The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-22
STIR OF ACTIVITY AT SAN FRANCESCA;
 MUCH DISCUSSION
Modification of Enforce ment Act to Have HOnOrs With League Issue In
 Platform Talk
By Associated Press

San Francisco, June 21.-with the
 opening of the democratic national
 convention a week away, stir of &C.,
 tivty was noticeable about hotel
 headquarters today in addition to the
 preliminary work at the auditorium.
 where the delegates will gather.
 It took the form of informal dis
 cussion between national committee
 members and state leaders already
 aground. devoted chiefly to anticipate
 struggles with platform building.
 There was virtually no talk as to
 presidential candidates.
 A plain intimation ran through a
 current of platform talk that pro-
 posals to modify the federal prohibit
 tion enforcement act were expected by
 some Of the democratic war horses to
 share honors with if not to eclipse the
 League of Nations issue. Nobody had
 any direct statement to mako nor
 would anybody talk for publication.
 Some of the men who will have a hand
 in shaping the party's declaration ot principles. however talked much pri-
 vately of popular demand that the doctrine of states rights should apply to beer restrictions.
 FIERCE BATTLE CERTAIN Taken in connection with the nounced purpose of W. J. Bryan to resist any weakening of pro- hibitiOn enforcement measures, talk brought to the surface the feeling of prominent democrats all ready here that fierce battle the point in the resolutions com- mittee was not to be avoided. They believed also that ultimately the question would he fought out on the convention floor.
 Discussions of the league plank ap- parently awaited the arrival of Sena- tor Glass of Virginia, slated to head the resolutions committed. and coming direct from a conference with Presi- dent Wilson. The contest over the league issue already has been sharply defined in the conflicting views of the President and MT. Bryan.
 MENTION WALSH AS CHARM AN The name of Senator Walsh of Mon- tana was injected into the discussion today of the probable permanent chair 1 man of the convention. The Montana senator was mentioned by a number of leaders in a tentative way. although others said that they believed Secre- | tary Colby of the state department would be the man urged by adminis- | tTallOn IOTCeS, deSplhS HIS SLhkcHcAb | that he was not q candidate for the post
 No delegations have put in an ap- pearance yet, except for a state lead CT here and there. coming ahead to arrange accommoda tions for his asso- ciates and to look over the ground and pick up ideas from men from other
 sections of the country. There is lit- I tie about the city as yet to indicate | that it Is to play host to it's first na- l tional political convention next week. The wires were busy during the day, however. with reports of delegations 1 getting under way from the eastern seaboard and every arriving train add ed to the group of figures in demo- cratic circles slowly assembling about
 headquarters of the national conven- tion. 3 l CANAL ZONE PROBLEM | San Francisco. June 21.-Credentials
 and a demand for recognition of two delegates to the democratic national convention were received here from the
 canal zone. This. it is said. will pre- sent a new problem. in that the status of the zone differs from that of the l states and of such territories as Hawaii. Porto Rico and others which ! (COutfnued on Page TwO}