Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-10
Plan Reform In
Party Platforms

Copyright. 1920. by The washing
ton Start

tUH 6LATsJ
WASHINGTON. July 8. - Now
that the two big political parties
have framed their platforms on
which to go before the people for
support the leaders in both parties
are outspoken in their determine
ton to effect a reform in party plat
forms.
The essence of this sentiment was
expressed by Vice President Mar
Shall the other day when he said, IF
1 were writing the party platform
I'd write Il on a postal card" 1t is
not only the ability to get a post
card platform promptly before the
mass of voters in shape that they
that prompts this feeling, but more
far-reaching and deeper-rooted
views.
An innovation was made by the
Republicans this year in having a
special platform committee work for
about a month in Washington before
the convention, but even then the
delegates in Chicago sweated for a
couple of days before adopting the
platform. In San Francisco the
Democrats fought over planks and
proposed planks until there was
grave danger of a party split. Both
parties turned out a platform so long
that many of the voters will never
read it. The complaint was voiced
by delegates at both conventions,
that party platforms are getting too
close together.
In the essential differences that
caused the formation of the two big
parties and that have lived through
out the years, the divergence of the
parties in their platforms Is Just as
clearly defined as ever. This Is on
the problem of baxation,-raising
money to pay the country's bills. The
changes that have come into the
platforms. bringing them closer to-
gether, are towards the other side
of the national ledger-how to spend
money, thus running up the nations
bills.
In the old days the Republicans
were for protection and the Demo
Gratis for free trade, and did not
hesitate to make their fights openly
and bitterly on this fundamental
difference in national policy. Gradu-
ally along came groups urging what
really might be called class legisla-
ton, something pledged to the far
mers, or to labor, or to some manu-
featuring or general business inter-
ests. The party leaders of the Demo-
Gratis or the Republicans thought 1t
might be well to put In such planks
with the view of getting the votes
of an organized group. Generally 1t
worked out that each party made a
play in its platform for the same or
ganized group. These groups were
made up of original Democrats or
Republicans for the most part, and
as their plank was in both platforms
they divided their votes on party
lines as before and neither party
gained an advantage.
But the nation as q whole suffer-
ed, for this letting in of group planks
has led gradually to group govern
ment. through the election to con-
gress of candidates from relatively
small organized groups who through
coalition are gaining the balance of
power in Congress in close contro-
versies between the Democrats and
the Republicans.
So the party platforms do not
mean today a sincerity of political
conviction on one. two or three vital
issues as they used to. but stand as
an attempt to appease, or cajole or
ganized groups AS leaders in both
parties admit,-the party platform is
like the platform on a railroad train
to get in on but not to
stand on.
And the spreading out of the plat
form to include plays for votes of
organized groups,-such as labor,
the farmers, the miners, internation-
interests etc.-has led to a multi
piled expenditure of money, and to
distract and divert attention from
the n most important issue of how
to raise money to pay the nations
debts. The growing evil of making
the party platforms a crazy-quilt
of particular interests
and controversial fads or innovations
special reforms has tended to
multiply the troubles of the party
striving to keep all these
interests united and in good mood.
Often It has happened, even as it has
just happened at San Francisco. that
such issues as prohibition have
strife than the main question of how
to raise the money to pay the bills.
So the party leaders, coming from
both conventions, are expressing
more forcefully and more determin-
edly than ever before their inten-
ton of reforming the party plat
forms and getting back to party poll
tics and party campaigns on a prin-
cipaI Of taxation rather than ON the
individual who may be selected to
the ticket. They believe that 1t
will focus the thought of the peo-
pie on the necessity OF devising ways
and pay off the great war debt n
getting back to a sound business adj
ministration rather than encourage
ing various groups to think up new
ways of spending Uncle Sans money
before he gets it into the national
treasure chest.
With leaders of both parties
thinking along this line-so that
neither party will be taking a chance
of alternating large groups of voters
there is a better prospect now than
previously that a reform in party
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