The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-08
A GOOD CAMPAIGN DOCUMENT.

The Democratic party will have no
better campaign document than the
speech of John Sharp Williams. de-
livered as temporary chairman of the
Democratic National Convention. The
speech shows the hypocrisy Of the
Republican party and the hollowness
of it's pretensions. 1t is, in effect, an
answer to the speech delivered by
EIihu Root as temporary chairman Of
the Republican National Convention.
Mr.. Root claimed that the Republi-
can party had always done all it
promised to do and that all the pros
perity the country had enjoyed since
that party obtained control of the
government, was due to its policies
and the laws it had enacted and en-
forced.
Mr. Williams made it clear that the
responsibility for money panics from
which the country had suffered since
the Republican party came into ex-
istence. couldn't. with justice, be
placed upon the Democratic party.
He presented facts to show that of
lIlt I'VE DdHlCS W ltI We nav nav
since 1861. all occurred under a Re-
publican tariff. The assertion that
hard times and money panics follow
the adoption of a Democratic tariff is
a favorite method of the Republican
party of attacking the Democratic par
ty, and yet there is no foundation for
an attack of that kind.
Already the statement has been made
many times by the Republicans, and
doubtless will be made many times
again during the campaign, that the
Republican party is entitled to the
credit for all that has been done to
crush law-defying trusts. In his
speech Mr.. Williams pointed out that
the Democratic party has done more
than the Republican party to enforce
the antitrust law. although it has
had an opportunity to enforce that
law only during one administration.
In that period of four years, how
ever, it began proceedings against
several trusts, and decisions were OBJ
tanned which have made it possible to
prosecute other trusts. The three cases
mentioned by Mr.. Williams are the
Trans Missouri Freight Association,
the Joint Traffic Association and the
Eddystone Pipe Company cases.
The only trust case prosecuted to a
finish by a Republican administra ton
is that of the Northern Securities Com
pany, and the decision in that case is
based upon the decisions obtained in
the cases that were prosecuted under
Democratic administration. AS a mat
ter of fact a Republican administra-
ton didn't inaugurate the proceedings
against the Northern Securities Com
pany. They were inaugurated by Gov.
Van Zandt of Minnesota. If that Of
fetal had not taken the initial step.
ii is doubtful if the government would
have taken any proceedings against
that trust 1t certainly didn't try to
have the officials of the Northern Sc
curities Company punished, though the
way to do so was opened by the de-
cision of the United States Supreme
Court in that case.
There is no occasion. however, for
following Mr.. Williams throughout his
speech. Those who have read 1t have
no doubt come to the conclusion that
Mr.. Williams answered Mr.. Root so
completely and fully that the Republi-
cans, during the campaign, will be
extremely careful about making
claims for their party as extravagant
as those made by Mr.. Root and other
orators at the Republican National
Convention.