North Park union., 1900-07-13
The Omitted Plank.
Gen. Grosvenor of Ohio has many

Gen. Grosvenor of Ohio has many
sympsthizers in his indignation oyer
the omission from the Philadelphia
platform Of plank reafiirming the
position taken by Congress and the
president concerning the power of
the national Legislature to govern
territories outside of the constitution.
The New YorIRp aairms that ere
'publicaus b there are noting
with amaze borders on dis
gust the tot npromising, alb
'solute silen the Philadelphia
platform on one OF the principal ar
'ticles of republican faith 1t seems,
however, that a plank Of the desired
character was prepared BY number
Of prominent republicans IN Washing
ton and submitted to the committee
on resolutions in the convention.
Gen. Grosvenor has made public its
text
We reassert the principal which
was the watchword Of the republican
party In its first great battle, Of which
Abraham Lincoln was the illustrious
champion, and on which he was
elected president, that Congress has
full legislative power over territory
belonging to the United States, sub
iect only to the fundamental safe
guards Of liberty, justice and personal
rights.
Even this was a straddle, since it
failed to affirm in unqualified Ian
guage the doctrine that there are no
constitutional limitations upon Con
gress's power over territories. 1t Is
very likely, therefore, that 1T was, as
Gen. Grosvcnor declares, approved by
the president himself. Still, the
plank was capable of being considered
an Endorsement of the constitutional
position taken by the party in Con-
gress on the Porto Rican bill, and a.
some acknowledgement by the repub-
lican party in convention assembled
of the existence OF the great constitu-
tional issue raised by the course OF
the administration during the last
session.
Gen, Grcsvenor hotly charges that
this plank was omitted from the
platform unfairly and surreptitious-
ly," and he fixes upon Lemucl Ely
Quigg of New York, the secretary OF
the subcommittee on resolutions, as
having been the wicked prestidigita-
teur. The Generals burning words
were;-
This plank, straightforward, intel
ligent and written in good English,
agreed upon first by the president
himself, and afterward by the sub
committe, was driveled out by driv-
eler from New York who had charge
of that branch of the work.
No one, of course, will believe such
an accusation, but the making of it
by the impassioned Grosyenor reveals
the intensity of his disappointment
over the failure Of the platform to in
dorse the Porto Rican legislation and
the constitutional theory Under which
he and his party associates acted
Quigg gives a 81 straightforward,
reasonable explanation of the matter.
The plank was presented by Senator
Foraker, but after full discussion it
was thrown out. Quigg's own Ian
,guage at this point should be record
ed:-
As to the statement that "Con-
gress has full Legislative power over
territory belonging to the United
States, subject only to the fundamen-
tai safeguards of liberty, justice and
personal rights" the committee con-
sidered that, inasmuch as this ques-
ition was now before the United States
supreme court, it WAS neither advis-
able NOR necessary to run the risk Of
getting our party platform into a
controversy with the supreme court.
These revelations by grosvenor and
Quigg are timely and interesting.
They show that the platform commit
tee did not dare affirm the supremacy
of Congress over the constitution in
the territories, even in the form Of a
straddling resolution which the presi-
dent himself had pronounced safe.
The committee did not dare to touch
the subject with 5D-f6ot pole for
fear Of getting the platform into q
CONTROVERSY with the supreme court.
But the platform, in the opinion of
the shocked and indignant Sun, can
not conceal vital doctrine Of party