The Colorado statesman., 1924-04-26
c. D. P. LEADERS
PLAN PLATFORM
BELIEVE 1T MUST SHOW PARTY
HAS LEARNED LESSON FROM
RECENT HAPPENINGS.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

ans here still are trying to figure out
the effect on the party of the forced
resignation of Attorney General
Daugherty, they are also thinking on
the subject of the platform to be
adopted at the national convention.
The leaders seem to think that on the
platform this year the chance of vic
tory may depend.
Some of them say that q lesson
ought to be learned from recent hap
penings, and that the lesson has been
|, learned they declare ought to be
shown in the platform to be framed
and put into use next June.
The basis of this belief of course is
that great many progressive Repub-
licuns cannot be held loyal to the party
If they know in advance that old-line
Republicanism still is to rule the
roost, old-line Republicanism being
the polite name for reaction.
The Republican party, the progress
sives here claim, swung back to the
Old-time moorings after 1920. There
was promise of progress, they say, but
1t did not materialize. A good many
many of the things which have been
done by the appointed officials of the
party in the last three years would
not and could not have been done If
the size of the victory in 1920 had not
made some of the old-timers believe
they could get away with murder or
something close to 1t.
Poor Appointments Resented.
The real trouble, some old Bull
NIoosers here say, was the appoint
ment to high office of men chosen be-
cause they were personal and political
friends and perhaps also because they
were of reactionary tendencies. little
or no thought being given either to
their ability or to the certainty that
progressive Republicanism would re-
sent their being named to high places.
1t is a striking thing, perhaps, that
the recent and most insistent demand
for removals or designations of GER
tain high officials of government has
come from the leaders of the most ex
treme conservatives in the Republican
ranks in congress. Three years ago
there wasn't murmur from any of
them because of the seeming reaction
airy nature of some of the appoint
ments. They thought the country was
tired of so-called progressivism ana
that all would go well. Now 1t Is the
old-timers of Republcanism who are
demanding that the next platform
shall be made so insistently progress
sive that its meaning cannot be mis-
understood.
1t was thought, old Bull Moosers
here say, that the Republicans had
learned their lesson in 1912. They did
learn it, but as the thought of pro-
gressives here runs, they later forgot
It. 1t Is about rs sure today as any
thing can be that President Coolidge
will be nominated and that he will
write his own platform, write 1t with
progressive ink, and for the text of
his pronouncements in the name of
the party he will have the ready ell
dorsement of old-time conservatism
which, whatever its thoughts may be
about the dangers of rudicalism, GER
tainly desires to keep its party in
power.
Rely on Coolidge's Wisdom.
The Republicans here seem to think
that the President can be depended
upon to propose platform planks that
will be so nicely balanced between a
| proper conservatism and proper pro-
| gressivism that all elements of the
| party can view them without alarm
| This sounds as If evidences of trim
| ming will be found in the next Repub-
| lican platform. The Presidents New
| England friends, however, say that he
is not trimmer and that if his in
fuence is paramount in PLATFORM
making the expressions of party inten-
tion will be explicit and that further
more, if he is elected he will carry
out every promise provided congress
| will help him along.
The task that will confront the Re
publican platform makers will be
| hard because one endeavor will he TO
make the pronOuncements sufficiently
| progressive not only to satisfy the
| pupils of the mifder schools of pro-
gressivism, but to satisfy the radical
Republicans who are threatening a
bolt. The one thing that the party
managers desire Is to keep the north
west in line for the ticket
While Republicans seem to be con-
vinced that the people are getting fed
up on the oil scandals and some other
things noxious and to believe re-
action favorable to Republicanism has
set in, the fact remains that not one
of them but knows and says the party
has been hurt by the doings that have
been disclosed in certain of the de-
partments.
| Women Flock to Washington.
Woman is coming to town, and let
1t quickly be said none of them are
IN rags, but most of them in the vel
| YET GOWNS of the nursery rhYme Of