Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-24
THE KILKENNY CATS
IN SAN FRANCISCO
Historic Feline Conflict May Look
Like a Purrlne Amiabllity When
the Democrats Get Going

- the Democratic convention next
week will add to the gayety of the Re-
pubicans if not to the gayety of ma
tions.
The famous affair of the Kilkenny
cats. supposed to represent the peak,
the acme, the superlative of destructive
conflict, was peaceful and purring
amiability in comparison with what is
likely to happen when the contending
factions get together.
There is an impression in certain
quarters that President Wilson will tell
. the convention what to do and that it
/ will docilely follow his directions. But
! the available evidence does not wholly
| Justify this tribute to the President $
powers of persuasion.
Take, for example, the question of
indorsing the League of Nations COW
| enant The Democratic senators are
supposed to represent the feeling Of
! their party. save when they subordinate
| their own views to the views of Mr..
| Wilson. Twenty one Of them voted for
! the Lodge reservations in spite of every
| thing that Mr.. Wilson could do. OF
| the twenty three who voted against the
| Lodge reservations there were several
who. if left to their own choice, would
have joined the twenty one. Indeed, it
is n matter Of common report that the
modified treaty could have beep ratified
with the aid OF Democratic votes If the
President had been willing.
| Now, with one-half Cr more Of the
Democratic senator's opposed to the
Presidents position on the treaty. it
! will. be some task for him and his
friends to get a plank in the platform
indorsing his course. Mr.. Bryan is not
likely to consent to it. and Mr.. Bryan
is the most skillfu and rCsOurceful con-
vention leader in the party. He can
| pump up more moral enthusiasm on
short notice than any other orator who
has stood under n sounding board in a
convention hall for a generation. The
! fact that he has waved eloquent on the
wrong issue time after time does not
affect his power to move the crowds.
He broke with the President on the
treaty issue at the Jackson Day dinner
in Washington last winter and he has
been busy ever since in lining up his
friends.
The philosophical spectator in the
gallery can await the fight over the
treaty plank in confident certainty that
it will be worth the price of admission
and then some. The inPxDlicable right =
ness Of Mr.. Bryan on this issue may
handicap him somewhat, but it will not
dampen his moral enthusiasm nor will
it destroy the sonorouSness of his ora
81,
OF the Democratic party to go wrong
makes the result of his fight uncertain
In fact. in this Democratic predispos
ton to blunder lies the hope of the
President TO put over his plans.
But the real fight is likely to come
when the convention takes up the
dry" issue. The Democratic party
has been known for generations as the
whisky party. Mr.. Bryan is going tC
ask it to sign the pledge. wear whit,
ribbon and curse the demon rum and
the demonettes, light wine and beer.
Can he persuade the convention tc
do it?
We shall see, We shall see.
Albert Sydney Burleson, the politica,
( adviser of the President. thinks he vii
! not succeed. He says that "thn ridicu
lous and unnecessary restrictions" il
the Volstead act should be stricken out
Governor Edwards, of New Jersey, whC
was elected on a wet platform. ant
Judge Bonniwell. Of PENNSYLVANIA, whC
tried to get elected to the govcrnOrshiI
on the same kind Of a platform. vii
back up Mr.. Burleson. And unless nj
signs fail. the New York delegates viii
not be enthusiastic for any plan whicl
commits the party to the proposition
that America should be made Deser
of Sahara,
Still more important the Presiden
himself is not an enthusiastic dry.
His record is one of consistent opposi
tion to dragging the liquor question int
politics He wanted the wartime re
strCti0ns on the sale of intoxicant
removed. He knows that there ar
votes in moist. il not in a wet plan
in the platform. And all the delegate
also know il. But they also know tina
il they adopt a platform which eve
squints in the direction of real beer an
light wines they will array agains
them the church vote the Anti Saloo
League and all che moral condemnatio
that the w. c. r. L. can bring dow
upon them.
The Republicans lodged the Issue
for they decided that il was not pru
dent to engage in the exciting and some
times Improbable sport Of batting sleep
ing demons
Mr.. Bryan however. has read th
Pilgrim ) Progress and he is awar
that the lions in the way seemed NOR
formidable at distance than whe
viewed close at hand. They could grow
at the wayfarer. but they could LC
, touch him if he kept in the middle G
the road. II Mr.. Bryan does not de
liver himself Of crown of thorns and
cross of gold speech on the imperativ
} duty Of the Democratic party TO aliu
itself IN the side OF sobriety he wi
disappoint all expectations. And the
il the platform plank is built in th
shape of a Catamaran, so arranged tha
I tho vets and drys can both ride on
! without rubbing elbows, he will doubt
less insist that he won victory Gu
: temperance But however the struggl
. comes out, it will be preceded by a di
p yerting monkey and parrot interlud,
{ which will not tend to the early re
I sumption Of amiCable relations betwee
the parrot and the monkey.
| And there remains the task Of agree
s ing ON a candidate. Mr.. Palmer ha
{ kindly announced that he Is willins I
fan "A HTpi nj . Il,