The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-05
THE HASKIN
WANTED: AN ISSUE
BY ]. HASKIN.


suggested that it be thrust into the
campaign all hands are raised in quiet
ing admonition. N"0
And the old Issues Of yesteryear. the
tariff, expansion, retention of the Phil
lpplnes. the full DINNER pail, turn the
Sues-are gone.
SO the leaders are beating the bush
and are saying. one to the other, We've
gotta tight, but what the dickens are
we gonna fight about?"
And from this situation grows the
greatest political novelty of the time
in the form of a committee of so care
fully selected bush beaters to go forth
m the highways and byways in search
or an issue. The Republican central
committee has decided upon such a
committee. Its personnel will be an
nounced in two or three days. Good
men, tried and true, pulse feelers of ma
tional reputation, are to be selected,
Btt'Yeen now and June they are to work
alugently. When convention time comes
they are to have found something to
fight about,
The Republican national committee
takes this venture very seriously. It's
best material In the party. 1t will inn
:nedlately resolve itself into subcommit-
tees. There will be a subcommittee to
inc out what the farmers want. one
to learn what the women voters most
desire, one TO study the labor situation
ana pitch the labor plank in just the
right key. one on industry, one on i'm
migration. The subcommittee have
rot yet been selected, but undoubtedly a
special study will be made of every
issue of Importance. These suboommit-
tees VIII tour the country and hold hear.
ings. They will listen to everybody,
everywhere. They will arrive at con
Cl1ISi0nS They will have the V,,t-
when the convention meets.
h Is a much more p%retentious
scheme than the usual method of writ
ing platforms, In the past the plat
forms have beeu written by committees
On resolutions Of the conventions. These
committees have been appointed after
me conventions have met, have worked
feVerlshly. night and day, have been
pulled this way and hauled that. have
attempted to hear various groups of
Various inter ,sts. have patched up Mat
forms that have had the faults OF docu-
ments so prepared.
The novel Republican plan of this
year. will have all the problems threshed
out before the convention meets. The
resolutions committee will be appninted
as usual. 1t will lock itself in and take
up one policy after another. The hear
ings on that Motley will have been al
ready held The subcommittee in uues.
NN-HN ''' We S1Ailt q IOltCluOlO1-
viii have written a plank all athrob
with properlv, modulated vote-getting
sentiment which it will recommend to
the committee III resolutions. 1t will be
Wen digested and to the point. 1t Is
held that q platform so evolved that
Will have its foundation well laid, it's
nIants 60 efficiently spiked down that
it viii be a firme" structure to bear the
weight of q candidate than those that
have gone before.
IN thus taking thought in advance. in
taking infinite care in the nreparation
of its platform, the Republican party
is looking hopefully to the future. For
a decade its star has been in eclipse.
it's ways have been in the valley of sor-
row. BY a DerVerSity Of fortune the
time of its discomfort has been stimuli
taneous with the era of greatest opnor-
turitv. and It has missed the glory that
It believes would have come to it had
it been in authority in the time Of the
great war.
The Republicans are further along in
platform making than are the Demo-
Gratis. The Democratic nationnl com
%r"ittee viii hold its big meeting in
Washington on Jan s, The ~quadrer-
NAL Jackson day dinner will nrecede
the r'eeting Of the committee. The time
md nlace % the convention will he de-
termined. Nete will he taken of the
~"nnarHtions being made hv the Renub-
N"P~s in the matter of platform writing
Ha"ing heAn warned in advance of the
~orio,s intentions OF their
Wv" nArNNcrats NAV he depended on TO
! MI t"~ir host nlatFerm writer's 10
""ratohior their heads contAmrla tivelv
long before tho great day arrives. Thev.
too are looking for a perfectly safe
issue,