Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-07-14

to the point Of dealing with the Phil.
tppines, there is not a statement of
principle or policy upon which there
IS any difference of opinion and The
writer took breath but twice to
charge the republicans first with a
failure to investigate corruption at
Washington and second In refusing to
prohibit contracts with ...victed
trusts, These charges present ques-
tons Of fact. not Of policy. and are
only thrown in to accompany the sug-
gestion that democrats are more hon.
est than republicans.
AS to the Philippines, the substance
OF the declaration is that when the
people OF those islands are prepared to
form a stable government that they
should have their Independence and
lnal we ought to tell them so now.
Wnen the work that republican adj
n1nistration has done and is doing in
The Philippines Is considered, the issue
presented by the democrats will hardly
engage the attention of the American
people. As to the tariff, regard the
platform as complete paper abandon
ment OF the democratic position and an
attempt to get on republican ground.
Kidding these clauses Of their partisan
rhetoric, they mean democratic 1educ.
ton Of the schedules with recognition
Of the policy Of protection and, in my
Judgment they offer just this issue to
the voters: Republican revision, to
meet new conditions, on the one side.
Democratic revision nominally along
the lines Of protection, hut with actual
hostility to the policy, on the other.
Thiss will be the battle ground of the
campaign, and If the republicans can
mot win in such contest then the
people ought to suffer the disasters
which are sure to follow democratic
victory. 1t is hardly possible to believe
that the revision of the tariff schea-
ules will be transferred from the long
time and faithful friends of protection
to it's ancient and Evolutionary enc
mics.
The Reciprocity Plank.
GAS to reciprocity, the difference
between the two platforms is one of
phraseology only. We say we want
1t when 1t will not nurt anybody at
home. They say we want it when it
will help everybody at home. Take
your choice.
"The remainder of the democratic
platform suggests nothing that the
liyeliest imagination can clothe with
the Importance of an issue. The re-
clamation of arid lands, the Isthmian
canal. the protection of American
citizenship, statehood for the terri
tories, polygamy, the Monroe doc
trine, the maintenance of an army at
la point demonstrated to be safe and
sufficient civil service reform, the
race question, the election of senators
by direct vote of the people,
"All these things are either SUBJ
!stantial reproduction of our platform
or they differ in such particulars as
cannot be made the basis of struggle
for supremacy.
Democratic and Republican.
Summing 1t all up l say Of the plat.
form: 1t has a little bad in it and that
Is democratic. 1t has some good in it
and that is republican.
Their real challenge is, that Roose-
welt is tyrant and wants to usurp
power that does not belong to him,
and that the republican party can
not enforce its own principles as well
as the democratic party can enforce
them. AS look at 1t our opponents
were never so feeble as they are at this
moment and their defeat ought to be
overwhelming"