The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-07-15

soap-box orators OF America Poor Ia
Toilette. He wants the nomination here
principally as a yindication Of the posi-
ton he has taken on public questions in
the last. four years of political upheavaI
in the United States. He is understood
to have advised the platform committee
here that while he was in sympathy with
the planks suggested he would rather that
much of it be omitted SO that the candi-
date could have something to say His
yelled hint that he might not after all ac-I
cept the Nomination. hadff the desired ef-
feet 1t tended to make the Labor group
which had swallowed up the Committee
on AZ and other elements here realize that
the platform must mot be one-sided but
must take into consideration the. prospect
of gaining support from liberals who were
more conservatives Indeed the Commit
tee on AS might well be called the intel.
Iectuals here and the conservatives too
Alongside the farmers and labor organi-
cations who are ultra-radical. the Commit
tee of 4s would appear to be mere reac-
tionaries. And the Labor, groupsis il. con-
troll. The Committee of AS had some re-
spect for parliamentary rules and tried
to run their convention like the Republi
can and Democratic meetings, but evi-
IDENTIFY they had never had much exper-
fence with labor mass meetings where
the loudest voice gets the floor and where
the huslSiest form keeps it.
AS was the case at the conventions of
the two big parties the platform commit
tee sat in secret and of course kept the
delegates chatting in the convention hall
Meanwhile Dudley Field Malone and other
orators were called upon to make
speeches. Mr.. Malone was the author of
bit of unintended hamor. He was ar
guing something like this.
"The Republican nomination was die
tated by a man on a sick bed III Phila-
delphia. the Democratic platform was die
tated l,v a man on sick bed in Washing
ton. Thank heaven, I'VE are all strong
and we'll >
Little did Mr.. Malone know that even
as he spoke, a sick man in Wisconsin,
lust eff the operating table, was com
municating his wishes on the platform for
| the third party. In fact another orator a
| few minutes later saw fit TO deny to the
assembled delegates that Senator Ia Fol
lette was "trying to dictate to the con
vention."
| The whole proceeding was irregular
Business was injected at moments wher
| il was plainly out of order. The struggle
/ Of would be orators to get the floor and
/ hold it was as spectacular as the evident
| determination of the patient delegates
to repress the speech-making. Never
| theless one man did make motion which
| was duly seconded to the effect that wher
the convention nominated standard bear
orc woman should be selected for the
4 vice presidential nomination There wa
An audible murmur Of disapproval and ;
woman jumped to her feet with this out
] cry:
eve are not making nominations nov
and the gentleman is cut Of order.
That's right" declared the chairman
| bnt in the rear of the hall a tall husk!
| with i Van Dyke beard, coatless and col
larless, yelled loud enough to get recog
milton from the chair.
| II make point of order" he said
| that the motion is out Of order as W
/ are not making nominations now.
| YOU'RE right, too replied the char
man, "but the lady beat you to 1t
/, Thus did the, convention ssatder iron
| crag to crag. A high school debating Sc
| ciety would have conducted itself an mucI
better fashion and the sad thing a63ou
| ii all is that the organizers OF the thlr
| party movement, earnest and well II
| tentioned though they may De IN thelEt g
forts to get possession OF the government
of the United States, revealed strlkIn
inepitude in governing themselves IN
third party movement will get votes I
the Northeast and will be thorn IN tn
side Of the two parties IN the event tina
the contest between Harding and CoX
close, but very few citizens would nav
been tempted to vote for the third part
if they had witnessed the scenes OF IN
last u hours.