Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-10-06
Nugent Brings Fight for wet
Plank to Floor of Conven-
ton and is Badly Beaten
PLATFORM Is FRAMED
Ramsay Tells of Drunken
Women in State Senator
Brown Also Speaker.
BY Special Correspondent.

from the Democratic state conven-
tion's platform of wet plank
suggested by James X. Nugent. the
Essex leader, nearly precipitated a
row at the convention which broke
up early last night. Defeated by a
vote of nine to eight in the conven-
tons resolutions com mittee, Nugent
carried his fight for a plank declar-
| ing for reasonable modification of
| the Volstead act to the convention
/ floor. In an impassioned speech the
4 Democratic leader, who with MUIR
ply, of New York: Taggart, of In
| diana, and Brennan of Illinois. ex-
ercised such powerful influence in
| the national convention, made
| plea for personal liberty and modi-
| fication of the Volstead act.
After a lengthy discussion in
which Nugent was the target for re-
marks from opponents. Governor
Edwards. chairman of the conven-
tion, ordered a roll call by counties.
]. Harry Foley, secretary to the
| governor, acted as tally clerk. The
a vote of thirty-seven to thirty-six.
according to the announcement
made by Governor Edwards.
Protest by Nugent
Nugent was on his feet immedi-
| ately protesting that ASsemblyman
Donovan, of Hudson, had not been
recorded and that the count was in
correct. Nugent was overruled,
Governor Edwards insisting that
Donovan had been recorded in the
affirmative, when the Hudson dele
cation arose for individual count.
According to Nugent's lieutenants,
4 hn Of with
| Foley, the count should have show
ed that the vote was thirty-five to
| thirty-five and with Donovan count
| ed in the affirmative the Nugent res
| olution would have been carried. AS
| the official Democratic platform was
issued last night the wet" plank
was omitted, in accordance with the
vote announced by Governor Ed
wards. The governor was not re-
corded. Senator Alexander Simp-
son, of Hudson, voted to omit the
wet" plank from the platform, de-
claring it would jeopardize the cleo
tion of Cox and Roosevelt, the for
mer having declared himself
dry"
Influence of Women
| Influence of Democratic women IN
| the deliberations of the convention
was the marked feature of the day.
| Mrs. II. Otto -WittpenD. OF Jersey
City; Miss Sarah Pollock, OF Tren-
ton; Mrs. Joseph J. Summerill and
Mrs. Edward Trippe, of Gloucester.
lead the fight against modification
of the Volstead act in the resolu-
tons committee. Mrs. Wittpenn also
offered numerous amendments TO
the platform as tentatively drawn
by the Democratic state committee.
Due to the fight lead by Mrs. Witt
penn the convention accepted plank
suggested by her for strong en-
dorsement of the league of nations
as presented by President Wilson.
When Mrs. Wittpenn offered this
modification of the platform. Mr..
Nugent countered with a PROPOSE l.
tion for the women to support Ire
land in its claims for self-deternina-
ton. Both planks were enthusiast
lcally accepted by the convention.
Adopt Womcn's Planks.
ANON the planks offered by the
women and accepted by the Demo-
cratic convention were an eight-hour
day for women in industry: pro-
hitting night work in facto"ies; pro =
hibiting work for women six weeks
before and six weeks after child
birth; sufficient appropriations TO
health and tenement boards; women
on health and education bodies:
election machinery change to provide
for election committeewomen.
When the convention got down to
business yesterday afternoon Nugent
was elected chairman of the resolu-
tions committee and Senator S. Roy
Heath, of Trenton. secretary. The
real fight in the resolutions commit
tee centered on prohibition.
MrG SnOIn Grill and Mrs 1riDDe
were ready 20 oppose any change in
the Volstead Act. Inasmuch as :he
democratic national platform side
stepped the issu.; the women arg sle'i
the state should not touch it. Edward
J. Kelleher, of Camden, opposed in-
sertion of a plank in the platform
for modifica ton of the Nolstead Act,
warning the Democrats that insertion
of such a plank would bring the con :
demnation of every clergyman ana
woman's organization of the state
Mrs. Wittpenn cautioned that the
platform should be silent on the is
sue.
Corporation Counsel John Milton,
of Jersey City. said Governor Ed
wards courageous stand in the last
general election. fighting the principle
of prohibition, insured his election.
I Milton said the party should not
stop to the cowardly act of ducking
the issue because of political ex-
pediency. Unfortunately the supreme
court of the United States did not
hand down an opinion when it affirm
ed the amendment and the enforce
ment law, said Milton, but thi
principle will never be settled until
we have the voice of the people on
the law" The Volstead Act was
characterized as arbitrary by Milton
and for great political party to de-
lliberately evade the issue by ducking
would convict that party of coward =
ice.
What Nugcnt Said.
Nugent said the prohibition issue
was the leading and only issue of the
campaign. Turning and facing the
women delegates, Nugent said, 1T is
a question of whether you shall leg
\ islate for me as to what l shall eat,
what / shall drink" The Demo-
cratic party has always stood for
personal liberty and will so long as l
have anything TO say, he added.
There won't be a respectable
woman in Mercer county vote for
the Democratic candidates" inter
rupted Miss Pollock. of Trenton,
who was holding a proxy in the con-
yention.
Drunken Women Says Ramsay.
h- II r 49, ..f -