Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-20
G. O. P. PLATFORM.
PLAN NOVEL ONE,
SAYS LAWRENCE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

Copyright 1920, for The Atlanta Journal.)
WASHINGTON. May 18.-Entire-
Iy apart from the question of what
the Republican national convention
may do with the voluminous report
o. lie special committee of policies
and rms today may be said to
mark an epo-.. in the evolution OF
the party platform. Will Hays,
chairman Of the Republican national
committee, and his right bower, State
Senat Ogden l.. Mills, of the New
York legis, e. car came fu to o 9fw Wa aha
ington correspondents the results OF
months of research on public ques-
tions. Later these two individuals
s. ~litted the twenty reports of their
subcommittee to the members OF
congress, who are to help draft the
Republican platform at Chicago. The
reports are in pamphlet form and
cover every subject of importance eH.
cept the peace treaty and League OF
Nations, planks on which members
Of the senate are drafting. The un-
official platform committee conducted
a mail canvass, sending printed
form broadcast, asking every con-
ceivable question The queries were
not phrased suggestively but in a
way that would bring out variety
of answers.
It doesn't make much difference
what any one thinks of the Repub-
lican party or the views that nave
been summarized in the bif report
brought here Will Hays as a fair
rejection of American public opin-
ion. But the fact is that heretofore
pl.. forms have been made in the eX-
citement and haste of committee
meetings at the national conVentlpnS
and the conventions have usually
adopted plank after plank WltnoIt
r: UGH debate The assembly is usual
ly too large to permit Of lengthy dis
G.. o. p. Plan Novel
Both the Republicans and Demo-
Gratis have not infrequently been en-
barrassed by the patchwork Of com
mittees on platforms. Candidates
have had to stand on these Platforms
framing them. The Republicans
have introduced a novel plan. They
have attempted to use the months
before the convention to get a true
chart of the desires of the elector.
ate. Instead of leaving the subject
to members of congress, who are
often TOO close to legislative tangles
to get good perspective, the Re-
publican national committee mas some
to the factory and the farm. to en-
pioyer and employee, and every dele
gate probably will have copies of the
volume before the convention be-
The Democrats, of course, point to
the futility of the whole business,
contending that all the material can
he found in the daily newspaper and
ma gaines and that even if condens-
ed into platform planks, the machine
politicians of the Republican party
will make the platform as innocuouS
and inoffensive as possible.
. But the Republicans who nave
worked on the plan are not SO sure
that the old-line bosses who. pull the
strings are going to be able TINS
year to brush aside so monumental
piece of research work as has been
done by the unothclal commlttet'
that no body of politicians viii be
able>to ignore the work of the plat
form committee if public opinion
should get solidly behind it.
Hays a shrewd Leader
Will Hays is"a shrewd leader. He
has used the progressives in. the Re-
publican party to draw up series
of platform planks He is counting
the widest publicity. He hopes to
get the Republican party committed
to these progressive principles so
that no group of conservatives or
stand-patters can defeat the efforts
of the progressives. conservative
might even be nominate but, the
platform will breathe. forward-look-
ing doctrine Some eminent men have
collaborated in making the series OF
reports, all of which have, been
printed in single volume with mar
gin indexes like a big dictionary.
Senator Capper heads the committee
on agricultural interests; James X.
Garfield, civil service and retirement;
Clifford Pinchot and Dan c.. lacking,
conservation; Frank Vanderlip. bank
ing and currency and initiation; Ever
EFT Colbyfi of New Jersey, federal
and state rights: Helen Rogers Reid,
wife of the editor of the New York
Tribune, high i1,S cost OF lying Repre-
J. Caldwell, industrial relations;
George Wharton Pepper, industry and
commerce.; John N. SWitzer, 1nsular
possession; former Senator Beveridge'
law and order; General a,ro Geoth tilSa
James W. Good, national economy;
George B. Lockwood, postal service;
William Allen White, social prob
lens; Ogden Mills, taxation; Fred
erick Frelinghuysen, war risk in
Surance.
The foregoing names. are printed
at the top of the various reports,
showing that each conducted the
QUESTIONABLE on the subject assign
lie in a few days. The series of
questians already have been made
public. They are far-reaching and
SociateS are quite proud OF their
work. At least they. have. eandeay-
ored to find out what the people
would like to see written in one
party platform, 1t is not extreme,
neither socialistic nor reactionary,
but a sort of middle-of-the-
program. 1t now remains to be seen
what the experienced politicians will
do with this card index of public
opinion when the Republican ma
tional convention meets next month.
Significantly enough, none of the Re-
tin,a hos bod ,aa1,cla q do 1IritL the