The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-26

John Flynn re employment, relief, social security, labor, agri- culture, tariff, regulation of busi- ness, civil service, government fi- nance, money and banking, foreign affairs, and national defense.
 The two omnibus clauses are the preamble and a clause at the end-a kind of catch-all--covering the Indians, negroes, veterans, 1or- eign debt.
 As one looks carefully over
 the document now, 1t must be
 conceded that 1t is Q good job as Q political platform.
 First of all, 1t contains in It's
 preamble Q flaming summons to
 arms in defense of our liberties.
 Next 1t contains the necessary surrenders or sops to various
 groups which demand planks--
 the veterans, the colored people,
 women, farmers, and workers.
 Third, 1t speaks out boldly about such things as freedom, political corruption. civil upon which most good citizens agree.
 Finally, 1t treads softly and whispers vaguely about such controversial subjects as money, unemployment, national de- fense.
 sIDESTEP TWO SUBJECTS
 In this respect, of course, 1t is not different from platforms of other parties in the past.
 This platform, however, Side- stepped two subjects upon which strident declarations were looked for by old-line republicans. One was money and the other was the Constitution.
 For once in the last 70 years we find the republican platform Shyings timorousiy away from the word "gold" as the democratic platform shied away from the word "silver" in 1904.
 Just where does the party stand, in the light of this plat- form, on certain great issues be. fore the people?
 On the Constitution It's position is fairly clear, but you have to search for 1t. Amending the Con- Stitution might well take any one of three forms:
 One would be to extend the power of the federal government over our economic life.
 Another would be to strengthen the power of the states over cer- tain economic subjects.
 The third would be to curb pow CTS of the supreme court.
 The republicans made the mis- take of going to the convention breathing fire and brimstonoe against the president for his at- tacks upon the Constitution. Oi course what they meant was his efforts to enlarge powers of the central government and his sus- pected wish to narrow Jurisdiction of the supreme court.
 But suddenly the republicans were confronted with Q demand within their own party for Q con- Stitutional change. And this de- mand came from the leading can- didate's friends.
 LANDON CHANGES TREND
 Landon shouters had arrived sing ing "the dear old Constitution ii good enough for us." Then out oi the blue came the realization that 1t wasn't good enough for Landon- that he, too, wanted an amend Ynent.
 Such Q time is hardly favorable for fine distinctions. But of course there was and Is very definite dis tinction between amending the Con- stitution to strengthen the powers of the state and amending 1t to weaken the powers of the state and extend the powers of the federal government.
 The Landon demand was for the former as against the Roosevelt support of the latter. This was all made more difficult by Roose- velt's speech as the republicans gathered, declaring that the Con- stitution twas good enough for him."
 It was this confusion, plus the well-known tinidity of politicians