Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-05
Frederic Haskin's Letter
WANTED: AN ISSUE

Republican central COMMITTEES has
decided upon such . committee.
It's personnel will b. announced
In two or three days. Good men,
tried and true. pulse-feelers Of ma
tional reputation. are to be select
ed. Between now and June they
are to work diligently. When con-
vention time comes they are to
have found something to light
about.
The Republican national commit
tee takes this venture very serious
lily. Its committee - to be made up
Of the very best material in the
party. It will Immediately resolve
itself into subcommittee. There
Will be . subcommittee to inc out
what the farmers want, one to
learn what the women voters most
desire, one to study the labor sit
uAtion and pitch the labor plank
in just the right key, one on indus
| try, one on immigration. The sub
committee have not yet been Sc
lected but undoubtedly q special
study will be made of every issue
| Of importance. These subcommit-
tees will tour the country and hold
hearings. They will listen to ev-
lerybody, everywhere. They will
arrive at conclusions. They will
have the facts when the convention
meets.
This is a much more pretentious
scheme than the usual method OF
writing platforms. In the past the
platforms have been written by
committees on resolutions OF the
! conventions. These committees
have been appointed after the con-
ventions have met. have worked
feverishly, night and day, have
been pulled this way and hauled
that, have attempted to hear vari-
Gus interests, have patched up
platforms that have had the faults
that might be expected Of docu-
ments so prepared.
The novel Republican plan OF
this year will have all the prob
lens threshed out before the con-
vention meets. The resolutions
committee Will be appointed as u.s.
ual. It will lock it.elf In and take
up one policy after another. The
hearings on that policy will have
been already held. The subcom-
mittee in question will have reach
ed a conclusion-will have written
a plank all athrob with properly
modulated vote-getting sentiment
which it will recommend to the
committee on resolutions. 1t will
be we'll digested and to the point
! 1t is held that platform SO evolv-
ed that will have its foundation
well laid, its planks SO efficiently
spiked down that it will be firmer
structure to bear the weight Of a
candidate than those that have
gone before.
In thus taking thought in ad-
vance, in taking infipite care in the
preparation of its platform, the Re-
publican party is looking hopefully
to the future. For decade it's star
has been. in eclipse, its ways have
been in the valley Of sorrow. By
a peryersity of fortune the time oil
its discomfort has been simultane-
Gus with the era of greatest oppor-
tunity, and it has missed the glor5
that it believes would have come
to it had it been in authority in
the tine of the great war.
I The Republicans are further
along in platform making than are
the Democrats. The Democratic
national committee will hold its
big meeting in Washington on Jan
Is. The quadrennial Jackson day
dinner will precede the meeting Of
the committee. The time and place
of the convention will be determ-
ined. Note will be taken Of the
| preparations being made by the
Republicans in the matter Of plat.
form writing. Having been warn
ed in advance Of the~serious inten'
tons Of their opponents, the Dem
ocrats may be depended on t. put
their best platform writer's tt
scratching their heads contem
platively long before the great day
arrives. They. too, are looking fol-
q perfectly safe issue.