Missouri Valley times., 1920-06-17

problem of prognostjcation an I'M
usually difficult one from the start.
Another feature was the ul.pre.
cedented number of outsiders and men
from other parties who were on hand
to influence the choice of the conven-
tfon. Notable among these were Will
liam j. Bryan and William Randolph
Hearst, especially the htter, who
seemed to conceive it patriotic duty
to do all in his power to assist the
Republicans in making wise selec-
tion.
Women will from now on have an
equal voice with men in planning and
managing Republican campaigns. This
is assured through the adoption by
the convention of the report of the
committee on rules, the chief recon-
mendation of which was that the
executive committee shall have a men,
bership of fifteen instead of ten as
heretofore. The makeup of the COM
AAAtlSC VIII UC SCNCu LlCll, SGSCH NUlH-
en- and the chairman. In addition the
committee will have woman vice
chairman. ranking next in dignity to
the chairman. There will also be an
assistant secretary who will be
woman. The women OF the majority
got everything they asked for from the
convention notwithstanding the fact
that a Strong delegation of their sex
who are opposed to suffrage was on
hand. These latter were disappointed.
The Supreme courts decision up
holding the prohibition amendment
and the Volstead act came at an OPP
perfume time to relieve the platform
trainers of embarrassment on the
question. The hopes of anti-prohibi-
tionists which went from wet to moist
are now scarcely humid. Their only
recourse is in the election of con-
gress which will repeal or amend the
V0lstead law.
Gov. Edward I. Edwards of New
Jersey, who is making the race for the
Democratic presidential nomination
largely on the question of personal lib
erty, advocates nationwide refer
endum on the question of prohibition.
He believes that the sentiment of the
people so expressed, will force an
amendment to the law. His conten-
tion is that the act goes too far in
attempting to regulate the habits of
millions of citizens; that it places in
the lawbreaking and criminal class
millions Of women all over the coun-
try who make light wines from home
grown fruits for domestic use and
millions of farmers who make and ma
ture cider from their own orchards !;
that by the prohibition of beverages
of light alcoholic content, it has in
creased the illicit distillation of harm
full liquors to twentyfold their former
production; that many of the agents
Of enforcement, both state and fed
eral, have become either blackmailers
of the lawbreakers or partners in
crime; that 1t is the main impelling
cause why 100000 men of foreign
birth have returned to their native
lands and that 1t menaces the whole
Industrial fabric, and millions of work
ers are filled with resentment on ac-
count of the invasion Of their personal
liberties.
The New Jersey executive attacks
the law on several other counts and
one easily discerns that the question
Is going to cut much larger figure
at San Francisco than it has at Chi
cago. In the Republican convention
the only entry similar to Governor Ed
wards was Senator France of Mary
land, and he never had a chance, for
at no time was there any prospect of a
wet track.
German elections which were relied
upon to clarity the political atmos-
phere and settle the immediate course
of government in that country, appar-
emily have failed of effect. The re-
suit seems to be Of the nature of a
stalemate, and while President Ebert
appears to have pulled through by a
small majority the coalition govern
ment which he heads is SO beset by
the right and left opposition that par
liamentary chaos is almost inevitable.
Ebert and the forces nearest to him
are moderate socialists. The opposi-
tion of the right contains, under vari-
Gus party names and shades of polit-
ical belief, the democrats, reaction
aries, limited monarchists and uphold
ers of the old regime. The left con-
tains the independent socialists and
all the more radical representation.
The government, endeavoring to steer
middle course and yet an ultra-lib-
eral one for Germany between these
1-