The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-15
THE JEFFERSON OF 1904
Thomas f. Watson's
Ringing Speech at Nashville. Tenn.
September 5. 1904

not your passion. Let us see ii | can
| demonstrate that
You are told in the south not to
vote for Roosevelt, because he is for
republican principles. You are told to
vote for Parker. And yet Mr. Parker
in Ills speech of acceptance has no
! where had the manhood tc tell you
| wherein he differs from Roosevelt on
a single material issue. (Cheers.) J
Now that is true. Don't tell me any
thing about your platform, because, for
| instance, in the tariff plank, you start
in with 'All protection is robbery; "
and before you get through, you don t
know whether you are for tariff for
revenue only, or high protection. You
must take your platform construed
by your candidate In other words,
his-cRpstructfbn of the platform is Of
| fitial,s is binding, is conclusive. Not
this stump speaker; not that stump
speaker is responsible Not this edi-
tor; not that editor; but the man
who wants to get your votes; the man
who is the official spokesman of his
party; the man who is the standard
| bearer of national democracy-his
word is conclusive.
Now, let us take Judge Parker's
acceptation speech, and find, if we can,
where the difference is between him
and Theodore Roosevelt. Is it on i'm
perialism Oh. how this country did
ring with Imperialism! We went to
bed frightened at it; and we got up
next morning surprised that 1t hadn't t
captured us and carried us off. I'M
perialism! Terrible things were going
to rise UP out of the islands of the
sea and come in upon us and devour
us. Mind you, | wish to God that our
government never had meddled with a
single one of the islands in those dis
tant seas. .(CheerS.) But when | re-
member that the treaty of Paris was
concluded at the urgent personal soli-
citation of w. J. Bryan himself, it
looks to me like both the parties are
committed to the proposition that the
holding of the Philippines was a good
thing to do. or at least necessary
evil. Both are committed to 1t. Now,
having got them, what are you going
to do with them? Roosevelt says, I'VE
will give them self-goyernment when
ever they are prepared for it f" That's
the substance of it, He doesn't set the
time. the peace, or the manner Judge
Parker, in his speech of acceptance,
says. when they are ready for self
government we will give it to them. =
u.aughter) There you've got it. But
whether the Filipinos will get it ma
| tar salJ in, odu nf Gohrnlc trtInl-
pet. would be hard thing to say My
own opinion is that the islands will get
their independence when the demo-
cratic and republican capitalists ex-
plotting them will get ready for it, and
not before. (Cheers.) Upon imper-
ialism there is no difference that you
can figure out in plain English be-
tween the acceptance of Roosevelt and
the acceptance of Judge Parker.
Now, let us take up something else.
What about the trusts? The trusts!
Mr.. Roosevelt says there are legal and
illegal trusts; good and bad trusts;
criminal and non-criminal trusts; and
that the criminal trusts must be prose-
cuted and punished, list of them not
being handed in at the time. Cap
plause)
The democratic platform declared
that we needed now legislation against
the trusts Judge Parker. In his speech
OF acceptance said: No we don't need
any new legislation; the law as II
stands is good enough: all you have
got to do Is to carry II out" Against
whom? When? And how? Judge
Parker upon that subject Is gloriously
indefinite and furnishes no bill OF par
tlculars. Therefore on the subject OF
the trusts there Is absolutely no diff
ference that you can state In plain
English, so that the common man can
nndeastand what II Is
&An, on The tarlff oh, what a
ltreni,IAsp,y subject the tarlff IA dur
1pg ihes eatAlrll Robbery OF the
poor peopie It's such wonder fhat
the poor people have so many friends
he day before election. and set they
never can get that tarin revised The
democratic platform says the tarltf
must be revised. that all protection ls
robbery Mr. Roosevelt. In his speech
of acceptance. saws that the tarlli
should be revised from time 10 time