Evening star., 1924-08-17
PLATFORMS HAVE MINOR
INFLUENCE WITH VOTERS
History of Presidential Campaigns Do
Not Show That People Take
Them Seriously.


lowers. Gen. Taylor was elecetd by
large majority.
| Slavery was becoming the burning
j.! issue now, and in 1852 the Democrats
| were swept to victory a platform
| which came out strongly for States
rights. The Wings were swallowed
up and lost forever by adopting
platform which was virtually iden-
| teal with that of the Democrats. The
| Free Sellers were gaining ground at
! every election.
The Democratic party made its last
stand for slavery in 1885, and won
against a divided field, consisting OF
the Northern Wings, called Re
| publicanS, the know Nothing" party,
declaring that Americans should rule
| America, and the Southern Wings,
who sided with the knoW-Nothing
party. The Republicans came out in
| a platform against extension of sla-
very into the free States. All the
parties united in bitter attacks on the
Democratic administration. but the
Democrats won, electing James
! Buchanan.
Country Busy Fighting.
Through the Civil War and the
reconstruction years from 1860 to 1876
! political platforms and campaigns
amounted to little. The country was
too busy fighting and recovering
! from a devastating war to waste
! much time in politics. The Demo-
| Gratis were gradually gaining some
| strength after the sectional strife
which had split the party asunder.
Labor Reform party had made its
| appearance in the last campaign,
and the newly organized Prohibition
party was attracting some attention
with strange e-sounding doctrines con-
| cerning alcoholic liquors. But
| in, l,@
| There was the American National
| convention, which adopted a plat
| form which reads like a psalm. The
prohibition party was in the field
with characteristic platform. The
| lndepe ndent. or "Greenback," party
came into the fight with a platform
| which stated it had been called into
| existence by the necessities of the
people whose industries are pros
| trated. whose labor is deprived of its
just reward by a ruinous policy
which the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties refuse to change"
| The Republican party was praising
God from whom all mercies flow. con-
graduating the people on the leader
| ship of the party, and pointing with
pride to its record of achievement
| under Lincoln and Grant. The Demo-
Gratis viewed with alarm the general
havoc wrought by the Republican
pdi anu very SOleHlnly declared that
the time had come when the people
| must save the country through the
ballot, cast the Republicans into outer
| darkness and elect the Democratic
ticket. They came near doing it at
that. for while Samuel B. Tilden re-
celVed the greatest popular vote
| rutherford Hayes was elected.
Both Old Parties Sound.
Four years later the Republicans
| turned back the pages of time to the
| successful conclusion of the Civil War
and the safe conduct of the country
! through the perilous times that fol-
| lowed. The Democrats devoted the
| majority of their platform to a yitri-
| oltc attack upon the Republicans.
while the National Liberals in their
platform said, in effect, that neither
the Democrats nor the Republicans
| had done anything and that it was
| up to them to revive paralyzed in
dustry and trade and increase the
| wages of the workingmen. In addition
there were the Independent Repub-
licans, the Prohibitionists. the Green
| backs. Despite all this the Republi-
| cans again were victorious and Gar
| field entered the White House
| Eighteen eighty-four saw the Re-
publicans, who had gotten away with
| 1t 50 often, again harping on the Civil
| War and pointing with pardonable
4 pride to the fact that as the country
had made such commendable progress
under six consecutive Republican ad-
ministrations. it behooved the country
| to make it seven straight
The Democrats. however, soft-ped-
| aled on the failure of the Republi-
can administration, and took up Il
| new song. With the greatest so
lemnity their party platform declared
| that 1t was Indispensable for the
wv jnDI
| forcement of the correct principles
| of government for the Government to
| be controlled always by one political
party. Frequent change of admins
| tration, the platform set FORTH is as
| necessary as the recurrence of the
popular will. The Decentralization
party came out with well modulated
platform, the Prohibitionists stayed
| In the field and the country took the
Democrats word for it and brought
| about change in administration by
electing Grover Cleveland.
| Eight Parties in the Field.
Four years later there were eight
| parties in the field, each calling on
the people to save the country. The
| Industrial ReformerS wanted the gov
ernment to provide full legal tender
money sufficient in volumn to meet the
requirements of the people" The suf-
| fragists had come along with an
| equal-rights platform. There was an
American platform, coming out for
| what the folks call 100 per cent
Americanism" these days, and irrev-
| erently declaring that the issues OF
| free trade and protection were d
| fraud and a snare" The Union
Labor platform denounced the Repub-
| licans and Democrats for creating
| and perpetuating the monstrous evils
| of usury, ,monopolies and trusts" The
! Prohibitionists were still present The
| Democrats took up the song of the
'ins' and congratulated the country
that the ideals of Jefferson, etc. etc,
etc. The Republicans paused on the
| threshold to honor Lincoln. Grant,
| Garfield, Arthur, Logan and Conkling,
| mildly rebuked the Democrats for
their weak and unpatriotic treat-
ment Of fisheries" outlined their
well known principles. and won the
| election by sending Gen Harrison to
the White House. although Cleveland
| obtained the popular majority.
In 1892 the Republicans continued
to thank the Lord for their successful
! administration. The Democrats view
ed with alarm, said 1t was time f6f
the people to return to the funda-
mentals of free and popular Gov
ernment. the need of which was never
more urgent than now.
Peoples Party Boom. F~
But this campaign was interesting
for the birth of the Peoples Party,
which pictured the unhappy situation
| as follows: we meet in the midst
of a nation brought to the verge OF
! moral, political and material ruin
| Corruption dominates the ballot box
| the legislatures, the Congress and