Way Cleared for Brown to Offer Reform Proposals at Convention

In another move to foster Democratic Party harmony before the fall campaign, Bill Clinton’s supporters paved the way Monday for Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. to bring up two party-reform proposals for debate at next month’s nominating convention in New York.

One resolution seeks to establish a commission to study ways to revitalize the party, including possible changes in campaign fund-raising, grass-roots organization and nominating rules. The other calls for staging a party conference between presidential elections to hear the commission’s report.

In return for getting the backing of Clinton delegates on the rules committee to have the proposals submitted to the convention as minority reports, Brown supporters agreed to omit what Clinton convention manager Harold Ickes called “inflammatory” language. This included a passage pointing out that, despite past efforts at reform, voter participation in the Democratic nominating contest declined in 1992.

Convention delegates are expected to reject both minority reports. But Ickes said the agreement was intended as “an olive branch” in the interests of improving relations between Clinton and Brown, who has so far refused to endorse Clinton.

Clinton’s supporters reached a similar accord with another ex-rival, former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas, at last week’s meeting of the convention platform committee. That arrangement will allow Tsongas, who has not endorsed Clinton, to present four proposals embodying his economic beliefs during the convention debate on the platform.