Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-21
Secretary Edwards on the
Reported New Party.
KANSASCITY PLATFORM
SAYS COMMITTEE rs STANDING
SQUARELY ON 1T.
Why Silver is No Longer an Issue
Representative Suffers Criticism
on the Administration.

Secretary Edwards Of the democratic con-
gressional committee, who Is ''it' at demo-
cratic headquarters in this city at the pres
ent time. refuses to get agitated over the
report that movement is on foot In New
York to form a new democratic party over
which Mr.. Bryan shall have complete con-
troll.
THE democratic congressional committee
Is standing squarely on the Kansas City
PLATFORM" declared Secretary Edwards.
THAT is the only democracy we know any
thing about and it will be the only democ-
racy there is until another national conven-
ton shall be held.
This talk of threatening the formation Of
a new organization in case the party goes
to Cleveland and Hill Is all nonsense. The
democratic party is not going to go to any
body 1t is jogging right along in the middle
Of the road and doing all right.
1T is true that silver Is no longer an
issue. The democracy stood for the quanti-
tive theory of money. When the declara-
ton was made by 1T that the prosperity OF
the country depended upon the free coinage
of silver there was not then the tremen-
dous gold production which has since de-
veloped. Gold has supplied the quantity
which was necessary and the silver issue
has consequently died a natural death.
There are other democratic issues. however.
that are very much alive. These issues
need advance agent to call them to the
attention of the people. They are uppermost
In the public mind and vital to the future
well-being Of the country"
Proposed New Party.
These remarks were made by Mr. Ed
wards when his attention was called
this morning to the report from New
York that a conference had been held last
night at the Oriental Hotel, Manhattan
Beach, at which the principal participants
Senator r. F. Pettigrew of South Dakota,
Prof. Garrett Droppers Of South Dakota
and George SHIRLEY Of this city. COM
plete plan for state organizations was pre-
scented by MI Shibley the principal 1ea-
ture Of which Is the Endorsement of the
referendum. 1t Is claimed that there Is
now an organization in each state, the prin-
cipal purpose of which is to put candidates
for election on record on this principe OF
legislative reference.
After the conference Mr.. Pettigrew gave
out a statement. in which he said:
Mr.. Bryan will not be the candidate OF
the regular democracy in 1904, but he and
his friends hope that he will have much to
say regarding the platform and the man
agement of the campaign. If he does not
If the party goes back to Cleveland and
Hill-Mr. Bryan and his associates Will
form a new party. based on the Kansas
City platform.
I'm our view. Cleveland and Hill stand
for the same things that Hanna does, eX-
cept that Hanna Is more able and more
honest. If we had to choose between them
we would support Hanna"
Mr.. Suffers Criticism.
Representative Sulzer of New York was
one of the Antitrust callers at demo-.
cratic headquarters yesterday. Mr.. Sulzer
was in a critical humor, and what he OBJ
arIi fha
Pittsburg speech in reference to trusts was
carefully taken down and preserved. Some
of the sentences which Mr.. Sulzer let drop
read like this:
President Roosevelt is no better than his
party, and everybody that can distinguish
the difference between a hawk and hand
saw knows that the criminal trusts of the
country dominate and own the republican
party; and that so long as the republican
party is in power the trusts will prosper
and flourish like a green bay tree and con-
tinue to rob all the people all the time for
the benefit of a few multi-milionaireS and
a half dozen plutocrats. ..
The honest people of the country are
disappointed in Mr.. Roosevelt. They be-
lieved he had moral courage and would en-
force the laws against the rich as we'll as
the poor. Since he became President he
has been a sad disappointment. He talks
all right. but he doesn't do anything. If
he had moral courage he would compel his
attorney general to enforce the antitrust
act of 1890. and the meat trust, the bread
trust, the sugar trust. the salt trust, the
anthracite coal trust, the railroad trust, the
oil trust and all the other ubiquitous and
criminal trusts would be put out of busi-
ness. If the antitrust law at present on
the statute books Of the country were en-
forced-vigorously enofrced-there couldn't
be trust in the country. Every lawyer
in the country knows this The President,
however with virtuous indignation talks
publicly one way to the rank and file. who
are being robbed by the trusts, and private
tHr To 20 q nnf her TO hn %
trusts. Theodore Roosevelt has developed
into a sort Of DR.. Jekyl and Mr.. Hyde
President He is strenuous in promise but
weak in performance. An ounce of per-
Torrance Is worth a ton of promise. In
his annual message to Congress last De-
cember he arraigned the trusts and de-
manded publicity in regard to their affairs,
but-he did nothing.
Bills by Democrats.
"Bills were introduced by democrats to
secure publicity, but the President and the
representatives of the Presidents party in
the House killed the bills in committee.
Bills were also introduced by the democrats
reducing the tariff on trust-made goods,
and on trust-manufactured goods sold
cheaper in Europe than In this country.
and the Presidents friends and the repre-
sentatives of his party in Congress killed
all these salutary bills in committees. The
President and his party have been weighed
in the balance and found wanting.
Sometimes. however, the republicans
pass bill through the House when they
know 1t will not pass the Senate or vice
versa. It's an old legislative trick to fool
the people and tide over an election. For
seven months the Fifty-seventh Congress
was In session. overwhelmingly republican
In both branches and during all that time
the President and the republicans never
passed law in the interests Of the people,
never passed bill to curtaiI the greedy
power OF the trusts, or legislated in a sim
a ri OIL ne =
against the privileges of the few All bills
in the interest Of the rank and file, for the
benefit of the toilers, were either killed in
committees or defeated in the House or
Senate; and all bills in the interest of mo-
nopoly and the criminal trusts were nut
upon the statute books The President and
n ~ In