The citizen., 1920-08-12
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1920
by Prof. Levant Dodge
ii. The Party Platforms

Dear Reader, you feel quite sure
that the next President Of the United
States will be one or the other Of
two certain men. One Of those men
was picked out for the great respon-
sibility on the 18th Of June by a com.
pany Of about one thousand men and
women assembled from different parts
Of the country at Chicago. The other
was selected by a like number Of
persons at San Francisco about three
weeks later. The sovereign people
are permitted to choose their Chief
Executive; that is, they may take
their choice between these two, James
NJ. Cox and Warren G. Harding. No
one else has a ghost of chance.
II you wish to know something
about what each Of these gentlemen
will do in case he is elected, you very
naturally read what is called the
platform Of the party that nominated
him. The candidate is supposed to
accept the statement found in that
platform or refuse to accept the
nomination. But do we really know
the candidates views and purposes,
when we have read his party's de-
claration of principles? 1t will re-
quire about two hours to read either
one of them; and when read, not
much of IL will be understood by
the average voter. There have been
times when the common man could
know beyond doubt the policy Of a
candidate by glancing at the utter
ances of the convention which made
him their nominee. Let us illustrate
the above statement.
In the Presidential campaign Of
1860, sixty years ago, there was one
vital question which held the public
thought. was a voter then and for
dozen years / had been fairly famil-
lar with the politics of the day. My
recollection of the exciting contest
then carried on is as clear as it Is
of our most recent political campaign.
More than half Of our vast domain
had only what was called territorial
government" and the scattered popu-
lation had no vote in either branch
of the National Congress. Already
the people Of some Of these terri
tories were asking for admission in
to the Union as states. In fifteen
of the then existing states, African
slavery was an established fast and
protected by law. The burning ques-
tion of the day was as to whether
that disgraceful institution should go
into the broad territories of the west,
with their vast possibilities. Three
definite answers were given. One
answer was the monosyllabic, "yes."
In this joined those whose pecuniary
interests were involved in slavery,
together with n crowd of their SER
vile. followers. Another reply was
an emphatic mo-" Those who joined
in this response TO the vital question
constituted the new Republican party.
For their Presidential candidate they
selected Abraham Lincoln, from the
dead Wing party, and for vice Presi-
dent, Hannibal Hamlin, an old-time
Democrat. The third proposed solu-
tion of the great problem was to leave
it to the choice of the majority in
each territory, when the population
was sufficient TO claim admission as
a state. No ambiguity in the plat
form that year ! No other question
received attention. Former party
lines were trampled under foot in
the rush of the people to gather
around these new party standards.
The present situation is far diff
ferent. There are diverse opinions
as TO what is the most important
question of the times. Any one of
several subjects is of sufficient inn
portance TO justify making II the
core of a party creed, were there not
so many other things demanding at
tention. The division of sentiment
upon nearly every one of these topics
has no relation 10 former lines Of
party cleavage. Perhaps II is not
TO be regretted that the old party
names and organizations are still
continued. But it is inevitable that
when a national convention Is held,
there should be such divergence OF
views among its members as to make
a matter of conjecture what ground
the party will take. Some Of the
sharpest and most bitter clashes are
between rival factions in the same
convention. And so nearly every
convention utterance taken as a