Evening star., 1924-06-12
CONVENTION CALLED
TRAGIC TO OLD GUARD
White Sees World Court Plank
Example of Orders Enforced
on Regulars.
FIGHTING SPIRIT IS GONE
Finds Sessions Deadly Dull, With
Unreal Appearance.
FIGHTING SPIRIT IS GONE
by WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, June IA
Wednesday in national conventions is
always the day when big things hap
pen off-stage. Tuesday, typically is
the day which foreshadows the tenn
per of the convention, and behind
closed doors the great committees
meet, threshing out the platform, the
rules, the order of business. And in
those committees the real direction
of the convention is formed.
In this convention Wednesday
was day of tragedy for that portion
of the right wing of the Republican
party known as the "old guard" In
committees, it had to take orders,
not because the old guard did not
have majorities in the committees,
but because orders came, and tradi-
tionally. the old guard. which never
surrenderS, does obey orders
Old Guard obeys Orders.
Here is a typical instance. In the
subcommittee which has been con-
sidering the foreign relations planks
In the Republican committee the old
guard had a majority. The President
desired the world court indorsed as
Harding, Hughes and Root saw it,
league of nations. That kind of a
court was indorsed by Chairman Bur-
ton Tuesday. There can be no doubt
Of Coolidge's determination to force
through Congress the world court as
Harding left it to him. The commit
tee which drafted the platform does
not believe in that court. 1t would
nave no dealings with the league of
nations. 1t was irreconcilable to that
committee-but word came from Mr.
Butler, President Coolidges manager,
that the world court was to be in
dorSed. and it was indorsed.
Albert j. Beveridge desired to make
a provision that when seven states
petitioned for debate upon any plank
of the platform debate should come
III the regular Crder-certainly a fair
proposition. But orders came against
doned- Orders are orders with the
right wing of the Republican party,
and even majorities do not affect
orders. When the old guard put the
insurgents out of the party organiza-
ton the old guard stopped growth
within the rarty. Imagine what a
Bull Mooser would do when he came
up against the orders that easily
stopped Jim Watson. The platform
is uncompromisingly Coolidge's.
Harmony Held Sacred.
Harmony with the old guard, when
1t is not a matter of dealing with
progressives, is the most sacred thing
about party conduct. There is no
open explosion. no bitter denuncia-
tions of the Massachusetts, method.
The old guard will lick the spoon
and bless the hand that gave the
medicine.
Outwardly yesterday the few hours
of proceedings were typically in the
old form. The new chairman of the
convention - the permanent chair
man-was introduced and made his
speech. II was what may be expected
OF the discarded regulars during the
whole campaign-the quintessence of
blah- -blah, abusing the Democrats.
praisirg the Republicans-such a
speech as any Republican orator
could make in any campaign or easily
any Democratic orator could make in
any campaign. 1t was fiery, impas-
stoned and short, so the crowd that
feared boredom cheered.
Convention Takes Medicine
The luncheon hour had arrived. A
lake trip for the delegates had been
offered. Some one moved adjourn
ment. The vote was put. The noes"
plainly had it, the chair declared the
"ayes" had it; that was the program;
60 no one complained. The conven-
ton took it's medicine as the COM
nittees were taking their medicine.
AS a matter of fact, from Pro-
gressive viewpoint this Coolidge
nostrum is better than the cure-all of
the defeated regulars. Coolidge is
not in the least a radical, he is Just
an open-minded conservative. But
he is vastly better for the country
q tn 01 1y-l L.
gram of revenge; he has no record to
save: no ak to grind. He is not of