Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-04-25
EXPLAINS POSITION
BRYAN Discusses New York Plat.
form in Speech at
Chicago.
TO FIGHT PARKER NOMINATION
Declines, However, to Declare Him
self for Any Other
Man.

New York platform as a political docu-
ment, ambiguous, uncertain, evasive,
and dishonest. William Jennings Bry-
an in his address before Il large audi
ence in the Second regiment armory
Saturday night, charged that Judge
Alton Il. Parker was not n fit man TO
be nominated by the democratic party
for president of the United States.
He made clear his intention of fight
ing Judge Parker and the platform
to the hour of the convention decision.
He refused. however, to name his own
presidential choice. and specifically
disavowed any contract binding him TO
William Randolph Hearst.
The best that the Hearst adhear-
entS could secure from his speech was
the intimation that any man - Mr..
Hearst included-whO would fight the
eastern ''reOrganizers" would be ac-
ceptable to him.
Deaounces Parker's Silence.
Mr.. Bryan declared that Judge Par
ker's evidence of unfitness lay in the
silence with which he had accepted the
New York platform. That silence, as
serted Mr.. Bryan, could mean only in
dOrsement.
He explained that, not being
able to induce Parker to speak out,
he had waited his attack until he could
turn the sphinx attitude of the iurist
into a weapon.
Then he turned the guns of his ora
tory upon his chosen victim. No one
but an artful dodger. he maintained,
would stand upon such a platform.
That declaration of principle he
further characterized as n dishon
est platform for a dishonest party,
and one whose submission at the polls
would be an insult to the voters. 1t
invited, he asserted, a plethoric cam
paign fund and morgaged the party in
advance to the corporations.
Coonts Against Platform.
His distinct counts against the plat
form and the candidate were:
/. That the war upon trusts was ig-
nored, and that not a word or a sylla-
BILE was found in the document binding
the person elected to do anything
that any one would be unwilling to
have done.
,. That not a protest was voiced
against "imperialism" and the repub-
lican colonial policy"
3. That no reference was made to
the fight of Iaboring men for an arbi-
tration bill, for the eight-hour day.
and for the crushing of government
by Injunction"
1. That the tariff issue was lodged.
.. That bimetallism was passed in
silence by. and the asset currency idea
not condemned.
6. That the income tax was ig-
nored.
in regard to his attitude toward
candidates Mr.. Bryan said:
My own position is one of neutral
ity. l regard as available all candi-
dates who are in favor of making the
democratic party an honest, earnest,
and courageous exponent of the rights
and interests of the masses. and | re-
gard as unavailable all who are i'm SYM
pathy with, or obligated to. the great
corporations that today dominate the
policy of the democratic party.
Il have come to Chicago because
from this point / can reach large
number of voters in the Mis- 5iSsippi
valley, and | have expressed desire
TO have the ministers attend because
they can and should exert an infiu-
ence in behalf of honesty and fairness
in politics.