element of tho convention is too exult
ant to think and the disappointed delegates are
too much Irritated to care what Is dono. ,
Looking back over this voryunusal convan-
tion I am reminded of some Blblo passage V
quoted, which when applied to the present sit- trf
uatlon reads: ..,,!
"A president who sows tho wind shail reap
tho whirlwind." v , y
The president felt It his duty and I douht -
not that ho was conscientious Jn tho feeling that
he should direct tho course of this convention.
If not ho has been very much misrepresented
by those whoso assume to speak for hm. Xi
was announcod In advanco that he had approved
tho so-called Virginia platform and his repre- ,
sontatives acted on tho assumption that Change
in tho wording would bo regarded as ovmenco oe
personal antagonism to the president. I have t
never known a convention in which the spirit of T ""
intolerance was so dominant and unconcealed, -Tho
organization of tho convention was a'purely
personal matter. Every prominent official wafl
picked out in advanco. Chairman Gumming
was selected to sound tho keynote. Senator
Glass was. chosen to head tho committee on ,
resolutions. There was one seeming concession' '
to the convention. Senator Robinson was sub- -stltuted
for Secretary Colby as permanent chair-'
man and, I can bear witness to his fairness and9
ability as a presiding officer. '
The sub-committee appointed to draft thr''
platform, or rather approve of the previously
prepared platform, was selected in total disre
gard of all parliamentary usage. I presume'
that the members were duly impressed with the'
necessity of accepting it as It was presented to
them 1 know that tho full committee seemed
to understand that no change was expected to
bo made by the committee. ;' ;
The discussions were purely formal with the ,
exception of a few cases, the Armenian plank,
which was smuggled -in language calculated to
deceive, was laid bare andirged of tho man
date idea by a vote of 30 to 10.
I succeeded In getting the word "only'" after
the word "revenue" in the tariff plank and in
striking out from the soldiers' plank words that ,
- would in my judgment have offended the service ;
men With tho aid of Mr. McCormlck, late chair
man of tho Democratic national committee, T.
came within one vote of getting a favorable re
nort on the national bulletin plan, but the steam ,
roller ran over my other planks without slacking
sneed and It did not have a silent Knight engine,
either. Tho convention followed the theory
brought from the white house, namely, that dif
ference of opinion was treasonable and they y
laTiehed down the amendment upon which there
was no roll call. We were told that a plank
neatest universal compulsory military training: -would
he regarded as a rebuke to the presiden
because his secretary of war favored it. We could
rebuke the 106 Democratic members who de
feated the compulsory system-in the house, and
we could rebuke the Democratic senators wjw
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