Keynote

"We meet to remove a shroud and don the garments of life and of hope. We meet to fulfill an appointment with Destiny. ... We must by a major operation remove from the body of our nation the dead flesh and decayed bones resulting from twelve years of Republican quackery." These were the words of Senator Alben William Barkley of Kentucky "keynoting" to the Democratic National Convention in the Chicago Stadium last week. The ideas behind them--the real voice--belonged 'to Franklin Delano Roosevelt who had picked the Kentucky Senator as the convention's temporary chairman and had previewed his speech a fortnight ago at Albany. The character of the campaign the New York Governor would make, if nominated for the Presidency was forecast in his henchman's thunderings at the assembled delegates.

Theme Song: President Hoover has woefully mismanaged the Government, beguiled the country with false promises KENTUCKY'S BARKLEY He flayed a "congregation of harpies." and demonstrated his unworthiness to hold his job.

In an effort to be more temperate and fair than G. O. Partisans had been to his party, Keynoter Barkley tucked this paragraph into his speech:

"No fair man or woman wishes to be unjust to Mr. Hoover or his administration. No sentence has ever been uttered by any responsible Democrat that remotely reflected on his personal character or integrity. Nor do we hold him or his Administration exclusively responsible for all the evils which have befallen us."

Log-Roller on Tariff. Senator Barkley log-rolled a tariff on coal into the new Tax bill (TIME, May 30). Nevertheless as party keynoter he excoriated what he called the Hoover-Grundy Tariff Act, forced through by a "congregation of harpies" and signed by the President "with an apology."

"We propose," shouted Senator Barkley, "to reduce the exorbitant and indefensible rates ... to inaugurate friendly international trade conferences. . . . The Democratic Party does not advocate free trade. [We] wrote, sponsored and secured the passage of a measure which ought to lift tariff-making above the sordid processes of log-rollers and back-scratchers and place it upon the high plane of scientific knowledge. ... But Mr. Hoover vetoed the measure."

Agriculture, The Farm Board was flayed for "stabilizing wheat from $1.25 per bu. down to 30-c-, corn from 75-c- per bu. down to 20-c-, cotton from 15-c- per Ib. down to 5-c-, wool from 20-c- per Ib. down to 7-c-" at a public cost of $500,000,000. But Senator Barkley's only concrete suggestions were to lend the farmers more money like "other forms of industry and finance" and to "take the Government out of the dubious adventure of speculation in farm products."

House Afire. The keynote was bitterly critical of President Hoover's attitude toward Democratic co-operation on relief and economy legislation. Declared Senator Barkley: "Every effort has been made to deprive any Democrat of the credit due him for his labors in behalf of the unemployed. . . . Congress passed the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, the Glass-Steagall Act and created other agencies of temporary resuscitation, with the active, constructive and intellectual assistance of Democrats. But everybody knew as they know now that these measures did not remotely touch the fundamental causes of the disaster and were only designed as governmental pulmotors to keep life in the patient until Nature could take its course or a major operation could be performed.

"We were in the midst of an emergency. Our house was on fire and we could not stop to dispute over the brand on the hook & ladder. Though the Fire Chief was known to be vacillating, uncertain, timid and afraid of the smoke and flames, we have tried to make the best of it and get along with him until we can secure a better one which we expect to do March 4."

"Bald Naked." Senator Barkley, a Dry speaking for a Wet candidate, recommended the submission of a resolution repealing the 18th Amendment. Like Senator Borah, he denounced the theory that constitutional Prohibition could be kept in some States and not in others. The Republican plank on this question he called "a promiscuous agglomeration of scrap-lumber," adding:

"A re-expression of the will of the people is advisable and justified. ... If the people are to pass again upon this question, let them pass upon it in such bald, naked and unequivocal terms as to make their decision intelligent and certain."

"New Commander." With Candidate Roosevelt plainly in mind, Senator Barkley wound up his keynote thus: "There's nothing wrong with our people except that they have followed prophets who were false, blind and insensible. It was so in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson. . . . It was so in 1828 when Andrew Jackson. ... It was so in 1884 when Grover Cleveland. ... It was so in 1912 when Woodrow Wilson. ... It will be so in 1932. . . . The new commander we shall present will be the choice no less of farm than of city dwellers. He will be experienced and tested no less in national than in state affairs. . . . We pledge his dedication to the service of the whole nation without regard to class or creed or section. . . .

"God of our Fathers. . . .

"Be with us yet

"Lest we forget

"Lest we forget."

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