New-York tribune., 1920-06-30
Wet Plank.
Rejected by
Democrats
CONTINUED from paso onc)

pointed last night. Its personnel las
sured complete control of the plat
form framing to the Wilson Admins
tration.
Bryan Center Of Contest
The committee had heard President
Samuel Gompers of the American Fed
: Grafton of Labor urge the adoption of
planks approved by organized labor
when Bryan became the center of q
lively battle over the wet and dry
issue
The Bryan forces were defeated in a
preliminary skirmish by a vote of 81
to 25 when the committee decided that
the dry forces should present their
arguments for a bone dry plank and
against beer and wine plank first,
giving the vets the opportunity to
close the discussion.
When Theodore A. Bell, of San
Francisco, concluded arguments for q
| beer and wine plank Bryan jumped to
his feet
"Whom does the gentleman repre-
sent?" Bryan demanded
"The California Grape Growers AS
sociation," Bell answered. "Whom do
you rcprcsent?'
81 come here as Democrat and rep
resent the vast majority of the Demo
cratic party" Bryan replied. "1m here
/ fighting the damnable traffic you repre-
sent. If you are reiceiving pay"----
"You talk Of receiving pay!" Bell
shouted. do YOU receive any pay from
the Anti-Saloon League or any other
prohibition organization ?"
"Not a nickel" replied Bryan heat
cdly
"Not q nickel ?" Bell insisted
Il have been paid for delivering some
I speeches during the last few months"
/. Bryan said, "but for twelve years be-
fore that | did not receive a nickel
for making the fight against the traf
fc you represent"
Senator Glass pounded the table and
finally restored order and the hearing
continued peaceabiy until representa-
tives of the Loyal Coalition argued
against adoption of the Irish plank
which Frank J. Walsh, of Kansas CITY.
presented.
The committee room was crowded d
with sympathizers with the Irish cause
and they heckled the speakers who op
posed the plank throughout the pro
ceedings.
Hoots, catcalls and jcers greeted
nearly every statement made by Rep
resentative Connaly of Texas; Dem
Arrest Lloyd, of Boston. president of the
Loyal Coalition, and Randolph Wilford
Smith, of Boston, vice-pres dent of the
Coalition.
In the course of his argument against
the Irish plank Smith brought the feel
+! ing in the committee room to white
heat by declaring that "the Sim Fem
ers have taken S10,000,00O out of the
rt vi L.,
women and no one knows for what it
was spent"
Take that back! Take that back!" "
shouted half a hundred Irish sympa-
thizers in the rear of the room.
"Tll make him take it back. won't
stand for such an insult upon the
women,' one woman sympathizer who
was covered with Irish badges and who
carried Irish flags, cried
She rushed up the aisle, followed
by dozen or more other Irish sym
pathlzers, apparently intending to at
tack the speaker. Policemen inter
vened and led her from the room. She
declined to give her name.
After the committee adjourned for
lunch she attacked Lloyd and Smith as
they left the room, beating them over
the head with her flags. She was
elected from the building
Bryan and W. Bourke Cochran, mem
Der of the Resolutions Committee from
New York and leader of the fight for
the vets, clashed as soon as Senator
Glass announced that prohibition was
to be taken up. They discussed for
halt an hour which side should be
heard first Chairman Glass finally in
terrupted to say that apparently no
/ one wanted to talk, so the question
would be passed over.
This is no time for Joking" Bryan
declared.
The chair is not joking" Senator
Glass said with heat, "and resents the
suggestion"
Bishop James Cannon. of Virginia,
spoke first for the drys. He declared
prohibition is not a partisan political
question, and said the vets should not
be permitted to make their fight in a
rational political convention
Appeal to Congress Advised
"lf you want to repeal the Eighteenth
Amendment cd it in a constitutions
way" he said. Don't try TO nullify It
by political declaration. If YOU want
to change the Volstead enforcement
law. go into Congress and change it
in the orderly way"
Mrs A. E. Vost, of Washington. .. c.
representing the Womans Christian
temperance Union. and Frank M.
Slisby. representing the Presbyterian
National General Assembly, next spoke
for bone dry plank. Former Repre-
sentative Richmond Pearson Hobson
then presented a dry plank which he
said the prohibition organizations
wanted the convention to include in its
platform. The text of the plank fol.
lows:
THE Democratic party is Justly
proud of the Eighteenth Amendment to
the Constitution and pledges itself by
legislation and administration Loyalty
to enforce this and all other articles of
the Constitution, and to use every hon
orable and legitimate means to extend
the blessings of this charter of life
liberty and the pursuit of happiness to
all the peoples of the earth"
Charles j. Hall, representing temper