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Show THE DEMOCRATIC LIQUOR PLANK. "The shortest platform ever put out by a national party," boasts the chairman of the resolutions committee commit-tee of the Democratic National convention. con-vention. Perhaps it is. But it might have been shorter still. It might have contained but one plank that interested the convention which adopted it or that will interest the country. That is the liquor plank. In this plank the Democratic party goes all the way. It is not only wet, it is sopping wet, it is wringing wet, it is the last, ultimate, nth degree of wetness. It "favors the repeal of the 18th amendment," and it wants it done RIGHT NOW. It "demands that congress con-gress IMMEDIATELY propose a constitutional con-stitutional amendment" to effect such a repeal. But it does not want to wait until the amendment has been repealed to get its liquor. It demnads immediate modification of the Volstead act to legalize the manufacture and sale of beer and other beverages of such alcoholic al-coholic content as is permissable under un-der the Constitution." That is to say it demands that something that is not legal now be made legal right away. But the convention did not content itself with merely declaring thai the Democratic party it wet. It declared that all Democrats must be wet. Not in set terms to be sure. But by every implication and by the declarations of the leaders of the party again and again emphasized and repeated during dur-ing the debate upon the platform. "You are making belief in repeal of the 18th' amendment a test of party loyalty," protested Senator Hull. "You bet we are," answered Governor Smith. "It has never been done before," be-fore," wailed the Senator. "It is being done right now," shonted the triumphing triumph-ing Governor. And the vast crowd that packed the Chicago stadium in gleeful anticipation of this moment booed the Senator until the walls bulged and cheered the Governor until the roof lifted. And thus a party whose slogan is personal liberty writes a platform which closes the door to personal liberty. So that point is settled. No man or woman can be a Democrat in good standing anywhere in the forty-eight states of this grand and glorious un-irn un-irn from this time forth unless he or she is for immediate repeal of the 18th. amendment and for immediate modification of the Volstead act to permit the manufacture of beer and other alcoholic beverages. How does that sound in the 33 states that were dry by their own action before the 18th amendment was adopted? How does it set with Democratic congressmen congress-men who have made campaign after campaign as supporters of the 18th amendment? How does it accord with the sentiment of voters in the Old South who four years ago broke away from all the political traditions of their section rather than support a candidate for president who then declared de-clared that he was for repeal of the 18th amendment? In his speech before the convention, conven-tion, Jouette Shouse declared that for four years he and Chairman Raskob had been pressing steadily toward the goal which was now within their fight to make the Democratic party the party of repeal. He certainly was utitled to his chortle of jubilation. He had won his fight. It was his hour of triumph. He, with the help of Mr. Raskob, had brought the Democratic party to the point where it was willing will-ing to stake all its chances of victory, vic-tory, perhaps to stake its very existence, exis-tence, on a fight for beer! And now what will the country have to say about it? For it is the country that has the last word. The tumult and the shouting of the convention con-vention will soon die away and be forgotten. for-gotten. Out in the country men and vomen will have time to think anl timet in which to think. What will they say? Will they give their adherence ad-herence to a party whose responsible responsi-ble leaders openly boast that for four years they have bent all their energies ener-gies to bring about the result that was achieved at Chicago? Horn are some of the questions the leaders of the Democratic party will have frequent occasion to ask themselves them-selves during the coming four months. |