The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1920-01-16

through the republican national
committee, Mr.. Truxtun Beale, for
mer United States minister to Persia
and an ardent republican who has the
best interests of his party at heart,
offers cash prizes aggregating $780,
900 for the best platform suggestions
by young republicans in the country.
His offer has been formally accep-
ted by Chairman Will H. Hays, of the
national committee, and the contest
will open at once and close March
81, 1920.
A first prize of $4,000 will be CIV
en- for the best manuscript received;
$4,000 for the second best and 81 900
for the third.
Manuscripts are limited to 5000
words and must be addressed to Walk
er Blaine Beale, contest division of
Young Voters, republican national
committee, 923 Woodward building,
Washington, D. C. Four typewriter
copies must be submitted, one only of
the number being signed.
Under date of November 20, 1919,
Mr.. Beale, in a letter to Chairman
Hays, quoted William Roscoe Thay-
er's description of a national conven-
ton, with its scenes of turmoil and
strife, as given in his life of Roose-
welt. In this chapter Mr.. Thayer said:
"a spectator from Mars might have
remarked, but for so important a
business as the choice of a candidate
who may become president of the
United States you ought to have quiet,
elaboration, free-play, not for those
who can speak the wisest.'
"And to this remark the bowling,
whirling dervishes who attended the
convention might have responded, if
they waited long enough to hear it
through, by yelling, Hail, Hail, the
gangs all here and would have dart
ed off to catch up with their fellow
b~acchanals," etc.
Commenting upon this depletion of a
national convention, Mr.. Beale, in his
letter, said:
eff these conditions were strange
for the nomination of a president they
were still more strange for working
out and formulating the principles and
planks of a political platform.
ga political platform would sure
1y have more clearness if thought out
in the libraries and studies of the
scholars of the country than in the
turmoil and noise of a political con-
vention; it would have more consistent
cy if made away from it's Earring ele-
ments; it would have fewer evasions
and antiquities if not made under the
pressure of it's clashing interests, and
the great organic truths of sociology
and economics for the guidance of a
party could be more profoundly con-
sidered and more effectively express
ed.
There never has been a time when
the two parties have differed so fun
damentally in principle as now, differ
ences that go to the very foundation
of society; never a time when so many
brands of quack medicine have been
SO energetically hawked about as cures
for the distempers of the state, and
therefore never a time when an hon
est platform and straight thinking,
holding out no false hopes and prom
Using no short cuts to the millennium,
is more important than now"
For these reasons, Mr.. Beale SUBJ
scribed $4,000 to the republican ma
tional committee to be offered in priz-
es as here outlined. The only stipula-
ton that he made was that the COM
mittee assume the responsibility of
furnishing the machinery and expense
required for reading the manuscripts
submitted. "Of course" he added, "it
is not my idea that such a platform
would necessarily be adopted by the
national convention. but the educative
effect on the people at large might
have a beneficial indirect result; and
may aid you in your we'll directed eff
forts to interest young people in pol
tics"
Mr.. Beale's original proposal con-
templated opening the competition to
graduates of Harvard, Yale, Prince
ton Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Michi-
gan, Wisconsin, California, University
of Virginia, University of Pennsylva-
MIA and University of Texas, but he
waived his limitation upon the sug-