Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-30


nary crowd of democratic politicians
doesn't know anything about it. The fol-
lowers and hangers-on who have been
around the Hoffman House for the last
three or four days would not lie expected to
know. But even the national committee sit
ting in solemn session and selecting chair
man didn't know much about it. The mem
bers might think they were in the game, but
they were not.
To Initiate the Republicans.
have taken a spare hour or two to study
out just what this higher strategy is going
to be. 1t is of the few by the few AND for
the few, yet like most political secrets
somebody can be found to blab. l shant
say who hlabbed on this occasion for it
wouldn't be fair. Here is the democratic
campaign outlined-the whole strategy is
going to be to make the country believe
that there are really two republican tickets
to choose between in November and That
actually IL is not of mOmentous consequence
which party wins because either one will
follow established lines and no harm will
result. If that feeling can be spread abroad
then the higher strateSfsts think that they
may stand a show of carrying New York
and two or three other states by insnuating
in the minds of the conservative voters
that perhaps, all things considered, and,
nevertheless, and Notwithstanding, 1t might
This news came from democratic sources,
but in very unexpected quarter l got
confirmation of 1t. In the Broad Exchange
office building where are hived many hun
dred financial interests, financial writer of
some reputation and of excellent Informal
ton was talking about the prospect While
he has little interest in politics he has to
know something of political movements in
order accurately to estimate the possible
ties of monetary and business conditions.
Il have been too busy he remarked, Ito
bother with those fellows at the Hoffman
House. They are of no account now. What
i am waiting to learn Is about Judge Par
kers supplementary platform"
What's the supplementary PLATFORM" l
asked
why, don't you know?' he replied, 1T
isn't quite fixed yet that the judge can
count on having some of the big people
whose support was promised The gold
telegram helped him. but he's got to knock
out some more of Bryan's platform that is
In this case he's got to pull out a plank
while his telegram to the st. Louis conven-
ton put In plank. The big fellows want
some assurance that If he gets in he'll hold
back his party from ripping up the tariff
/ don't suppose In his acceptance speech or
his letter he can do it very specifically. yet
he's going to fix 1t up by some kind of
pledges of conservatism"
Tariff Disavowal From Parker.
All this was new to me. l had been
minsling with democrats of high and low
degree. and never heard hint that tariff
dsavowal from Judge Parker was part of
the higher strategy. / knew that some OF
the strongest influences which were using
his gold declaration as a pretext for sup
porting the democratic ticket were nat
urally free trade. and there even had been
suggestions that he might get the support
of some republicans who were dissa tisiied
with the Chicago plank. But here was an
announcement which came pretty straight
ill inf
must get on the protection plank. 1t fitted
In with the higher strategy of trying to
make the public believe that, after all it
is only a question of two republican
tickets.
My informant followed up his statement
with little more detail. There Is that
Bryan plank" he said, that protection is
robbery. If the democrats win II would
give the radical element an excuse for
going In and ripping up everything. and
the big interests have had enough of that.
Parker must make his supplementary plat
form and knock out that plank | don't
know just how he Is going to do It, and
am curious myself to see how he will ham
die the thing, but it's part of the pro-
gram
Democrats Will Stand for It.
This financial writer went on to say that
even with Parker writing a supple mentary
platform he didn't think any one would
know much about the campaign iii Oc-
tober. but he did know that unless Parker
did something of the sort he wouldn't be
any better off than If he had not written
or signed the gold telegram to the St
Louis convention. 1t was Il very interest
ing disclosure of what some of the So
called financial interests that are toying
with Parker have in mind. Musing on ii,
! strolled uptown to the Hoffman House and
the WaldorfAstora, where some OF the
democrats of high degree still remained
and where a good many of those of lower
degree were hanging around. l put it to
four or five of them, and usually got a
frank answer I'VE are out 10 win this
year Wen stand for anything Parker
promises
So the party workers and the party
leaders are In that receptive mood which
with a sh-ewd candidate is Why useful,
for they are willing to keep quiet and let
him make pledges while they wait their
chance TO upset those pledges after the
election. 1t confirms Speaker Cannon's
prediction at the Chicago convention that
whatever platform was adopted by the
democrats at ST. Louis, when the cam
paign begun they'd promise not to fool
with the tariff. Uncle Joe's other prediction
was that they wouldn't fool the country
into trusting their promises.
Chairman Taggart's Province.
With regard to the higher strategy It
might be said that the choice of a ma
tlonal chairman was rather a sign OF low
without flnesse. His friends have over
praised him and his enemies have under
rated him, but he has done nothing to
show that he is the man to head a party's
national committee when any chance for
success 1t may have is In fuOiing the voters
into the belief that there isn't much of an
issue. Taggart Is naturally a democrat
and his success in Indiana has been in
getting out democratic votes He never
carried Marion county or indianapolis even
for himself when there was not actually
through local or other conditions a demo
cratic majority TO depend on. But this
year the country admittedly is republican
and the only question is whether in any
manner II can be fooled into believing that
there are two republican parties In the
field.
l suggested these doubts to a democratic
friend who. while rot in the inner councils
OF the higher strategists. is q pretty good
sounding board and echoes what the bosses
think. why, bless you he said You
don't suppose Tom Taggart's going to hay.
anything to do with this campaign outside
of Indiana2 He'll have a pretty good hum
die to spend there and he'll have 10 make
good by putting up blum that'n scare
you republicans. But Taggart's campaign
Is going to be run by the Judge himself and
by German and few others Taggart
knows he'll never do for New York -
Without any purpose of mschief-makI king
l repeated this view to one of the chair
mans Indiana friends. 1t is the correct