The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-06-27
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
. By LUDWELL DENNY

l. L With a Smith harmony nom
ination in prospect and the keynote
fireworks out of the way, the
Democrats today are fighting over
platform.
Like all such fights it is expected
to end in compromise.
The Importance in this close cam
paign year Of planks, which would
be ignored by voters in less critical
times, impreSSes a minority of the
convention. But not the majority.
ProSecutive acceptance of the
liberal and clear-cut Al Smith as
the candidate apparently is as much
as the conservatives can swallow in
one convention.
Though Smith forces control the
nomination not all of their
supporters will go the full way on
principles.
On the prohibition issue especially,
a large number are voting for the
man despite rather than because of
his wetness.
Leaving aside the Khan fringe and
extremists, who use this issue to
screen their opposition to any
Catholic, the convention is sincerely
and apparently irrevocably divided
on prohibition.
NN one side is the bone-dry group
~ headed by Governor Moody Of
Texas, ex-Secretary of the Navy
Daniels of North Carolina, and
Senator Glass of Virginia.
On the other side is a group IA
yoring modification by Congress Of
the Volstead act, on the ground that
it violates individual liberty and
the constitutional power of the
States. This group holds that each
State should determine the per-
centage Of alcohol in drinks.
! A centrist faction favors post
/ poning the issue; keeping it out of
national politics. They believe a
direct referendum Is undesirable at
this time and impossible in a presi-
Dental election when many other
factors of principle and personality
are involved.
For the sake of party harmony
a majority Of leaders have agreed
therefore, upon the law enforcement
plank which in some form or other
has served both parties since en-
actment Of the prohibition law.
With this the temper OF the reso-
lutions committee in session today,
it was uncertain whether the con-
vention which will vote tonight or
Thursday would let the full bitter
ness Of the struggle show on the
floor.
The leaders will give the bone
dry advocates opportunity on the
floor to square themselves with the
folks back home" but the leaders
will try to stop the debate before it
reaches a bitterness which would
endanger a successful harmony cleo
ton campaign.
The strategy Is, If necessary, to
counter the bone-dry demands on
the floor with open demands for a
wet plank, and on the basis of this
apparent deadlock force the con-
vention to accept the com promise
enforcement plank of the resolu-
tons committee.
THERE is similar division over
Il farm relief. A minority de-
sire to approve the equalization fee
principle of the NIcNary- Haugeu
bill, which President Coolidge We
toed as unconstitutional and fall
lacious and with which the Lowden-
Dawes alliance tried unsuccessfullv
to block Hoover's nomination At
Kansas City.
All of the Democratic politicians,
of course, want to catch the farm
vote and take full advantage Of the
propaganda that Hoover is all
enemy of the farmers. But they
do not agree on the McNary fee or
upon any other specific solution.
Therefore the convention prob
ably will accept a general plank
declaring simply for the equalization
of agriculture with other industries
The Republicans failure to meet
the problem will be deplored, and
Hoover may be denounced by name
On the related issue of free trade.
which many believe to be a neces-
sary basis for farm prosperity, the
Democrats at Houston are not
united as of old. There is a west
ern farm group urging the Borah
Republican, remedy Of higher tariffs
on all agricultural products. Dem
ocrats of Louisiana want high
tariff on sugar and those of North
Carolina want protection for man
ufactured textiles, and so it goes.
n t.
~OMPROMISE so far has de-
feated the liberals who want to
use Smiths record for State control
OF hydro-electric resources and the
Federal trade commissions expose
OF power trust Vaccinations under
the Republican administration" as a
major campaign issue. The con-
servatives are trying to prevent a
definite platform commitment to
the Boulder Dam project and to the
Muscle Shoals Government opera
ton bill pocket-vetoed by Coolidge.
Whether the platform will strad-
die on the issues Of imperialism, in
GLIDING Nicaraguan Intervention, is
still to be determined. Likewise
labor's demand lors protection
against abuse of court injunctions
and reign of terror" of company
and State police in strike areas.
There is really only one main
plank on which all the Democrats