The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-11

Take a Look at What Has
 Been Going On for Your
 Proof.
 Cleveland, June lI--As . free- born sucker with the proper rever. ence for all institutions created by professional politicians, 1t is per. haps your duty to take politica conventions and their works quito seriously.
 Yet, if you stand of and looh at this republican convention witf any pretense of dispassionate ob. jectivity you are likely to conclude that the republicans should adopt for their Cleveland theme song that once famous chant Of the late Bert Williams called "Preposterousl"
 Conventions often are like that Tn almost no time you will find the democrats going. through the mo- tons of a convention which will be so cut-and dried that no delegate could be persuaded to spend train fare for 1t except for the promise of festive doings, plenty of food and drink, parades, song and danc- ing in the streets.
 Democrats Can't Tie This
 It Is not in the nature of things, however, for the democartic con vention this year to be as screwy aa the republican.
 The fight here over the consti- utional amendment issue has been enough to prove that. Until the convention eve 1t was automatic in politics that the g. o. D. had fool proof issue in its grim stand for preservation of the constitution and the power of the U. s. supreme court from New Deal tampering.
 Every orator in the party beat his breast and acclaimed that his life blood must be taken before anyone could cast snoots at those great institutions and get away with 1t. And this issue seemed a popular one.
 Overnight the republicans then- selves changed all that. Talk of constitutional amendment huzzed through Cleveland hotels and bars. Republican everywhere were making sour comments on the court, erst- while sacred idol, because of the New York minimum wage law de- cision. t..t
 Landon's platform builders were found working on an amendment plank. Even conservative Herbert Hoover joined the cry for an a. mendment of a sort.
 Borah, whose chest bears huge callouses from long years of pub- lie defense of the court, publicly asserted c belief that its majority members had been wrong. He and others took the stand that altera- ton of the courts complexion was necessary.
 More and More HoOey
 In short, 1t developed that what the republicans thought about the Constitution and the court wasn't what they thought at all.
 If 1t also means fantastic, con- sider further the spectacle of Q great political party about to T1om- mate Q presidential candidate whc had failed to take any position on the outstanding, vital issues of the day.
 And then proceed to analyze the real underlying facts behind the enormous ballyhoo, telegraphed out of Cleveland in millions ot words, about the so-called fight over the nomination.
 The only other candidate who could be logically nominated was Senator Arthur Vandenberg oi Michigan, who went on Q long Eu- ropean trip just as the other can didates began to set bait and whc made no secret of the fact that he believed the republican nomina- ton worthless until l940.
 Landon became the only pos sible answer if the party were tc avoid Q fragrant exhibition of boss rule.
 If you believe that much to be true, you will have Q hard tims figuring out any good excuse fol most of the local fuss.
 BOrah Pulls the Classic
 Any medals offered for the quintessence of the grotesque however, seem to be the property of Borah, the statesman.
 On the night of May 20, as poll ticians waited with breath held Borah told the world that he wal not interested in party platforms but in candidates.
 On June 8, as his arrival ir Cleveland marked one. of the higt spots of the convention and every. one again held breath, Borah sol. emnly assured the same world that he was not interested in can. didates, but in the party platform.
 Further food for thought, per- haps, is added by the innumerable Kansans here who have fought Landon for years. Only six years ago enough of them to bring about his defeat thought he wasn't the man for precinct committeeman Those who licked him now sing "Susanna!" and proclaim the gifts which fit him to rule over us all as president.
 It is easy for a newspaperman to cover Q convention and inter- view the politicians. But some times it's all bit difficult to un- derstand.
 Copyright. 1eS6, NEA Service, Inc )
 SILENCE PROVES COSTLY
 Tn order to keep chickens quiet on the M-G-M set where Joan