The Washington times., 1924-06-11
N CORM|CKSEES
LAFOLLETTE
PROBLEM
Struggle Over Platform the
Only Rift in college Meet
ing" Convention

Only Rift in "CoIIege Meet
ing" Convention
By SENATOR MEDILL McCOR-
MICK.
Copyright. 1894; by The International
News Service, Inc.)
CLEVELAND. Ohio. June lit
was on Monday that ! made the
statement, to which Mr.. Bryan has
generously alluded in Tuesdays
newspapers, that this convention
promised to resemble q ceremonial
gathering like q college commence
ment rather than an old time politi-
cal rally.
Ny prophecy was borne out
Tuesday, when delegates and ticket
holders quietly poured into the
vast and admirably arranged con.
vention HAN. The galleries and that
part Of the stage reserved for the
national committee and their
friends were only partly. filled.
It was just SUCH a quiet aud
fence az would listen to a COM
mencement address. Not that the
scholarly and well prepared adj
dress of Hon. Theodore Burton
resembled any which might be de-
livered at the commencement ex.
ercises Of q college, or indeed a
keynote speech which would sound
the toxin for a political campaign.
It more nearly resembled the
Republican campaign book Of 1922,
except that 1t was. or course, re-
vised, brought down to date and
better written. Except for two or
three moments of genuine applause.
1t was received, however, like a
college address. There were no
tremendous bursts Of cheering or
manifestations of enthusiasm.
Doesn't Criticize Speech.
This I say, not to criticize the
which was widely approved among
the delegates, but to show the
temper Of the conventional the
delegates from the several States,
many Of whom had been asked by
headquarters to name certain indi-
viduals In their delegations as mem.
bers on the great committee Of the
convention. In bygone years each
delegation was left to It's own de.
vices and its own judgment to-
choose from its members those who
they thought fitted for places on
the committees by reason Of their
qualifications, or for good and suffl
cient political reasons.
When the convention adjourned,
the committees and newspaper
writers took up their labors, the
news writer's to seek news when
there was none, and many Of them
to point out, as they have told me,
that the Republican campaign, when
it begins, must be managed very
! differently II the Republicans are to
win In November.
Confirmed by Veterans.
The old political writers have con.
firmed me in the first judgment
which / expressed Of this conven.
ton, that no convention in the ex.
perience Of any Of us resembled this
one-that the convention itself, as
Uncle Joe Cannon used to say,
would have no occasion Ito con.
! vent"
The course laid out a week ago
has been followed with monotonous
regularity, except where the dele.
gate intended to be chairman ar.
rived so late that the committee
finally elected some other member
in his stead.
This was the case with the rules
committee, which will present to
the convent on a rule that no
minority report may be made from
the committe" on resolutions which
writes the platform.
We shall hear today the rule
and the report against the rule to
be made by Senator Beveridge and
two other members on the score,
assume, that there IL no prece-
dent In the history of Republican
conventions to forbid a minority
presenting a substitute to the plat
form adopted by the majority of
the committee.
Former Practice Ignored.
Note, this is the first formal
recognition by party managers that
Robert M. la Toilette Of Wiscon.
| sin Is to be an independent can.
didate for the Presidency.
In former years It has been the
practice OF the member Of the reso.
lutions committee from Wisconsin
to read his report, for the dele
gates from Wisconsin, or perhaps
they, together with those from
North Dakota to vote for Senator
La Toilette, and then to close the
issue without boiling the conven-
ton, or inaugurating an independ.
ent movement in support of Sen.
ator La Toilette for the Presidency.
The influence of Senator La Fol.
Iette's independent candidacy is
and has been on mems minds and
on their lips since I arrived in
CLEVELAND last week, Just as It
VIII be a matter of interest and
even concern when the Democratic
convention assemblies in New York
at the end Of the month.
Differ On Strength.
There are the widest differences
OF opinion about his strength, about
the number Of votes he will draw
from one or the other Of the two
Ola parties, about the vote which he
VIII draw from the Republicans Of
the west and Democrats in the
east.
There are some who consider his
views and his candidacy as negli-
g1ole. and others as formidable and
dangerous to Republican success,
with all shades Of opinion between.
This perhaps led one of my col.
leagues to remark that it is as
difrcult to prophesy the outcome
OF this election as II would be to
play pool on an ocean liner in a
high sea-.
But If speculation about Novem.
Der De difficult, It is not hard to
predict that there will be continued
efforts to impress into service as a
vice presidential candidate the three