The Washington times., 1936-06-24
NOW
All Is Harmony
Convention
NEVER A FUSS
By HELEN ESSARY

in glory on the PLATFORM unoer
the Klieg lights.
The loudspeakers are booming
and roaring with patriotism. But
the Democrats are an unhappy
lot.
Perfect party harmony has
broken their spirit.
It's whipped them down until
they kinda wish they'd stayed
home and listened in on the radio
In their carpet slippers.
There's not a sign of fight
anywhere. Maybe before the week
is over a plank in the platform
will creak a little.
But what a platform. At best
it's only something for the opposi-
ton to make a fuss about and
call attention to the next time a
convention rolls around.
But nothing, absolutely nothing,
for the party that writes it to get
excited over or pay any atten-
ton to.
No wonder there's secret melan-
choly behind every noble New
Deal countenance.
AL Smiths kilograms did
hearten the boys and the gals
too, a little bit. 1t did sound,
when people first heard about
It as if something might happen
at Philadelphia that would make
the fuss and expense of getting
to the convention worth while.
But AL can't send a telegram
every day.
So the crowd is asking today:
"HOw in the heck can we
keep up this cheering until
Saturday night when F. d. Il.
comes up to accept"
The convention started yester'
day morning with an opening
prayer by a eve lamb Very Rev.
Hugh Lamb, to be exact) think
that over, a eve lamb, setting
the pace for a crowd that, when
the world was younger and gayer,
used to have knock-down, hair
pulling battles about woodrow
wilson, Champ Clark and Bill
Bryan.
But the boys aren't what they
used to be.
They've gone genteel. They
are too REFINED.
In this city of brotherly love
all is sweetness and light. Inere
was only one discordant tnrlu
yesterday morning.
That was when the band
played that brown derby peren-
NAL "The Sidewalks OF new
YORK" now the rebel yell OF the
New Deal.
Emma Guffey Miller, sister OF
Senator Joe Guffey OF Pennsyi
vania. and the national commlt-
teewoman from Pennsylvania. up
ard comingest of the three Cur
few girls, promised the women
delegates-every one of the 5l9-
a fresh corsage every morning
and a fresh gigolo every nlgnt II
thev brought the convention 10
Philadelphia. But Emma haSnt
made her promise good.
The only fine corsages I've
seen have been the orchids on
the shoulders Of Miss Mary w.
DewSon, vice chairman OF tne
Democratic committee; Mrs.
lanes H. Wolfe, director OF the
women's division, and Mrs. George
IT earle. wife of the governor OF
Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Borden Hartman also
had some pretty nice flowers on
her slick white dress. But the
average delegate. the worthy
party worker, is out OF luck-aS
far as the corSageS are concerned.
I wouldn't know about the
gigoloS.
Mrs, Keynoter-the charming
wife of Senator Alben w. Bark
lev, was wearing orchids, too,
and looked very pretty and
proud while the band played my
Old Kentucky Home" and her
husband was being led up to the
platform to make his speech.
Mrs. oodrow Wilson, who
didn't get to the reception given
on Sunday in her honor, has not
vet arrived at the convention.
Everybody, or most everybody, is
asking why.
With more women here than at
any previous conclave things are
likely to happen Unexpectedly
Mrs. Bennett Clark, having put it
up to the men platform writer's to
say whether or not they are fo1
a peace plank that means some
thing has subsidized, so she says
like a 17-year locust that has shed
it shell. She told Molly Dewson
she had had that sort of a peace
plank on her mind for years. Now
she's got it out of her system and
she's going to retire to domestic
life, and the three Clark boys.
The friends of Senator Alber
Barkley are in a rage because the
rumor went around that Gen
Hugh S. Johnson, who is anxious
to get back in the New Deal fold
had written the keynote speech de
livered by the Kentucky Seantor
They say:
mo man but Alben ever wrote
o speech that Albden made, and
n you don't believe this look at