The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-28
A COWARDLY SILENCE
HON. ALFRED LICKING ON REs
 PUBLICAN PLATFORM.
Declares Every Important Issue Ia Evaded and Those Which Are Discussed Are FaIsiAed.
 Justace tQ Phflippfnes.
Advertiser Bureau. Colorado Building.

Washtngtone June 21.
 The Hon. Alfred LuckinE, represent atiye in Congress from the Detroit, Michigan district, gives the following as his views on the Republican plat form recently adopted at Chicago: 'It is a platform of extravagant self praise. of negations and of cowardly silence.
 Not single direct statement or promise on a live question in it.
 NO hope of self government is held out to the Filipinos--or of reversal of the policy of loot and carpet-bagism and military rule over those S,000.000 people, practicing in those islands a rule of despotic and selfish colonialism far worse than Englands rule of the eighteenth century. not ray of hope is held out of a change or more liberal treatment.
 Knowing that the Democratic party will make an issue of Philippine inde- pendence. as 1t did in 1900. this plat form dodges the question and main tains cowardly silence. Secretary Taft, speaking for the ad- ministration, has been working and begging for free trade with the islands on a substantial reduction of duties. but the stand -patters' crushed him. A cowardly silence Is maintained on this point.
 "It contains no promise to change a single schedule or to take the shelter | or the trusts. Having full knowledge l that American people desire to know its position on the Iowa idea 1t dodges and keeps a cowardly silence. Knowing that a great section of this country demands reciprocity with Canada and urges it as a living and vital issue, 1t maintains cowardly si- lence.
 "Knowing that the people demand the prosecution of monopolistic trust it maintains a cowardly silence. Tt is the first platform of any par ty to defend the trusts, which 1t does | by saying that they are an economic development of the times. and 1t seeks to give them an appearance of respect ability by chasing them with labor or- | ganiZations, saying that neither of them must transgress the law, but it promises no new legtslai ion. nor a wig orous prosecution of the present laws. The Republican platform of four and eight years ago were far more spe- cific on this point.
 The people demand the election of United States Senators by direct vote. but the platform maintains a cowardly | silence.
 The platform dodges in a cowardly manner the party's malodorous ship subsidy record of the last session. and evades the issue of subsiSs or no sub sidy.
 ''The platform maintains a cowardly silence on the pressing question of whether the public moneys shall con- tinue to be loaned in vast sums, with out interest to favorite banks The platform administrators taKy to the President but are silent on his biggest and longest fight, namely Cuban reel procity, which fact alone proves the absolute control of the 'stand-patters' in the face of depression and paralysis overtaking our industries for a year past. The platform repeats the old falsehood about continued prosperity.
 Tt Is like the ostrich sticking his head in the sand, supposing his body to be hidden. It reasserts the old false- hood Republican tariffs have always been followed by business prosperity as if the people could forget the se- verest panic and hard times in our his- tory. that of 1878 and 1879 all under Republican tariffs.
 Notwithstanding the business de. pression which has been settling down upon the country for the last year, the decrease in revenues. a deficit staring the government in the face. and the most extravagant administration in the history of the union, the platform con- tains not a line or a word in favor of economy or reduction in expenditures"
 R. H. Watkins.