Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

l
| Will anybody say that they can be re-
| lied on? Can you yourselves go out
and say, Here are our party prin-
ciples. We believe in them?" and
answer the conundrum that would be
put to you, What did you say two
years ago? Did you lnean what you
said then? Do you mean what you
have to say now?" Could not he say
to you then, How DO we know that
you believe in what you say now"
You have learned in business-you
! have learned in every walk of life,
that he who keeps his pledges-he
who does what he says he will do, IS
worthy Of the utmost credence and
belief. You tell your son when he
goes out into life, Keep your word ;
break no promise" 1t will be the
first and the most earnest Injunction
you will give him, and if he abides by
it and follows it and lives up to it
throughout his life, you will never
| have occasion to be ashamed of him.
No party, gentlemen, is en-
titled to or ought to have the
support of any community which is
not true to itself. No party can stand
on broken contracts or faith that is
plighted. A party is good, it is strong
to administer the affairs of govern
ment just as it is true, just as it is
honest. When any man comes before
you and says, as has been said here,
Break this platform and your party
will be successful; keep it and they
will be defeated" he uses to you such
an argument as never before was used
and has never had, and, take it not
even now, will have any strength
What is that proposition? Go before
the people two years from now and
tell them, Eyes, we broke our faith
with you. We told you we would do
one thing and we did another" if any
party deserves to be defeated and
would be defeated it is by reason of a
statement of that kind. Il have
broken my faith with you, I have not
done what l agreed to-" 1t ought to
be defeated if it takes such a stand as
that. I never heard before that
astounding argument used. Keep
your faith, keep your word, and you
will be beaten. Break the faith, ig-
more your promises, and you will be
successful" I thought when I heard
that language used in debate hero,
coming from a man who is said to
have taken very great interest in
the farming community, what lesson
he was teaching the poor farmer boy,
who would be emasculated by this bill
of Mr.. Stevens if it became a law
what a lesson he was teaching him.
Stevens Bill Complies with Platform
Now, with that provision in that
plank, bill was drawn and is now be.
fore you. You understand it's differ
ent provisions. Some people do not
seem to. We have been told that
while the republican party adopted
this plank of this platform they did
not adopt the Stevens bill: That is
true, but when the republican party,
at its convention, adopted this plank,
it adopted in substance a proposition
that bill under it would be presented
to the legislature and that it would
become law. Has anybody told you
while making that special plea, that
you did not adopt this bill by your
platform, that there is one single line,
one single sentence of the bill that is
not compliance with this platform
1t has been said in a general way that
it is not so, and that you are not
bound by the bill, but [ call upon any
| body who has read this bill to point
out to me single clause or a single
word that is contained in the bill that
the platform itself does not demand.
The platform. in the first place, COM
mends the Australian ballot system.
1t cOmmendS it in the strongest and
most express terms. That is true, is
it not? The main provisions of the
Stevens bill, in reference to the ma
chinery of the election, are the Austria
liam ballot system. The platform
calls for the abolition Of both caucus
es and conventions. The Stevens bill
does that. The Stevens bill is the
platform upon that subject It is the
| bill that the last state convention de-
| dOODC00
this plank of this platform The
| Stevens bill calls for the nomination
of all officers by a direct vote by the
people. This plank of your platform
calls for the same thing, in the strong
est and the tersest and the clearest
language. So far there certainly is
nothing in it that the plank does not
| q he Itka1T n II
upon any man who stands before Won
and makes that plea, which is one that
| lawyers call a special plea, to point
out why the bill and the plank disa-
gree, and you have not heard a single
| word from anybody upon that subject.
| There has been no line or no sentence
of the Stevens bill pointed out-one
line or sentence, that does not in
every respect comport with the plank
of this platform. There is a provision
of the Stevens bill in reference to the
making Of platforms of parties. The
provision of the plank and the Stevens
bill which strikes out caucuses and
conventions makes it necessary that
somebody else should formulate and
promulgate the party platform. And
that provision in the Stevens bill is.
too, in harmony with the spirit and
with the exact words of this plank.
Platform Demands Passage of
Stevens Bill.
This plank, l repeat, demands at
your hands the passage of this bill.
The doctrine that has been promuI-
gated that it is foolish thing, that it
is absurd, and everything of that kind.