New-York tribune., 1920-05-16
The Prize Pla1ks Debated
Representative Editorial Opinion, North, South East and West
Discusses the Republican Platform Which Tribune Readers Wrote

Grafton and representing primarily Re-
publican modes Of thought But it can
fairly serve to draw comment and criti-
cism from without the party, as we'll as
from within it.
SO far as this straw platform repre-
sents popular sentiment, it indicates that
the issue as to capital and labor is the
dominant issue Of the moment That is
to say, more planks were proposed for
this issue than for any other. Not all
the talk Of throwing the league of ma
tions into the campaign was enough to
give the problem as to the foreign rela-
tions Of the country predominance over
the industrial question. Out of the 1921
planks proposed, 719 had to do with the
relations of capital and labor, 600 dealt
with foreign relations, 682 urged some
form of Americanization, BAL were con-
cerned with the army and navy program
and 400 advocated elimination of prof
iteering or measures for reducing prices.
Aside from these five subjects, there
was indecision as to those that could
properly demand a place in the plat
form. In respect to certain subjects,
moreover, there was much variance Of
view as to the line Of action that ought
to be championed. For example, with
respect to Bolshevism, which has cer-
tainly been good deal of an issue be-
fore the American public within the last
few months, only $40 contestants under
took to propose planks, though perhaps
it should be added that so far as the
planks submitted on this issue were con-
cerned they showed fairly definite
trend toward repressve measures.
A subject that exemplified variance Of
opinion as to preferable course Of action
was that of constitutional reform, under
which heading the 371 planks submitted
were divided rather impartally among
such proposals as changes in, or aboli-
ton of, the Electoral College, referen-
dunn on all amendments, compulsory vot-
ing, a heightened term for the Presi-
dent, and reduction in membership for
collection indicating more truly, perhaps
the range of individual hobbies than a
trend toward any actual reform. Social
legislation and taxation were other
planks submitted was in each case fairly
large without a sufficient number IA
voring any one reform or course of ac-
ton as to indicate general popular de-
mand. On several subjects that have
been prominently before the public late
ly relatively few planks were offered
and of these some indicated faint mi
nority, as well as a large majority, opin-
ion. Majority opinions in this class
favored equal rights for women, restric-
ton of immigration, some sort of aid
for soldiers, government supervision of
big business, large merchant marine,
freedom of United States insular pos
sessions, revision of the tariff upward,
and no government ownership of rail-
roads.
The contestants evidently considered
many of them passed it over that it
stood only in the twentieth place in a
list of twentyseven subjects, arranged
in order of the attention they received
from those submitting planks. And of
those who dealt with it, 100 proposed re-
peal of the prohibition amendment to
the Constitution, As declared against
such repeal, and 25 advocated referen-
dunn on the question. Considerable
blocks of contestants, without any con-
trary suggestion. urged Federal control
of education on the lines advocated by
the American Education Association,
better laws to aid the farmer, elimina-