The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-23
The Republican Platform.

The Republican Platform.
The republican national platform
Observation-Disclosures having been pre-
pared by some Of chose literary fell
Iters.'' Senator Lodge is supposed to
have been responsible for it's literary
form, and It bears the stamp Of a
skilled workman. We can recall no
political document in recent years In
which the power Of the accomplished
land trained master Of forcible and cor
rect English has done SO much for the
statement Of political propositions.
The first sentence compels attention
10y tho eloquent manner in which 1t
Edecribes the great. cause which
brought the republican party into ex-
lfstence. From thereon thru half the
document the writer proceeds to re-
count the things accomplished by and
under republican administration Of
the government. The recital is GER
tatnly a remarkable and impressive
Summing up Of our national history
during the last fifty years. "
And it becomes all the more effec-
tive bysreason Of the fact that the op-
position cannot successfully contro-
vert these claims. The republicans
lin national convention have plumed
themselves before upon the achieve
sments of the party, but never, SO far
las we can recall, have they arranged
and organized and massed the facts
with so much skill and so effectively
as in this admirably constructed doc
ument. .. ....
The latter half Of the platform is
given up largely to a statement of
what the party proposes to do. The
chief interest, Of course, centers in the
tariff plank. For weeks there has
been discussion and speculation as to
what the Chicago declaration would
be-whether the "standpatter" would
resist every intimation of the necess-
ity Of revision, or whether the revis-
ionist would secure q statement in
sympathy with his ideas.
The result is a compromise.
OF course, the platform insists upon
the maintenance Of the principle OF
protection. That Is a cardinal repub-
.iican principle and it Is logical that
Hrates of duty should be readjusted
only when conditions have been SC
changed that the public interest de-
Lnands their alteration The revis-
&onist does not propose revision until
conditions have SO changed that pub.
lilo interest demands it, The point oil
controversy is as to when conditions
demand alteration in the public inter.
est. The "standpatter" pretends tina
that time has not yet come and would
probably never concede that it had ar
rived, whereas the revisionist believe!
At has come already with respect tt
some protected interests, and that
So that, while the "standpatter'' ant
theorevisionist may not agree as to thu
time when revision should be under
taken, they may both accept a plat
form SO askilfully constructed and refe
the whole matter where it belongs-t
lcongress and the president
And that suggests where this issu
Really rests to-day. The cause TO
apprehension which may be felt by tn
Hstandpatter'' and the hope for favor
able action which may be entertaine,
by the revisionist both rest on tn
president, and upon congress, but frs
upon the president.
AS, appears in the discussion of tl1i
question on the first page Of this issue
xhe moderate revisionists, and that de
scribes the revision sentiment Of tn
republican party, have every reason t
hope and to expect that the presiden
will interpret the platform as to whe
the conditions call for revision in tn
light Of the progress Of events and tn
facts Of the situation. The presiden
has been criticised for an apparen
lack Of sympathy with tariff revisio
sentiment. But his contention tina
tariff revision should not be under
taken on the eve of or in the mids
of a presidential campaign, when pc
litical rather than commercial consid
erahons would be likely to inf1uenc
the result, is no doubt sound. An
those who are acquainted with hi
views anticipate that his infuenc
will be thrown upon the side of a care
full scrutiny Of the schedules with
view to such revision as the cond
lions may require, at the earliest dat
under which such work may be take
up by the congress to be elected TIL
year.
The Endorsement Of the Rooseve
administration occupies the concluG
Ing paragraphs of this admirabl
document, which present squarely be
fore the people Of the country tn
great, leading issue Of the campaign
the support of that administration an
the expression of public approval h
Its continuance in power.
The republican party has write
It's platform first and in so doing mig1
have given the democrats somethir