CHOOSING A PRESIDENT.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 152, 28 June 1924, Page 5

CHOOSING A PRESIDENT.

—— ■* AMERICANS AROUSED. THE PARTY CONVENTIONS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SAN FRANCISCO, June 2. For xveeks prior to the Democratic and Republican conventions where the army of State delegates delight in propounding their individual ideas of selecting the most suitable candidate to act as standard-bearer for the old-line parties, excitement was running high and great interest was aroused all over the confines of the United States, but especially in Cleveland and New York, where the all-important national conventions were to be held. In New York alone, the venue of the Democratic National Convention, no person feared about obtaining hotel accommodation, and it xva-s loudly proclaimed that the hotelmen's organisation had determined that no guest of the city should be gouged. No less than 43,000 rooms in the leading hotels were set aside for delegates and visitors to the convention. All of these were double rooms with baths, for the American delegate always must have a surfeit of bathing arrangements. Naturally, prices are high in the luxurious New York hostelries. and it was stentoriously asserted that there would be no advance in prices. All the delegates were early on assigned to hotels and arrangements were made for meeting them at the railway stations and escorting them to their hotels. NewYork voted vast sums of money to lavishly entertain the visitors, and it xvas generally understood that efforts would be made to silence the Yolstead law for the nonce. The Waldorf-Astoria was booked up solidly because all of its rooms were taken by the Democratic National Committee, New York Convention Committee, other official bodies, visiting newspaper men and several leading candidates. The Mayor's Committee to welcome distinguished guests obtained from the Board of Estimate an extra appropriation of 40,000 dollars for entertaining the visitors to the convention, in addition to further sums already xoted. A month prior to New York's convention over 200,000 dollars had been placed at the disposal of the entertainment committee. "Birds of Prey" Ready. Astute politicians needed no warning but the less sophisticated laymen who had their hearts set on visiting New York while the Democratic Convention was in progress at Madison Square Gardens were early warned to take the precaution of having their loose 20 dolla: bills sewed securely to the iriside ol their coat linings, and their domestii fidelity reinforced by carrying at least one wistful photograph next to the heart 1 ; It was mentioned that moral fibre 1 would be strained to the breaking point and pocketbooks would be imperilled in I various ingenious ways by a horde oi ! high-powered adveyturesses. whe planned to swoop down on America's metropolis during the convention, prepared to "vamp" on "all six cylinders." !as one motor car enthusiast termed it j The vanguard arrived early in June j but the New York police department I was ready to receive them, and nianx I well-known characters, notorious foi ! bunco games and otlierxvise swindling | "green" visitors, xvere swiftly spiriteii ! axvay to Sing Sing and other peniten j tiaries in a movement for "Safetx First." It was known that the "birds of prey" had a new bag of tricks to try out ot those who might be visiting New Yorl for the first time, for modes are change fill in crime as in fashion. The re sourceful adventuress is a card shag of the first water, and usually has : "line of sob stuff"' that would melt i Heart of reinforced concrete. Some of these sirens specialise it polities; in which event they usually bend their efforts toxvard financing sonu j scheme for the benefit of the delega tion to which the victim professei allegiance. Policewomen Assigned. Squads of policewomen xvere assignei to patrolling hotels to watch for thi appearance of notorious characters al ready known to the authorities. Police women, who are usually assigned ti this type of work, say "confidence 1 j women, "bunco" women and black I mailers always assemble —and reap ricl I returns—wherever large numbers gather Women detectives were kept busy ii New York during the last Chamber o Commerce convention. Some of th< women police were sent to Washingtoi to assist in protecting the shrincrs of thi Masonic fraternity when the order con vened there not long ago. and even thosi attracted to New York by the Bankers Convention, despite their axiomatit sagacity, were not immune to thesi operatives, it is asserted. The vamping Venuses are not limitec to the domestic product by any means the authorities said, for Europe has beei pouring dozens of them into the Unitei States during the weeks preceding th< political conventions. They arrived or each successive steamer entering the har bour of New York and Boston and unob trusively took up their temporary abodes in quarters close to Madison Square where they might more readily swooj down upon the luckless males who wert •their prey. Woman's Part. Not only are women to play an important part in the policing of the two con ventions, but they will also haxe a hanc in the arrangements for more than 10( delegates and 200 women alternates havi been elected to attend the Republican National Convention at Cleveland, ac cording to Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton vice-chairman of the Republican Na tional Committee. "Women," 6aid Mrs. Upton, "will be included in the lists of assistant Ser i geants-at-Arms, ushers and other groups holding minor positions in the conven tion, but the ushers will be entirely from Cleveland." The Cleveland hostesses for the con vention are beaded by Mre. Nettie 31 Clapp, a member of the Ohio Stati Senate. It is considered certain by Mrs Upton that a rule will be passed at tin convention placing women as members rather than associate members, for eacl State on the Republican National Committee. Knu-ance of the United States in tin World Court, Federal child labour laws enforcement of the merit system ir office, increased appropriations for tin Women's Bureau, Children's Bureau ami Bureau of Home Economics and equali sation of educational opportunities throughout the Nation are among tilt "planks" to be presented by the Natioua League of Women Voters to the Rexmbli can and Democratic conventions for in corporation into both parties' principles according to headquarters in Washington.

