The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-06-20
Not According TO Programme.

Not According TO Programme.
The Philadelphia Ledger correspond
ent at the Democratic convention had
this to say:
''The plans of the Democratic leaders
went all a-gley. They went utterly |
wrong on the one thing which really was
to be the feature of the convention. The
Republican appropriation al Chicago of
the American flag and the Americanism |
issue had been viewed with resentment
mined to meet the attempted abduction
of the Stars and Stripes by outdoing the
Republicans, by making Americanism
the keynote of the Democratic conven
ton from start to finish; by so emphasiz-
ing it in every act and utterance that the
Republicans would be forced to the defen-
sive.
The order went forth that the demon
STATIONS must all hinge on this, that
even the band must subordinate Dixie
and other favorite Democratic songs to,
the national songs; there must be terrific
outbursts of spontaneous enthusiasm at
every step and general singing every
time the band played.
1.-THE convention did burst out into
spontaneous and electrifying enthusiasm
at it's opening session; but it was not
over the Americanism issue. 1t was
over the question of peace. 1t was over
Ex-Governor Martin H. Glynn's present
alton of presidents to prove that it was
an immemorial American custom to
stay out OF war under provocation.
His lines of argument were totally
unexpected Tho oenvention not look
ing for any such thing, went into a
frenzy. Whenever he attempted to drop
the subject and go on to something else
it would stop him and yell that he must
give it more of that. Sometimes when
he had made an especially able rhetori-
cal demonstration that there were many
cases in which nation might well be
too proud to fight it would make him go
back and repeat the sentence, even the
whole paragraph. and often it would
chant his own pet sentences back at him
in a delirium of delight.
whenever he got back to American
ism, the thing on which all the great ap-
plause of the convention was intended
to hang, the convention lost all it's ardor
and gave him the dull, perfunctory, me-
chanical clapping of listless hands be-
fore apathetic faces for the required
number of minutes.
THE plans which went so wrong were
those of the President himself The
most careful preparation had been made
for them. The plan was for great
demonstration, the start of which was to
be the singing of The Star Spangled
Banner by the convention and the
audience. The same thing was to be re-
peated with The Red, White and Blue,
and then with some other national air.
Printed copies of the national an
thems were distributed throughout the
convention for the purpose. Every men,
ton of America or of the flag was to be
greeted Win cheers and in case the con-
vention was slow to remember its duty
at any one OF these times Sergeant-at-
Arms John I. Martin was to stand be-
tween the chairmen and give the signal,
Everybody up
'.The singing of The Star-Spangled
Banner was a routine affair, without
life; the mention of America was receiv-
ed with dutiful and apathetic applause
at every point; the magic name of the
President himself called forth only
manufactured and soulless demonstra-
ton. and the great unscheduled out
burst of joy was over the subject of peace
under provocation.
1.-THE audience is not so imposing
nor SO dignified as the Republicans; not
so fervid, and perhaps not even as demo-
cratic as the Progressives, it has yet GER
tain characteristics of it's own. 1t is
earnest, it is hopeful and it is exceeding
ly happy and self-satisfied. Perhaps
this convention represents more nearly
the rank and file than the Others Yet,
undoubtedly, again the professional poll
tician is in control, as at all the other
conventions.
'sThese delegates then represent the
Democratic party. Some of them, at
least, have obstructed their own Presi-
dent in his plans for preparedness, and
judging by the enthusiasm with which
mention of his policy of neutrality is
met in the opening speech, their chief
enthusiasm is that SO far he has kept us
out of war. Yet, here and now these
delegates must commit themselves to a
policy of a preparedness to which many
of them are opposed. The Democratic
-. \
this issue.
Perhaps Ex-Governor Glynn's speech
was written some time ago, when the
Democratic party feared it would find
Theodore Roosevelt its chief antagonist.
Only on that hypothesis can be explain
ed his long endeavor to justify President
Wilson's policies. BY it he places the
Administration squarely on the defen-
sive, humiliating position"