The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-17
DEMocRACY's BA1ThE-CnY.

principles, performances and promises
of the Democratic party. But in not a
few particulars it is quite as curious
and occasionally inconsistent a politi-
cal pronouncement as it is clever IN
others.
Most of those who furnished he
newspapers of the country with the
news of the St. Louis ratification
meeting. both before and while it was
in progress, were agreed that the plat
form in it's entirety would be the per
sonal work of President Wilson. They
must have been mistaken.
Undoubtedly the orthographically
artistic hand of Mr.. Wilson penned
considerable of the document. Who
else in the Democratic party might be
expected to frame such truly ma
jestic sentence as this one in the plank
on Americanism:
There is gathered here in America
the best blood, the industry and genius
of the whole world. the elements OF a
great race and a magnificent society
to be melted into mighty and splcn-
did nation"
Many other literary gems of the
same delicate and delicious fiber are
| to be found in this thesis on politics;
the undoubted work of the master
mind of the Democratic party of to-
day.
without doubt, too. Mr.. Wilson
framed the Mexican plank. But
it will be disappointing to those who
surely expected that the Democratic
party would, at least. say something
definite in his official platform on
this grave and important question
facing the American nation, in view of
the fact that it was either ignored en-
tirely or CLOSED over lightly by the
big keynote orators of the convention.
But the Mexican plank is meaning
less despite it's clear and simple
phraseology, and without any special
point
1t congratulates the president for
refraining from intervention in Mex
leo Notwithstanding the provocation
to that course, and the suggestion is
made that it should be undertaken as
a last resort.
The only other feature of Mexican
dissertation, which is rather brief in
It's extent, is an excuse for the pres
ence of an American force in Mexico
1t states that 1.-The want of a stable,
responsible government in Mexico
capable of depressing and Furnishing
marauders and bandit bands, who
have not only taken the lives and
seized and destroyed the property of
American citizens in that country but
have insolently invaded our soil, made
war upon and murdered our citizens
thereon. has rendered it necessary
temporarily to occupy by our armed
forces portion of the territory Of
that friendly state'' And the an
a. hot
present force in Mexico will be main
tanned there until, by the restoration
of law and order therein, a repetition
of such incursions is improbable"
Evidently President Wilson pre-
pared this plank in the Democratic
national platform for the consump-
ton of Carranza and his cronies and
not for the consumption of the Amer
lean people, the most of whom are
intensely interested in knowing wheth-
er the president and his party have
plans for the solution of the Mexican
. problem other than the ''watchful
waiting policy that has been on the
! job again ever since General Perish
, ing's pursuit of Villa was halted.
And it is because of this Mexican
plank that definite earmarks crop out
|
the platform or even pass upon the
? details of some parts of it.
2 Tucked away towards the end of the
platform, which is unusually lengthy
Z and sandwiched in between the
S twenty-five word plank committing
the party to woman suffrage "by
L states''-and over which the only diff
= ferences of opinion in the entire Dem
S ocratic national convention of 1916 de-
" veloped-sandwiched in between this
little plank and a paragraph of OBJ
e servations about prison reforms. is e
a rather forceful declaration on the pro.
o lection that is due American citizens
Ii is in one of the most 1nconspicu.
Gus places in the platform.
a Begins the opening sentence of thi.
r plank:
I'VE again declare the policy tina
the sacred rights of American citizen
ship must be preserved at home anC
q abroad
e Reads another sentence of thi
: plank:
e THE American government SHOULD
s protect American citizens in thei
rights not only. at home but abroad
and any country having a government
n should be held to strict accountable,
b for any wrongs done them either t,
person or property
OF course, Woodrow Wilson in hi
e writings does not repeat the same ide;
- in practically the same words in al
, most contiguous sentences in the sam
II paragraph.
/; But Woodrow Wilson is also alto
e gether too crafty a politician to hav
o written the Mexican plank which tell
a of the indefensible slaughter of Amer
-e lean citizens not only in Mexico blu
lie also on their own soil by Mexicans
y and then to have been so careless a
lie to have written such forceful avowa