Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-06-28
Both Expected to En-
counter Rough Sailing
on Voyage to Harbor Of
Convention s Floor.
Powerful Leaders Are
at Work to Prevent Anv
Mention of Prohibition
in the Platform.

San Francisco. June o7.-Both vets
and drys Sunday launched their planks
on the Democratic seas of alcoholic dif
1efences. with q stormy procedure
promised to the final harbor of the con-
vention floor.
For the drys, William Jennings Bryan
made public his proposed plank, a
sweeping declaration for enforcement of
the Volstead law without increase per-
mitted in beverages of alcoholic con-
tent.
From the wet camp came alternative
planks drafted by Postmaster General
Burleson. One declares for individual
liberty and modification of the Vol
stead law to remove its drastic and
unreasonable features" and the alter
nate for amendment permitting bever-
ages in fact not Intoxicating
Drawn for Committee.
The planks are to be presented TO
the resolutions committee upon it's or
ganization and regardless Of the out
come there it was generally expected
that the liquor fight would reach the
convention itself.
With both wet and dry factions work
ing hard through the Sabbath. there al
so was strong movement to prevent
any mention of the liquor question in
the platform. a movement backed by
many powerful leaders.
The Bryan prohibition plank fol-
"We heartily congratulate the
Democratic party on Its splendid
leadership in the submission and
ratification Of the prohibition
amendment to the federal consti-
tuition and we pledge the party to
the effective enforcement of the
Volstead law In good faith, with
out any Increase In the alcohol con-
tent of permitted beverages and
without any weakening of any other
of Its provisions"
Il guess there is no doubt about
what that means" asid Mr.. Bryan. I'VE
will give every delegate chance to go
on record for or against it. L expect
to have it adopted by the resolutions
BurIeson Has One.
Mr.. Burleson, after reading the Bry
an plank, gave out his proposals. de
claring however, that he had drafted
them himself and sA,ke only for himself
and was not to be regarded as the
leader of the forces favoring modifi-
cation of present laws.
The proposed plank which Mr. Burle
son said he believed would meet the
X
the American people reads:
"The open saloon has been gen.
orally condemned by the American
people as a menace to society and
the we'll being of the people. and
Its restoration should not be toier-
ated.. The validity Of the eighteenth
amendment to the constitution hav-
Ing been sustained by the supreme
court any law enacted under its au-
thority must be strictly enforced.
However, the Democratic party
pledges Its utmost endeavors to pre-
vent this new grant of federal pow
er from being exercised In such
manner as to become oppressive or
deprive the people Of that individual
liberty which It was the purpose OF
the union Of states to guarantee and
preserve through all time. The VOL
stead act, vetoed by Democratic
president and passed over his veto
by a Republican congress Is an ex-
treme exercise of the powers gram
ted by the eighteenth amendment
and II should be amended In strict
conformity with the spirit and pur-
pose Of the constitution so as to
eliminate therefrom Its drastic and
unreasonable features. We favor an
amendment to the federal constltu-
tion requiring all amendments here-
after proposed thereto to be ratified
or rejected by a referendum OF the
qualified voters of the several
states Of the Union