The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-06-28
WILSON FORCES
ARE IN TURMOIL
Bryan Has Got Strong Hold
On the Resolutions
Committee
MAY ASK TREATY
WITH RESERVATIONS
Senator Walsh of Montana to Lead
Bryan Fight With Committee-Some
Fear Glass Resolution Will. ALLEVIATE
Block of Democrats.
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Copyright By The Reformer.)


SAN FRANCISCO, Calf, June 28.-Is-
sues and platform planks rather than
candidates are worrying the leaders Of
the Democratic national convention as
they approach their tasks of the week,
for the leadership of President Wilson
hangs in the balance. With characteristic
skill William Jennings Bryan has man.
euvred himself into a position of strength
in the all-important resolutions committee
which drafts the platform. The old fight
between the Democratic senators who sup
ported Senator Lodges reservations and
those who supported Senator Hitchcock
and President Wilson in their stand for
interpretative reservations to the peace
treaty has broken out anew.
Mr.. Bryan has cleverly gotten behind
Senator Walsh of Montana, who voted
for the Lodge reservations, and he is pop
ular with the Western senators and is
their kind for chairman of the platform
committee
Everybody thought the Wilson people
were in such splendid control of things
| hOAC Lhdb Which, IL WAS THAI
| Senator Glass of Virginia had conferred
! with President Wilson and had secured
his ideas on platform planks no difficulty
was anticipated in selecting Mr.. Glass to
be chairman of the resolutions committee.
But the revolt came suddenly and has
given the Wilson leaders much to worry
about. They are confident of electing
Glass but it will be close shave The
naOnla hohin1 Sanato,. Walsh &c n
have expressed fears that Senator Glass
might put something in the platform con-
demning the Republican senators who
voted for the Lodge reservations and thus
place in an embarrassing position the
twenty Democratic senators who lined up
with Mr.. Lodge.
For dead issue this league of nations
Il susiness.4 ma nagesa TO szereate- more live
trouble in the two political parties than
anything else this year. But the sur.
prising thing is that in Democratic con
vention there should be difficulty for Pres
ident Wilson has declared the league the
. principal issue of theeampaign. Mr.. Bryan
q however, has been insisting that the res
ervations adopted by the Republican
majority of the senate should have beer
accepted by the President. Senator
Walsh of Montana took the position wher
he voted for the Lodge reservations tha
it was the only way to get the treaty rat
+. flied. No matter what is the outcome o
n the fight for the Craftsmanship of tn,
e resolutions committee the struggle viii
d not be ended till the platform plank j
:. written. The Bryan-Walsh elements ia
: vor adoption of the peace treaty will
t whatever reservations are necessary to in
t. sure prompt ratification They want moth
d ing said about the Lodge reservations
l. Senator Glass of Virginia wants the treat
ratified without reservations which i'm
! pair It's essential integrity" In the VII
: ginia platform which he wrote, he ha
- plenty of condemnation for these VIII
= voted for the league reservations. II
= wants harmony here, he will have to elm
: mate the denunciation and limit himse
7. to an affirmative statement of what tn
u Democrats propose to do with the peac
" treaty.
The aspirants for the presidential non
!, nation are wisely keeping out of the hgl
though if any danger looms, it is quit
II certain that a coalition of MeAdoo an
J Palmer forces will be made for purposes {
=" organization and platform if nothing els
! The McAdoo and Palmer men are yer
e friendly so far as their feeling for Pres
u dent Wilson is concerned 1t is abont til
X only point in common which they hav
: put enough to keep brother Bryan an
- others from throwing the convention int
the hands of anti-administration element
l. The Wilson forces solidifed their rank
r when they agreed to eliminate Bainbridg
ne Colby as permanent chairman and a
al cepted Senator Joseph Robinson of A
n kansas The latter, by the way. did mt
re vote for the Lodge reservations but stoo
lg for the President throughout the treat
I'd fight Colby was too new a Democrat I
ir get the important lob of permanent chat
n, man though the Wilson leaders who SUI
ne gested it thought it was a good way I
ne catch the eve of such progressives as ma
n have been disappointed at the Republics
" national convention at Chicago.
o. There is, however noticeable unde
10 current here to go back to the s'goc
&c old fashiond Democracy" which is ana
~ ogous to the conspicuous tendency in CT
ba cage to return to Good old Republican
ha ISM
be This convention probably will yield
: liberal platform but only after ha
=, fight because the. conservatives are 81
AZ nifcantly numerous Whether it was Il
81 war or reaction against experiments
government measures and proposals the
are reactionaries here as, there were
Chicago and they will make their fig
against anything approaching governme
y ownership or similar doctrines of the $
en- called radicals. The candidates of t
de F"Old Fashioned Democrats are Viz
IN, President Marshall or Champ ClaI
'er with distinct leaning toward Cox
IN. cause while he has progressive reco
= in Ohio he might he able to acknowled
mistakes of the Wilson administrati
IS since he was not mart Of it.
u On the other hand. there are plenty
Wilson men in the camp of Govern
'rk Cox He is being urged as eomprom
ear between the old and the new Den
L u /. ].