The strength of the organisation is lined up for the World Court, which is first and foremost the main objective of the league's campaign for international co-operation to prevent war. Removal of legal discrimination against women "by specific legislation not prejudicial to women labour laws or special welfare legislation," also is urged by the women voters upon all political parties. The league purposes an intensive drive to secure incorporation of its ideas in the ''platforms." Copies of the suggested planks have been sent to all political organisations and State leaders have been asked to urge delegates to adopt the ''planks" before leaving home. Shaping Policy. With the nomination of Calvin Coolidgc on the first ballot assured by an overwhelming vote, Republican party leaders turned their attention to the problem of framing a platform at the National Convention at Cleveland that will appeal to East, Middle West, and West, and by the same token, Democrats began similarly the drafting of tentative planks for their own platform, assailing the Harding-Coolidge .Administration, and calling upon the voters to place the party of Thomas JefTcrson, Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson again in control of the National fiovcinment. The task confronting the chieftains of both major parties was an unusually difficult one. Foreign relations, taxation, agricultural relief, transportation problems, prohibition and numerous other questions of moment found Republicans and Democrats alike seriously divided among themselves. To the party leaders fell the delicate work of reconciling the conflicting views into general statements of principles, which would give offence to none and yet, at the same time, command the endorsement of millions of voters throughout the nation. Aside from the. drafting of their declarations on the perennial tariff issue, the platform framers faced an embarrassing undertaking. True to tradition, the Republicans endorsed the Fordney-McCuinber Tariff Bill as the fountain from which had flowed great National prosperity, and the Democrats denounced it as an evil device to be held i accountable for high prices, agricultural distress and all other ills. That disposed of the tariff. • j American foreign policy represented a more difficult problem, and the Republicans were sorely divided within ITieii' own ranks, and were confronted with the fact that two presidents had committed them to au endorsement of American participation in the World Court set up j at The Hague, under the auspices of the j League of Nations. Despite this White House commitment, a Republican Senate has insistently ignored the World Court proposal, and Senator Lodge, of Massachusetts, party leader and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has put forward a non-league j plan of his own. The "Wet" Question. ' Similarly, the Democrats, with the memory of the 1920 debacle ranking j deep, had to face the issue of preparing I a declaration which would keep the League of Nations enthusiasts in line without estranging the millions of voters resolutely opposed to foreign entanglements. | Prohibition, too, offered enibnrrassinp I complications. Roth parties want' and need the Aotcs of the openly "wet' • centres of population, but neither car defy the powerful "dry" forces of the entire country. Nobody doubted but i that vigorous declarations in favour ol I "law enforcement" would be found in 1 both platforms. Similarly, (here wen difficulties in framing the declarations dealing with agricultural relief. The Democrats assailed the Republican Ad | ministration on the ground that it lull I failed to meet the needs of the farmers ; but it has been hard to get the agTicul tural spokesmen themselves to ngrei upon positive declarations for relieving the admittedly unfortunate position o certain farmers. The Republicans knov they must defend what has been done a: representing all that the National (Joy eminent can do for agricultural relief.