The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-07-11
SUPPORT VOTED
FOR THOMAS BY
! LIBERAL CHIEFS
Convention BaIkS at Help
to Communist Congress
Candidates.
By Scripps-H0Wdrd Newspaper Alliance
IL r,rrr-r Al

By Scripps-H0Wnrd Newspaper Alliance
CLEVELAND, July 11.LAfter a
sharp skirmish over the question Of
supporting Communist congressional
candidates, leading liberals of the
United States, concluding their two
day convention here, adopted a
platform which includes approval of
the candidacy Of Norman E. Thomas
for President.
In its platform declaration, the
League for Independent Political Ac-
ton hailed the platform and can
didacy of Thomas, who is the So
cialist candidate for President, as
superior to those Of the old line par
ties and urges its members to sup
port him.
A sharp debate was precipitated
When the league was urged to sup
port William E. Browder Of Chicago,
Communist candidate for United
States senator in Illinois.
DR.. John Dewey of Columbia uni
versity, national chairman of the
league. and Professor Paul Douglas
Of the University Of Chicago, led the
attack on the proposal to support
any Communist candidates.
Vote Down Communist Aid
1T is not a question of Commu-
nistic principles, but one of Com
munist tactics DR.. Dewey said.
Communists disrupt all parties, and
unless this fellow is an exception he
favors the same principle"
Professor Douglas warned against
allowing Communists to enter the
leagues ranks to destroy it, as did
Devere Allen of New York, chair
man of the meeting. The vote was
forty-seven to eight against sup
porting Communist candidates.
Adoption of the 600-word plat
form, formulated by special COM
mittee as the nucleus of a program
for the government to produce jobs
for the jobless and food for the hun
CRY, ran into stiff opposition from
groups opposing the banking and
agricultural sections.
The planks were being rewritten
and will be submitted again to the
convention.
you can, if you will" states the
opening section of the platform,
hasten the end of the present de-
preston and substitute intelligent
political leadership for misrule.
Would Abandon Old Parties
"Only by abandoning the twin ma
chimes of the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties and supporting indie
pendent candidates who stand for
united third party on a progressive
program of social control devoted to
the welfare of the masses, can fu-
tility be avoided in the future.
while we do not necessarily sup
port every feature in the ultimate
program of the Socialist party, we
do believe that in the present cleo
ton the candidacy and platform of
Norman Thomas is infinitely prefer
able to those of other parties and we
therefore urge all our members to
work and vote for him"
The platform contains specific
recommendations on the problems
of unemployment, public ownership
of public utilities, social legislation
and civil liberties and international
relations. 1t dismisses the prohibition
question in the following brief para
graph:
while on Democratic principles
we recognize the right of the people
to vote on the abolition or of modi-
fication of the eighteenth amend
ment, we condemn the Republican
and Democratic parties for subordi-
mating urgent economic issues to the
liquor question"