The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-07-15
THE REPUBLICAN, PLATFORM.
nIarners Weeklr )

tl1aFlel " eckiF.f
II the mana gers Of the Chicazo bowen
ton had desired that the campaign now
beginning should pivot exclusively on Mr.
Roosevelts personality and record. they
~Cdto nave framed a platform differing
a nat IN some respects, not
important particulars. After re-
calling succinctly the past achievements
Of the Republican party, and its resultant
calm TO the gratitude and confidence OF
the country, they. would have recognized,
as Gid William Mckin iey IN his last pub
he speech, that other times require other
would have grati1ied the many revision
lists IN their own ranks by piedglng
themselves 10 bring about an early and
substantial readjustment of the tariff to
the material changes that have taken
place IN industrial and trade conditions
since the Dingley bill became law. They
I could also have made more definite, and,
therefore. more satisfactory. the agree
ment TO give the Fllipinos self-gOVern-
nent- and. finally they could have re-
trained from demanding N immediate
enforcement Of the fourteenth amendment
Of the federal constitution. Had they
adopted platform thus conceived. they
would have spiked two of the enemy
guns, they would have avoided the tacti-
cal mistake OF gOading opponents TO des-
perdtI0n. and. in 3 word. they would have
done all that human foresight could sug-
sest 10 restrict the field of controversy
and OF prophecy to the past, present and
probable outcome OF the fOTceful. strong
" marked. yet witEai engaging. indi-
viduality OF their nominee for the presi-
dency. As il is. the Republican national
convention has put forth a manifesto in
which, though awarding five times as
many words TO laudation Of Mr.. ROose-
Veits administration as the platform OF
1900 allotted TO that Of his professor they
have gone on to handicap the nominee
by- turning a deaf ear to Republican rsz
yisionists and giving them stone when
they ask for bread, BY practically ignor-
ing. instead of trying to COnciiiate. the
anti-impe FialistiC sentiment, and by com
hitting both him and themselves 10 an
iu-timed. a needless. an ezasperatlnG- a
destestabie revival OF race hatred and
race war.
As a matter Of fact. the. platform con-
structed at Chicago. which Nigh. have
been made almost unessailable. is Tul-
nerable at many points we glance at
them IN the order in which they vii meet
the readers eye The platform begins by
challenging on behalf of the Republican
party the entire credit for the. recovery OF
American industry from the panic of ISSS-
Considerable assurance IS required to as
sert that this memorable crisis. and the
Industrial and business depression that
preceded it, should be imputed 10 the
Democracy. that euly gained possession
of the federal government on March s,
1888, instead OF TO the Republican party,
tGat had held power during the four pre-
ce5ing years. Dates are awkward things
and they offer in this instance q nut that
Republican stump speakers may IND hare
to crack
on the princiDIe of ''clcfninG every
thing the Chicago platfO1.1 proceeds to
monOpolize all the honor earned by the
liberation of Cuba We refused" Il
says. TO palteT longer with the mlseries
of Cuba The Cubans themselves knew
well that I'D 10 the spring Jg 1898. L was
in Democratic. rather than Republican,
newspapers that they sought and found
general aid that never tagged Hrtl II
generated "a tiGal-Wlve o. American sym
pathy for their oppressed snd devastated
island. They recall with equal witness
the fact that. from Marcn T. 1877 until
Feb. 10. 1885 when the battleEhip Maine
was blown up in the harbOT Of Havana,
they never had the slightest hope Of Sc
curing Intervention from The Mckinley
administration. Nor have they forgotten
flag, Senator Hanna. the accredited
mOuthpiece Of the administration. tran
Duiilized Wall street with the assurance
that There would be no war
We venture to suggest that Senor Que
Sada. the present representative OF Cuba
in Washington. could testify that. during
hat eventful night of April 1913, 1888. not
democratic voice OF vote opposed the
GberattOnists, whereas most serious OBJ
Struction was offered by the Republican
speaker Of the house of representative
and by well recognized mOuthPieCes Of |
the executive in the senate. On the
whole II required good deal Of impu-
cence for the authors OF the Chicago
platform to set up an exclusive title TO
Cuba's gratitude
We pass to the equivOcal. faint-hearted
and meaningless announcements which |
evade. rather than confront the issues Of
revision and reciprocity. We are told
that rates Of duty should be readjusted
only when conditions have so changed I
that the public interests demand their
alteration. That is a truism; what not /
only Democrats. but scores Of thousands |
Of Republicans. believe is that the change
has long since occurred. The Chicago /
platform goes on TO say that the work OF
readjustment cannot safely be COM
mitted to any but Republican hands. It /
mas been in their hands three years since !
President Mckinley acknowledged the /
necessity Of Teadjusting the DingIey
tariff. We opine that II the American
people want readJUstment they viii com
NIT the task to public servants that will /
get il done This is now the seventh /
year since the reciprocity clauses Of the |
Dingley tariff act were placed upon the ]
statute book II we except the stunted |
instaiment Of reciprocity granted to Cuba /
IN fUlfiIlment Of q solemn promise no 4
sincere attempt has been made by the !
Republican party 10 carry out the pur-
pose Of those clauses. although nearly /
three years ago President Mckinley de- /
cIared at Buffalo that reciprocity
treaties are in harmony with the spirit /