The Washington times., 1928-06-05
D
ORE now
IN 1. 5.

With the major carnage Of tbs
presidential nominations humanels
accomplished IN series Of minor
/ operations in widely separated States
during the last six months politi.
Glars look for the principal burst,
i ing of blood vessels at Kansas City
and Houston III the next few days
I III the feverish iabors Of platform
building
s1'lae great safety valve Of Amer.
lean politics. celebrated British
historian once called the strenuous
q ana involved proceeding which
every four years whips intp unity
again the two great parties. The
mecha Y1isrn of the operations Will be
the same as has ruled in party con-
II ventions for SO years, but 1t is ira
ditianal that every Quadrennium
witnesses new and iinirna ginable
manifestations 81 the accompanying
fire and thunder.
strong men faint when their
plank for the compulsory teaching
II 81 Esperanto h rejected BY the
Il COMMITTEES on resolutions Nervous
women grow calm and fun 81 poise
ais they appeal for department. Of
maternity with D chief iii the presi.
dents Cabinet A gentleman from
i Nebraska would abolish daylight
i saving BY national fiat, and the
4 profA from Feawit College de.
Inands = strong declaration Tor the
metric system In weights and
measures.
I Writing Platforms
The men who write the platforms
are selected BY the cauclises OF tllk
State delegate during the two
OF three days Immediately pre-
lceeding the assembling of the con.
vention. Each delegation desienates
one of its number tor the committee
on resolutions. The full committee
| n called together for organization
/ the day the convention opens. with
the chairman of the national com.
nlittee a. the temporary presiding
officer.
The full COMMITTEES selects its
permanent chairman ana then ap,
| points d subcommittee usually of
not more than hale q dozen mem.
bers, to actually write the text ~
the platform.
The subcommittee conducts pub.
lie hearings on a. many contro.
Versial subjects as time win pers
NIT generally two Or three DAYS
It is this stage Of the operation
which afford the great safety-valve
OF the American political system.
Many q cause finds court only
At the party conventions. And
many cause II continued from
generation by one day ok triumph
In every four years.
The gold standard II aboliahed.
freight rates are wiped out, educa.
ton revitalfzed with the mere read.
ing Of q brief from the National
Association to Do S0neflling New
Crime Ii checked with much pound.
Ing on the COMMITTEES table and the
nation given 8 rsSv 1ease an IT.
| by the split infinittFes he Il plank
yard.
Finished Document
Through with the public hearings.
the drafting subcommittee takes
typewriter into executive session
late In the afternoon Of the third
Gay, broods and snaris ana drinks
piack coffee over phraseOIORy all.
through the night, ana 40 energies
with the sun Of the fourth day
with the greatest American ineti.
tuition, the party platform.
Bleary-eyed and brain weary. the
drafting committee submits its
draft to the fun COMMITTEES on reso.
lutions, plank by plank. Here again
minorities find q voice. I'VE de.
nounced in unrneasured terms. be.
comes at the hands Of the full
committee. We depIore the ten.
Here IL achieved the moderation.
compromise and restraint which are
the peculiar characteristics nf
american politics. Here the rlat.
form IL built comma by Comma.
With every shade OF opinion ana
feeling, every condition of life,
every school OF economic and roll.
teal thought in free play AGAINST
every other for its own advance.
n1eH1t. The elements IN him are rs
mixed. indeed, that ali the world
might stand up and say: This Il
the United States.''
But the softening OF adjectives
ana the distribution OF semicolons
- not the end of the full commit
sNS01A y W AuN lOuT1u QAy, IOH
here It is. also. that the profound
and vital issues OF the party are
generally shouted out 1t was 1T
this stage Nthat the great Gold
Plank of the Republican conven-
ton in '9s was finally written.
When Bryan Prayed
It was ut this stage Of the Demo.
cratic convention in 1924 that
William Jennings Bryan in the
darkness just before dawn dropped
10 his knees to lead the committee
IN a prayer for divine intervention
| in the hopeless deadlock On the Ku
klux Khan plank.
It was in the full committee
rneeting Of 1850 that the Repub-
licans for the first time in Ameri.
can history dragged slavery from
the limbo of political unmention-
ables.
1t was in the full committee meet
ings of 1916 that America first
seriously reached herself on the
world war. 1t was here. four years
later that prohibition was called
for the first time everything 1t has
! since been called.
At the sunset of the fourth day
IL all differences have not been
ironed out in the full committee
/ the dissatisfied minority meets at
evening to frame its substitute
plank and minority report. and the
fifth day brings the fight to the
convention floor.
! After dfsnoafur NJ tbA ntAstior