New-York tribune., 1918-03-06
Faction Opposing Mer,.l
With Nationals Ha.
Upper Hand
Debate Bitter at 1
Chicago Convent;o,
National Party Platfo,,
Pledges Support in
War Aims

N''-ost t'''y 20 the party made, A.
delegates t. the national prob;h,. j.
convention still were deadlock.a y
night on the question of merp;na ~ L.
'he new National party, formed 81 s q
Louis by Socialists who disagreed w.,
that party's stand or the war "
Throughout the day the apt.u..
ing faction appeared to have wor :
vantage, three times winning ms
skirmishes, but by night leader.
each side, though predicting v;ct,s
were planning compromises 10 ho ;.
/ tered later. " u
ne frst victory for the an+i .mor,.
faction came when it forced thrnnasss ~
motion to make the debate on ,bo ssa a,'
tlon unlimited. Led by William a yass pss
baker, of Chicago, and Judoe a. u ~.
ieak' delegate from Ohio those fayo,
jhg (he merger attempted to have !,
pate limited tc thirty minutes for w "
side. They We're overwhelminolv 'as !.
feated after 4. j. ii. Prugh. or Il. H.,s' y
oarg, Penn. charged that an attain,
! merger. ''s" 10
Those opposing amalgamatjon v,
! 2gain Wien they succeeded in nass;
motion making two-thirds dA'v,l Wy
necessary TO pass the resolution
was sald 20 be the first time the M
hibitonis;s had required more thar ri
majority vote on a proposal.
The third victory came wbor al
merger faction was defeated in an \
tempt to have representatives. Of n
National party, which convenes hi
TO- morrow. address the conyenb1
after the close of debate. The ar1
merger group insisted that the naticl
as speak before the debate closed hi
giving opportunity for rebuttal.
Single Tax an Issue
the resolution calling for tho mars,
was introduced by Mr. Brubaker n
provided that satisfactory nlstf'r]
must be adopted by the nationsl|
me chief objections to the Natios]
party platform were that it fayOrl
the single tax and that its main md
/ pose apparently was not nation.yiI|
pFohlbltlon, though delegates fayor,l
inc union insisted that prohibition y,l
the principal aim of the National psr,]
Among the compromises sucgests|
was one that the Prohibition ns,1l
keep It's national committee intact Z
work lor nationwide prohibition. AL
other was thao an agreement first u
reached that The Prohibitjonists hgS
certain number Of repre- sentatiyes {!
the National party National Comm
zee. A third. strongly favored BY thi
ahti-merger faction, was that cad
party retain its own name. but ths
committees be formed to cooperate {
obIalnlng certain legislation.
me prohibitionists were exceptisn
aDly bitter over the fact that Marc
thompson of Chicago apparently II
fused to deliver the address of We
come. He was requested to do 50. az
virgil Hinshaw, chairman of the Pr
hlbltlon party national committee. &
opening the convention. said tb1
prominent Chicagoans asked to deliuS
an address of welcome had refused
Herman P. Faris, Of Clinton, Mo-. VII
elected chairman of the conventia8
without opposition.
Mr.. Hinshaw indorsed the merger i:
ms opening address as the most TIL
clent means for achieving the aims &
both parties.
IN part Mr.. Hinshaw said:
III all the prohibition forces Of !tsE
country will pull together we can NJ
cure war prohibition within ninet
days. That is one of our Jobs, but +
is not the job of the Prohibition part
10 90 1T all by itself. The time has 81.
rived when we should not only beseets
the 10000 church organizations in tsis
country to line up all their membsSS
but, in addition, we should reach esS
AFTER every labor union, manufacturing
organization and farmers organizahss
In America.
I'VE want prohibition for the per'}s
of the war, but we also want it rsJ
manently. We want it in the NatlolIy
constitution. Already seven stass;;
have ratified the prohibition amelf
ment, mississippi, Montana, Kentucns
Virginia, South Carolina, North Me
kota and Maryland, two wet and nv
dry. We will take it for granted thsS
all dry states will ratify. In that even
we must win seven more wet states &
The wet states which We bele,S
we can win, in fact are almost cers.N
OF winning, are Nevada. Wyomia.ss
Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri a
Texas. That makes seven. There "
others we should win. namely, "a "a
fornia, Wisconsin. Delaware, NH
Jersey and Vermont; that makes s,A ssA
more. Even old New York. Massael.i
setts. Connecticut and Louisiana ~
by no means hopeless"
Nationals Support President \
John Spargo will open the conven.. B
Of the National party tomorrow le'kE
noon at the Sherman Hotel ana n'%
the keynote address. The propeIfa
platform contains twelve main pia'fa
ore of which is public ownersholp., M, Ns
the railways after the war. o'.N
rlanks are on universal utrage' ~
short ballot. an executive budget g;@
pcrtional representation. seats IN lsks
gress for Cabinet members. but WI
cut votes, prohibition, prison refofis &
uniform divorce law, public owners =
and democratic control OF coal
metal mines. water power na'..
gas and oil wells. steam and ele'asaH
railroads, telegraph and telephone ~Ss
wee. and all other public utilities
On the war the platform Is rSs1s3
cautious, but the oist of its war p'iss s
leads: IS
I'VE rejoice III the assurance ths S.
ihe words OF President Wilson We w
entered this war with no selfish ODE
N our own; that we seek no maW.,@S
prci't or aggrandizcmont. no acqu'ssaasss, II,
o. territory. no economic privlless' S
advantages OF any kind, but oniS, asA
establishment Of the freedom OF aH .Ss
peoples, great and small. from tns
eressioNs OF autocratic force and Y Is
tarv ambition.
The party pledges its full ana
qualified support TO the nation any NJ
lilies IN the pursuit of its aims.
pledge is made without the suf's.s
OF the right of free public d,ssss NJ
as to the methods employed "