Show Fighting J Words iV louls Wl Weld l Party i 4 y Y n f ft t AbW 4 M X t L PRESIDENT HARRY S. S TRUMAN N to full tull and equal political participation tion 2 right to equal opportunity of Df employment 3 the right of security of person and 4 the right of equal treatment in the service and defense 01 ok our nation The resolution was adopted by a vote of 2 to The vote does docs not Indicate relative strength of the opposing forces since many states voted against the resolution merely to uphold the resolutions committee which had adopted a compromise plank on civil rights The platform differs from the Republican Republican Republican Re Re- publican platform In some essentials it it demands repeal of the Republican Taft-Hartley Taft labor act and declares it has proven a failure it demands repeal of the discriminatory taxes on oleomargarine it pledges to oppose any revision of federal laws designed to tc curtail the most effective functioning function function- ing of ot farm cooperatives This is interpreted to mean the party goes goeson goeson goeson on record against change of ot the tax- tax exempt status of farm cooperatives AJ As a n matter of fact the platform supports sup sup- pt ports its all forms of cooperatives and other democratic associations for the purpose of ot carrying out any proper business operations free from any arbitrary and discriminatory The foreign policy plank pledged continued support of the Truman doctrine doctrine doctrine doc doc- trine the Marshall plan the United Nations the Good Neighbor Policy with respect to South America and taking a slap at the Republicans pledged sufficient appropriations to carry out the will of the congress on Its foreign commitments Truman's Opposition Lacked Leadership In the hectic days prior to the roll call of ot states the revolt against the nomination of ot President Truman followed much the same pattern that was evident in the Republican convention convention convention con con- held in the same hall only a afew afew afew few short weeks before the opponents op opponents opponents op- op of ot the President could settle on no single leader to make the race So it was in the GOP GaP convention opponents of Governor Dewey could settle on no concentrated op op- op position So the President ran away with the nomination on the the first ballot as Dewey did on the third While many of the faces of bygone by bygone bY- bY gone glory were at Philadelphia and the ghost of Franklin D. D Roosevelt still hovered over the conglomeration of factions which always has made up the Democratic party there was no single leader able to cement these factions into unity as Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt and his braIn did through tour four national conventions one of ot them here at Philadelphia in 1936 While some sources sought to interpret in interpret interpret in- in this factionalism in the convention as a wake or a breaking breaking breaking break ing up of the party the political history indicates there has always been such factionalism In Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic conventions This factionalism factionalism factionalism faction faction- or sectionalism has been brought about geographical and anc political philosophy factors the south the liberal element labor tabor even religion and race As a matter of ot fact tact in only three conventions since the civil war has this factionalism been brought to together together together to- to gether with any degree of ot national unity the 1884 Chicago convention convention convention conven conven- tion which first nominated Cleve- Cleve land and the 1912 convention at Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Balti Balti- more which nominated Wilson and the 1932 Chicago convention which first nominated Roosevelt In all three the cement of at unity was a national crisis A great many of the delegates believed be believed believed be- be the nation again faces a major crisis that any day some incident may touch of off World War Var m. m Hence they sought Gen Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisen Eisen- hower as a national leader who could weld the party into unity Eisenhower refused Then they turned to the thc liberal and New Dealer Justice William O. O Douglas He refused Then in attempting to center on someone else could find no one Senator Claude Pepper of ot Florida one of ot the better known liberals put himself forward But the big states California New York Illinois refused to take him and swung back into the Truman column after James Roosevelt son of the late President had been severely chastised chastised chas chas- Used by his own California delegation The south wouldn't accept Peppers Pepper's Peppers Pepper's Peppers Pepper's Pep Pep- pers per's liberalism S So Gov Ben T T. Laney of Arkansas was tossed into the ring by conservative and reactionary reactionary reactionary southerners who put states rights above civil rights Party cau cau- were bitter Barkley's Keynote Sparked Enthusiasm The delegates were whipped into something like old-fashioned old democracy democracy democracy de when Barkley delivered his blistering fighting keynote speech The veteran Kentuckian was given givena a minute 28 demonstration These delegates were Just waiting for tor something something something some some- thing to cheer over to lift the morale from the bitter depths of factionalism and Barkley gave it to them He speeded up the tempo of the convention so that by the third day there was some evidence of the will to win and to fight for the nominee of the convention So the pattern of this quadrennial quadrennial quadrennial quad quad- convention of the Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic party was vas set with the goal of whipping into being enough unity to convince the American people the nation faces a new crisis with na national national national na- na security even more important than domestic issues and that a cohesion of the Democrats the liberals lib liberals liberals lib lib- and the independents is again necessary for the common welfare Democrats have never won an election election election elec elec- tion except on that Issue that and the record of the Congress will be the Issue on which they must pin their hopes in 1948 Due to the absence of competing downtown headquarters at the various various various vari vari- ous hotels such as was the case inthe In Inthe Inthe the Republican convention there was not quite the activity and enthusiasm en enthusiasm enthusiasm en- en engendered among delegates delegates delegates dele dele- gates at this convention Aside from this fact however the convention hall pageantry was Just as hectic and Inn all probability these Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic delegates wanting desperately something to cheer about cheered al ar the louder for their speakers and the demonstrations were Just as RS I vigorous and as the Republican Republican Republican lican convention held here such a short time previous Comparatively the convention setup setup set set- set set-i up was identical Some of ot the state delegations had been changed around to give the more favored Democratic states better positions with regard to the speakers speaker's podium |