Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-03
.lrculation Every 1AA10
sEvenins Yesterday 1910
Platform Building Extrsosd mary.

Mn3fcVer else IuAS SsCt NC W ts's 'Stb
,sas,un of Will H. Hays, chairman OF the
kRspublsau National Committee, As chief
tdircctor of a national political campaign,
Inc will GO LAUNDERING down the ages as
i,she greatest platform constructor ever
pkpoun. He has entered upon a scheme
iusver before thought of-a radical Inno-
vatiou and complete elimination of all
.ths processes Of platform-bulding since
national political conventions came INTO
existence in this country.
II will not be q cause of wonder. how
ever. that Chairman HAYS realized very
lch,rlv the need Of extraordinary efforts
"a, construct even a plausible platform for
khr Republican party this year. The
nhcrstiIe attitude of the party towards the
krstloual administration before, during
land after the war; the manifest SYM
kpathy with the common enemy that caused
bcvcry friend Of GERMANY, every friend oi
disorder and reversal of the well-ordered
! policies of popular government, TO grav-
i,a,e naturally TO the Republican party;
the frightfully costly negligence OF the
Republican Congress, all tended TO place
the partv in such an evil odor with the
.Issoplc that Chairman HAYS saw that a plat
form of the ordinary construction would
3nvc not the slightest effect IN amending
a st,at,on which threatened overwhein-
ung disaster at the election.
To the building Of great platform,
therefore. Chairman Hays directed his
energies. First. he offered prizes amount
ing IN all 10 ten thousand dollars to
tcrnpt the genius of platform builders,
amateur as well rs professional, women
as we'll as men, competition open 10 all.
Soon rcsii z,ne that this ridiculous scheme
dd not promise assuring results. he
indu~triously gathered nationwide
committee of III members, each and all
instructed 10 do their level best for the
,~s,cc>c~s of the mighty undertaking. And
- the work OF construction WAS launched.
Next Chairman HAYS applied himself
f, la he task of setting his buiSers to work
and of seeing they were amply supplied
With material lie has had them organ
,,-rd and divided into small bodies to
ssndv public questions IN detail, and
.ieslocd what view of them should hc pre-
ls~ntosi tn the people, through the Repub-
tsican r~tionsl platform. And Tor the
kSuidance of the builders he has caused
,ancstionnairos to be prepared and cir
alla,ed, calling upon lot OF prominent
citizens 20 make answers thereto. which
hn h
.eommittecs having the various plat
form subjects in charge.
So here is A platform scheme that Will
lengagc the attention and probably the
services Of thousands of Republicans
rall over the country. What gigantic
task for Chairman HAYS and his building
Icommittees to take in hand al the mass
,of material that will be showered upon
fshem In the form of platform suggestions
and mold them into a concrete, incisive /
! ideclaration Of principles for the Republi- |
can party in this years campaign. Surely |
no quarters that the Republican National /
Copmittee NAV he able 10 secure within /
hthe confines of anv large CITY viii answer
bfor the purpose. The great shipbuilding
.plant at Hog Island alone suggests itself /
As suitable workshop for this army of /
platform builder
And what will it all amount to- Moth /
ing. II Will be fizzle and farce Sug- /
sgestions there will be, thousands of them. /
lfor Chairman HAYS supplemental plat !
form committee TO take over and endeavor /
90 digest 1t is possible the committee may
sgct together and thrash out platform /
declaration. But in the end the platform /
committee Of the Republican National |
Convention will meet in solemn conclave |
at Chicago and. after a pretense of /
giving consideration TO the result of the /
outside building committees Herculean
labors, will accept a platform duly pre-
pared in advance by the old Guard
leaders Of the party and report II to the
convention. And the convention, without /
q thought as 10 its declarations will
swallow 1t eagerly and UNANIMOUSLY. and
thus the platform viii be made Ii may
with confidence be predicted that it will
be long platform. which few readers Will |
90 through in detail, and which in effect
will mean absolutely nothing.
But at least Mr.. Hays will have sue
ceeded in putting through an unique
plan for building national party plat
form. Also, of placing the Republican
party before the country in the humiliat-
ing position Of having been driven, BY the
danger of crushing defeat il has delib-
eraiely invited by its bitter partisanship
and lack of patriotism. and by the /
impotence Of its majority in the Congress, /