Evening star., 1936-05-25

support Mr.. Roosevelt for reelection,
but thereafter, in the Congress follow
ing the presidential election, get rid
Of the New Deal. Meanwhile, however.
rs an embarrassment inherent in sup
porting Mr.. Roosevelt, platform must
be written.
The embarrassment must run
through practically every plank. It
will be acute when the platform
makers write, and the convention
comes to adopt, that portion of the
platform which deals with Roosevelt
administration. Traditionally, the
platform Of party In power points
with PRIDE; 1t "commends and con-
graduates" the record of the in
cumbent President.
Mr.. Dooley's Description.
The custom was racily described
by "Mr. Dooley":
"Ye ought to know tn histhry iv
platforms. Years ago, Hinnissy,
NANNY years ago, they was q race be-
tween tn Dimmycrats an tn Ray
publicans f'r to see which shud have
choice iv principles. Tn Dimmy-
Gratis lost. I dinnaw why. Mebby
they stopped to take q dhrink. Amy
how, they lost. TIL Republicans won
an they choose tn we commind'
principles. an they was nawthin' left
f'r the Dimmycrats but tn we de-
nounce an deplores.' Tn Dimmy-
Gratis didn't like tn way tn thing
shtud, an so they fixed it up between
thin that WHICHEVER won at tn ilic-
ton shud commind an congratulate,
an thin that lost shud denounce an
deplore. An so it's been on'y the
Dimmycrats has had so little chanct
f'r to do anything but denounce an
deplore that they've almost lost tn
use iv tn other wurruds."
This is one Of the years when the
Democrats can-or at least tradition
ally ought to-''commend and congrat-
ulaue." But commend what? Can
we imagine Senator Carter Glass Of
Virginia, for example, commanding
and congratulating" Mr.. Roosevelt's s
administration Of a New Deal which
Senator Glass has already denounced
and deplored?" Senator Glass merely
happens to be one who has spoken
out. Many others feel the same.
1882 Platforms Perfect"
There will be some embarrassment
for Mr.. Roosevelt himself. The Dem.
ocratic platform of 1882 was one Of
the best ever written by either party.
Because Mr.. Roosevelt sensed public
appreciation OF 1t, he said he accepted
the platform q hundred per cent. /"
He remained proud of the platform
and took glowing pleasure in adher-
ence to it, until well after he was in
office. During his early press confer
ences in the White House, when q
newspaper man would ask what would
be done about some pending matter,
Mr.. Roosevelt would reply, with gusto,
Read the platform" But about mid
April. 1888, Mr.. Roosevelt realized that
the part Of the platform dealing with
currency was out the window and
that the public knew it. The phrase
read the platform" ceased to be
heard.
Those vino approach the job of writ
ing a Democratic platform this year
wonder Just what to do about the
fact that so much of the platform Of
four years ago was discarded. The
present intention is merely to say that
between the writing of the Demo-
cratic platform in June, 1882, and Mr..
Roosevelt's taking ONCE in March,
1888. conditions changed so as to
make fulfillment of the platform i'm
possible. If the coming Democratic
platform takes that position, some de-
bate will arise. Conditions did change
but Republicans can make out a
good case to the effect that the
change In conditions was due precisely
to the country becoming aware that
Mr.. Roosevelt did not intend to live
up to the platform, particularly to the
part dealing with currency.