The Washington times., 1936-06-23
NOW
Mrs. Clark Wins
Plank Fight
THE TEAPARTY'
By HELEN EssARY

mittee of the platform committee
Is not only one of the smarteSt
women in the Democratic party,
she is the wife of Senator Clark,
Of Missouri, chairman of the Rules
Committee, and aggressive mem
ber Of the Senate munitions in
Vestigation committee.
This relationship, plus courage,
probably gave the platform girls
a hand in getting their brisk
peace plank over for the consider
alton of the platform committee.
Getting a political platform
committee to pay any attention to
any suggestion of the women is a
major triumph. The tendency
almost the determination - of
every man on any convention
committee is to always do as the
ladies wish, my dear madam" "
make a low bow and go rapidly
In the opposite direction.
George Allen, District Commits
sioner, is staging a combination
Patrick Henry-Boston Tea Party
votes for the District of Columbia
demonstration up here in the
shadow of the Liberty Bell.
He has imported 10000 bags Of
tea, each bag the size of a big
marble. The bag goes in the. vest
pocket. It's label. bearing the noble
words Taxation Without Repre-
sentation," flaps outside the pocket
where all who pass may read the
lament of voteleSs Washington.
Commissioner Allen also plans
to produce war-whooping Indians
to terrify the platform committee
into putting in a "votes for the
District" plank.
Emil Hurja, big assistant to
Chairman Farley, is an authority
on campaign songs.
He has been compiling them for
years and can sing his way down
the line with words and music
from "Tippecanoe and Tyler too"
(the first of the species) to Happy
Days Are Here Again" And be-
yond.
Mrs. James F. ByrneS says her
husband takes her to conventions
as an aIibi. When too many people
want to confer with the Senator
from South Carolina, who is
also a member of the important
resolutions committee, Jimmy"
ByrneS says:
'T'm sorry, I'll have to leave
you, my wife is waiting"
And she is about six steps away
waiting and looking very pretty
in a big red hat and a red figured
print.
Mrs. Harry F. Woodring, wife
Of the Assistant Secretary of War,
says she came along with her hus-
band just to help him keep up his
spirits about Kansas. Mr.. Wood
ring was a Democratic governor of
Kansas.
Hr11VIrnIo ~ V1oicn11iSnI pIiIo Iol
phians thought that being on
Philadelphia'S hospitality commit
tee would give them seats at the
convention hall. They were wrong.
Most of them get no seats. Their
job is to meet the people smilingly
at railroad stations and sit in
booths remote from oratory. Nor
do those beguiling maidens in
Quaker costumes stationed in 100
booths, four to a booth, get their
pretty noses inside the convention
hall.
Philadelphia is using its youth
and beauty in various committees.
To get through the crowd wait
ing day and night outside the
Bellevue-Stratford you need almost
a siren whistle. Inside the jam in
the lobby various small mobS in
dicate that somewhere in the cen
ter of the three-deep crowd is a
national figure.
It's marvellous to hear national
figure giving an interview. In six
syllabled words and ten phraSed
sentences he tells nothing for ten
minueS on single stretch.
Brains and a loud voice may be
useful at a national convention
but the greatest asset man or
woman can have is a pair of good
sturdy feet. No matter how much
you may hope to sit down some
times, you don't. You mostly
stand in lobbies, first on one foot
and then on another. And you
walk and walk and you wonder if
the person you're looking for is on
the sixth floor or at the conven
tion hall or in cab going to a
ball game.
Whenever you are at a conven
ton you wish you we're some place
else. If you are dining with two
or three agreeable friends, you
know the big news and the bigger
people are at another hotel. II
you are doing a mob scene at a
luncheon you have a feeling that
If you we're in a small group you
would be ION the inside"