The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-17
Democrats Complete Work at St. Louis and Adjourn
 Sine Die
YIELD TO WISHES OF
 PRESIDENT WILSON
Running Debate on Suffrage Plank Is Feature of Final Day-Convention Overwhelmingly Against Plank,
 But Deferred to the President
Rx HuGH w. RonERrs

By HUGH W. ROBERTS
 St. Louis, June 16.-(Special.)- The democratic party by no act of the enc tire convention more completely put away personal conviction and stood by President Wilson than when, this aft ernoon, by an overwhelming vote, and after bitter running fight, it wrote in it's platform an Endorsement of equal erai states.
 The convention overwhelmingly op- posed the principle of equal suffrage. But the convention, when informed tiat the President desired the plank and that in the opinion of the execu- tive spoI<esmen the adoption of the plank would prove wise and eHpedient, by an overwhelming vote fell into line. There was danger of a fatal storm and Governor Ferguson of Texas led the rebellion against female suffrage, and would win.
 1t was clearly demonstrated that prac- tically all the delegates opposed the prin- ciple and even the writers of the platform declaring first that the plank was pro- posed by the President, and secondly, that it's adoption was necessary for reasons of expediency, were forced to declare that they themselves, as individuals, stood against such suffrage. Administration 
 tions implored that for the sake of har- mony personal convictions be abandoned. In the end, such efforts prevailed and the democratic party stood committed to the extension of woman suffrage.
 ALABAMA IN LINE
 The Alabama delegation, in the begin ming, stood Is to against the majority report. Senator John Sharp Williams of Mississippi, however, fell among the Ala bamians and urged them to stand for ex- pediency as against personal conviction, and Alabama's vote was eventually cast, 2S to 1, in favor of the majority report and equal suffrage. Ray Rushton of Montgomery voted for the minority re- port.
 The other blanks of the platform were adopted without abnormal dissension. The anti -hyphenate" plank, the principles of preparedness and Americanism, the prac- tical retirement from the fundamental de mocratic doctrine of tariff for revenue cnly," were sanctioned without serious opposition. And it remained for equal suffrage aione to produce friction in the convention.
 
 At one time it looked as If the suffrage plank had been lost. After Senator Walsh of Montana had told the convention that President Wilson himself considered it vital to party success, however, 1t was voted into the party platform, SsSA to lS1h. The entire platform then was adopted without roll call.
 As adopted the suffrage plank stands:
 THE SUFFRAGE PLANK
 "We favor the extension of the fran chise to the women of this country. state by state, on the same terms as to the men,
 The suffrage leaders considered it much more favorable declaration than they got from the republican conven ton at Chicago; they threw all their force behind it and won the support of the administration leaders who were found fighting for them when danger threatened.
 Haggard and worn from an an-night session, the platform makers were not ready with their report until after noon when Senator Stone, sleepless for more than 30 hours, took the speakers stand and. explaining that he was too tired to read the document. gave over this task to Senators Walsh of Montana and Hollis of New Hampshire. They
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