Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-26
The Houston Convention.


The Democrats are opening their ma
tional convention in Houston today.
They are sounding their call to battle
with the Republican enemy. But they
will have achieved a success il they can
avoid a devastating battle among them
selves They are meeting in the hope OF
q harmonious four-day convention In
Mace Of the blighting sixteen days OF
struggle in which they INDUCED four
years ago at Madison Square Garden.
Up to the hour of meeting there have
been but few discordant notes In the
chorus Of harmony chsnted by the
leaders. Mack of New York sounded
the first when he spoke out for the vets
Of the Empire State, including Gov. al
Smith. Richie OF Maryland, with the
persistence for which he is well known.
has produced wet" plank for inclu-
xion in the national platform. Dras-
ficslly dry planks have been proposed
also. The prohibition issue appears to-
cav the one cloud on the horizon OF the
Democratic national convention. Back
Of it hovers another cloud. however, not
yet dragged into the open-the religious
issue
Whether the Democratic gathering
can weather the contests over platform
and the nomination Of presidential
candidate under the two-thirds rule
which governs Democratic conventions
remains to be seen. The chances for
convention which has the surface indi-
cations of harmony appear good. Men
who have fought and bled over issues
which have appeared fundamental to
them In the past are represented as
burning their opinions in order to avoid
another Madison Square Garden.
The convention is meeting in vast
hall. named after Texas hero. Sam
Houston. It is meeting in a great State
Of the Southwest, far from ''the side
walks of New York" Yet even in Hous-
ton the foremost candidate of the presi-
Dental nomination is the darling OF
New York's sidewalks. Gov. Alfred Z,
Smith. The Smith nomination seems
inevitable. notwithstanding the opposi-
ton to the New York Governor, who
stands for things and principles which
have been anatlema 70 many OF the
Democratic States Of the South and to
states Of the West which have rarely
been Democratic. IL ever.
The effort of the leaders has been and
A to avoid controversial matters They
are pleading for return to the issues
over which Hamilton and Jefferson
fought in the early days Of the Republic.
They are asking that the party unite tn
a crusade after the heart Of old An
drew Jackson to throw the rascais Out"
They are soft pedaling as far as pos
sible the issue in which many modern
Americans are strongly interested-the
issue of prohibition.
They are planning to assan the Re-
publican party as the party OF special
privilege. They viii ask the farmers Of
the country to follow their standard,
pledsing to them some kind Of agricul-
tairal relief
With Smith as their standard bearer,
II he is nominated, and dry as
vice presidential candidate in all prob
ability, the Democrats win straddle, II
they can. this prohibition question. But
with Smith as their leader, the wetness
or the dryneSs Of their vice presidential
candidate and their platform VIII MAKE
little difference in the coming campaign.
Smith viii be the ticket" and the plat
form both, all rolled into one. With
Smith the party will rise TO victory or
fail in defeat. II defeat Is the hnal
potion which the party must swallow In
November, many Democrats will solace
themselves with the thought that four
years from now they viii have neither
Smith nor McAdoo 10 deal with when
they meet again In national convention.
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