The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-24
VOLUNTEER CORPS
 BUS|LY WH|TTL|NG
 PLATFORM PLANKS
Leaders Agreed That Pro- hibition Enforcement to Hold Center of Stage
 Till Question Settled
By Associated Press

by HssVcidteu Ffoss
 San Francisco, June R3.--A volunteer construction corps of platform builders was busy today whiting out blanks which they believed would meet the neejs of the democratic national convention in expressing it's views to prohibition enforcement Leaders, including Chair man Cummings, of the national commit tee, were in agreement that this ques- ton would monopolize the center of the convention stage until it was settled. Mir Cummings expressed the opinion that It would be the only issue to be carried to the convention floor.
 Informal discussion shows several schools of thought among the anti-bone dry advocates as to how the question should be approached. They vary from the stated stand taken by Governor Ed wards of New Jersey to proposals that Congress be urged to proceed toward modifying the one-half of one per cent alcoholic content restriction of the Vol stead enforcement act, so as to lift the ban from beers and light wines.
 The most pronounced movement at the moment. however, and the one which ap- peared today to have taken the most definite shape, was that originating in Washington and designed to offer basis on which anti-bone dry forces could concentrate. Personal liberty will be the slogan of advocates of this compromise plank.
 MT. Cummings was emphatic today m defining the question to be solved as not prohibition issue but merely express sion of the partys attitude as to the yolstead enforcement act
 MANY OTHER ISSUES
 There were numerous other issues on which there would be difference Of opinion before the resolutions com mittee, Mir. Cummings thought, inciud- ing profiteering, the industrial plank. touching, relations between capital and labor, the Irish question. and others; S; but no present prospect that they could be not harmonized in committee A minority report is to be expected only on the so-called "beer plank" it was agreed, and that will throw the fight into the convention itself.
 The Washington enforcement
 plank was drafted in circles in
 close touch with the administra-
 trion. It is understod to have been
 drawn from the personal liberty
 angle and to advocate in general
 terms a liberalization of the Vol-
 stead act. Specific mention of
 wine, Der or any other beverage by
 name was omitted.
 The plank will be put forward as
 representing the opinion of many seuators and representatives and
 its framers hope to be able to
 claim for 1t the backing of Presi-
 dent Wilson himself. It was drawn
 after conference, in which more
 than one member of the cabinet
 shared, 1t was said, and in which
 anti-bone-dry senators took
 leading part.
 Avoidance of specific mention of beverages, advocates of the Washing ton plank argued, and an appeal for enforcement policy more in harmony with American ideas of personal liberty would serve to prevent alienation of sentiment which a more direct ap- proach might push into the bone-dry ranks.
 AGREES WITH RULING
 By such course also, he added, the partys stand could be in strict ac- cordance with the ruling of the su- preme court confirming the authority of Congress to fix permissible alcoholic content under the prohibition amend ment.
 It was questonab ble tonight whether any direct reference to the Volstead act would be urged on the platform framers. There are pros and cons to be thrashed out in that respect. The plank to be urged by the anti-bone- -drys, however, is expected, whatever it may say otherwise, to Nap the republican Congress sharply foAA enactment of the enforcement measure in it's existing form. Probably, it was said, the atti- tude of Postmaster General Burleson, in his statement in San Antonio yester- day assailing as "absurd' provisions of the VOlstead act and contending that they were calculated to defeat the provision of the prohibition act, which would be reflected in the platform language proposed.
 A new source of discussion arose to- day in connection with convention pro- cedure. It had to do with determining whether the platform should be adopt ed before or after the presidential nominee had been selected.
 CANDIDATES VIEWS DIFFER
 Chairman Cummings apparently has had the question up with managers of