The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-23

CnaC mas COnCrlpuCeQ mucn CO CL1e jubilant feeling we have in regard to the outcome of the election in November.
 Do need to say that I refer specifically to the republican con. vention in Cleveland2
 By their platform they would have Assured our victory, believe, even had our national organiza- ton remained dormant during the whole pre-convention period. Con- fronted by the impossible task of reconciling the standpat views of the powers behind the minority party with their anguished neces- Sity of making Q pretense of lib- eralism, they turned loose the most extraordinary platform on record in this country.
 Our friends, the enemy, had an opportunity to be sincere.
 Classical Attitude
 If they had any regard for con- sistency, they would have re- named Herbert Hoover, who rep- resents the classical attitude of their party, and then we would have a direct and frank contest before the American people of the new deal and the old deal. They passed him up despite his im- passioned stampeding speech, which naturally failed. For you cannot stampede an elephant se- curely chained to the picket posts of evasion and straddling.
 They could have named Sen- ator Borah, but he was earmark- cd with the stigma of liberalism. So they had to find @ candidate whom they could present as con- servative enough to meet the specifications of the Dupont Lib- erty Leaguers in the east, while appearing fiercely liberal in the west.
 Nobody takes the Cleveland platform seriously-not even our political adversaries.
 The leading republican newspa- per at the national capital in a painful effort to make the docu- ment sound like sense said in it's appraisal of the republican de- claration of principles: "On the whole the platform avoids the mistake of being too specific, properly concentrating on prin- ciples." It mentions some of what 1t terms mot infrequent conflicts between an excellent generality and 6 stupid particulariZation." However, 1t sums up the grand total by assuring the republican nominee that he has @ complete license to forget the platform, in this impressive language:
 Freedom cf Action
 "The republican perty has thus assured its standard bearer of the freedom of action, within a framework of principle, which a competent leader must be allow cd"
 There you have it.. They were compelled by the same memorable circumstance to produce 6 plat form aimed to satisfy liberals and conservatives, the bold and the timid among the two conflicting clements of their party's makeup.
 Even when 1t came to choosing their vice-presidentjal candidate they had to follow the same haz- ardous course. The larger men re- fused the post so they picked & gentleman, doubtless a good edi- tor, who has never held public office; never strayed into fields other than his own business even more widely unknown to the public than his chief.
 Our governmental system di- rects the same qualifications for the vice-president as for the pres ident for obvious reasons. Our own beloved vice president has shown that the office is neither an ornament nor 8 sinecure. John N. Gamers long experience in the public service has been of in- estimable value during the grave period of restoration. The vice president presides over the United States senate. He knows what the doings of that body mean and his ripened judgment is available when the senate divides and his vote determines the final result.
 Mo Wouwhtnw
 It is no part of my function to suggest to the resolutions conn., mittee the platform upon which our candidates will run. But I do not think I am transgressing when I voice my belief that the document will be one to which they can commit themselves with out laughing, and can swallow without choking. And, incident ally, it will be the only major party platform adopted this year of the sort.
 Apart from everything else we have the advantage in this con- vention not only of knowing what we arc striving for, but on whom we may depend to carry out the program. We are in the happy position of being enlisted on the popular side. It is the popular side hacause Of what olir adnninistra-