The Washington times., 1919-12-18
January 8 to See Start OF Bit.
terest Political Fight
In History.
6 CITIES WANT CONVENTION
No One of Presidential Pros
poets In Either Party Stands
Out With Prominence.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS.

by lLl<thM II f1lLiI OAMhO-
T.. N. 8. Stan Correspondent.
What promises to be the bitterest
political Tight in the history OF the
country will date from January 8,
for on that day the biggest rally the
Democratic party ever held will take
place here, and some fifteen repre-
sentative speakers will deliver q
broadside a q signal to the Repub-
siicans that they accept battle.
Pick Csnvestsn Place.
At 10 o'clock in the morning Of
that day the Democratic national
committee viii meet at the Shoreham
Hotel to decide on the time and place
Of the next Democratic convention.
On the evening Of the same day, at
the New willard, will come the Jack
son Day" rally At . dinner of 500
plates, which. In itself. constitutes, .
record for such an occasion. In addi-
tion there will be places for over 800
guests who will arrive with the
coffee to listen to the speeches.
Women win participate in both
the morning session and the evening
two women speakers, knd possibly
more. There il already fully made up
q women's associate Democratic ma
tional committee, composed az the
other committee Is composed, but as
this II the organizations debut In
national politics its status remains to
be fixed. This will be done at the
day session Of the regular committee,
at which the women will probably be
given parallel rights and duties to
perform
- Il Din.er Price.
In the past the District of Columbia
Democrats have always given q din
ner to the national committee follow
ing its quadrennial meeting here. but
this year the AFFAIR will be under the
auspices Of the committee, and IL IL
proposed to make the dinner pay for
itself" The price will be SO q plate.
The Democrats deny they have In
mind anything like the plan which,
has been attributed to them-that 10,
that they will make Of this jackson
Day" rally the occasion for parading
before tho public all their Prssiden-
tial timber. To the contrary. they
ASSERT. they intend to have repre-
sentative members of the party from
list OF speakers-women included
and that these speakers will deliver
precisely the speeches they them
selves wish to make.
In. fact what we all want" said
Chairman Homer s. Cummings, of
the National Committee. ''is that each
will speak out plainly and say what,
in his judgment, the platform Of
the Democratic party ought to be. No
dAmper will be put on them There
viii be but one restriction and that
one ~ to time: twenty minutes per
speech"
President Wilson. of course, will
be invited. but there Is little chance
of his being present. Nevertheless IL
Is expected that a message from him
viii be read by the presiding Demo-
crat-probably Chairman Cummings.
Others wAs VIII SPEAK.
Vice President Marshall will prob
ably be one of the speakers. as may
also Champ Clark. Democratic leader
in the House. Leading Democratic
Senators and some of the Democratic
governors of States are down on the
list, while at least two women lead
srs OF the party will address the rally.
Attacked by the Republicans for
mAladministration. extravagance in
office, socialistic tendencies, and
other political offenses some of the
speeches undou btedly will deal with
the party's record since 1912, during
which time a Democrat has been in
the White House, and between 1910
and 1918 when Congress was dom
mated by men of his party.
Six cities are plugging strongly for