The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-23
THE REPUHLICAN PLATFORM.

THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
The platform of the Republican party
is largely made up of statements of
what the Republican party has done
and what Mr.. Roosevelt has done The
impression is quite general that Mr..
Roosevelt dictated the platform, and
there is enough in IT to confirm that
impression.
As a matter of fact. the platform
will play but a small part in the cam
paign. 1t contains no declarations that
promise to become leading issues Mr.
Roosevelt will be more Of an issue than
any one of them. And it isn't at all
remarkable that he should be- He was
nominated in 1900 for the vice presi-
dency by the leaders of his party with
the hope of getting rid of him. So far
from that hope being realized, he is
more in evidence now than ever before
He not only brought about his own
nomination against the will of the par
ty leaders, but there is some reason for
thinking that he dictated the platform
on which he will stand and that,
through Mr.. Cortelyou he will manage
his own campaign.
The tariff declaration is a compro-
mise, and the proper Interpretation of
it is that there is no intention to re-
duce any of the tariff schedules until
there is danger to party harmony by
refusing to do so. What is the declara-
tion? 1t is as follows: Rates of duty
should be readjusted only when con-
ditions have so changed that the public
interest demands their alteration, but
this work cannot be safely committed
to any other hands than those of the
Republican party"
There couldn't be a much palmer
announcement of a purpose to stand
pat" on the present tariff. It Is true
there is a declaration in favor OF reci-
procity treaties, but so there was in
the platform of 1900. That declara tion.
or rather pledge. has never been kept,
and neither will the pledge in the plat
form adopted yesterday.
And the declaration in regard to
trusts, isn't that indefinite enough to
satisfy the trust magnates? It is stat
ed that combination of capital and
combinations of labor have certain
rights and that there are laws to limit
them to their rights. If they break
these laws they should he punished.
That is about the sum and substance
of the declaration, but in the statement
of the deeds of the Republican party
and Mr.. Roosevelt, we are asked to be-
lieve that the Republican party under
Mr. Roosevelt's lead, has been waging
a bitter war against trusts. 1t Is a
question if the President would have
ever taken any action for the enforce
ment of the antitrust law il the peo-
pie had not made 1T so unpleasant for
him that he had to do what he did.
The declaration directed at the South,
the declaration about cutting down the
representation in Congress and the
Electoral College of states which have
taken the ballot from the negro, doesn't
mean what it appears to- 1t means
that the Republican party wants the
negro vote of the Northern states. It
IS a plank for getting votes where they
may be needed, rather than a declara-
tion of policy
The declaration about a navy big
enough to enforce the Monroe doctrine
is intended as text for campaign
speeches. If the Monroe doctrine is
what Mr.. Roosevelt seems to think It
is, it might take a navy as big as
the navies of all the rest of the world
to defend it.
The declaration in favor of building
up our merchant marine by govern
ment aid is in line with the protection
policy of the Republican party, and the
declaration in favor of protecting
American citizens wherever they may
he on the face of the globe is. of
course, in harmony with public senti-
ment the country over.
As already stated, the platform pre-
SCENTS nothing that will serve so we'll
as an issue as Mr.. Roosevelt himself.
Doubtless we shall hear a great deal of
him and his deeds as "a soldier and
statesman during the campaign.