The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1905-02-24
ON DEMOCRATIC GROUND.
In His Railroad Rate Regulation Policy
President Roosevelt is Sustsining
Principles Of the Dem.
ocratic Party
From The Cominoncr.

change comedy OF politics, mas Mr..
Bryan Topped to Mr.. Roosevelt or
has Mr.. Roosevelt Topped to Mr.
Bryan! Have the Democrats be.
come Republicans or the Republic
ans become Democrats
The Democratic party, in the par.
lance of the street, is doing bus.
mess at the old stand. In his de-
mand for an enlargement OF the
powers Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission and reform in the mat
ter of freight rates and rebates, Mr..
Roosevelt is on Democratic terri
tory. In his proposed reform he is
receiving support and encourage
ment from Democrats everywhere,
not because he has discovered n
new reform, not because Democrats
have abandoned their principles VI
that Republican doctrines have be-
come more acceptable to them, but
rather because Mr.. Roosevelt has
taken up reform which was long
ago and repeatedly suggested by
the Democratic party.
Not long ago the Missouri leg
islature, the lower house of which
is Republican, adopted a JOINT rcs0'
luton requesting the Missouri dele
CATION in Congress to support the
President : recommendations on the
matter Of rntr regulating leglSIa
ton. Ten Of Mlssourl's : member,
of the lower house, replying to the
Presidents resolution, sent the fol
lowing telegram;
I'VE are in receipt of II copy OF
Joint resolution passed by the leg
islaturr, asking us to support tn,
recommendations of the President
to regulate freight rates As Dem
ocratS, it affords us great pleasure
to comply with this request, anC
we can support such legislation The
more 2ealOusly. since the Presl'
dents message is simply Il rcitcra
ton of the declaration i'll the las
three National Democratic Plat
forms, ms well as the frequent ut
terances of Mr.. Bryan.
Many Republican newspapers
whose editors appear to be ignoran
Of the facts, are actually congratu
lating themselves that the Dem
ocrats who support Mr. Roosevelt
in his railroad policy, have, in tn
language of the New York Sun
become Republicans, - Perhap
many of these editors do not knoN
that while the last three Republic
an National Platforms have bee
wholly silent on this question, an
while the Republican candidates
Republican orators, and Republic
an organs have habitually dodge
it. the last three Democratic Ma
tional Platforms have explicitly de
clared in favor of the reform, Will
Democratic candidates, Democrat
speakers and Democratic newspa
pers have vigorously and consist
emily advocated it.
The Democratic National Plat
form adopted at Chicago in lSg
said:
The absorption of wealth b
the few, the consolidation of OF
leading railroad systems and TIL
formation of trusts and pools r,
quirc Il stricter control by the fed
eral government of those articles {
commerce We demand the en-
largement of the powers of the lr
tGrstate Commerce Commission an
such restriction and guarantees
} the control of railroads AS will pr
tcct the people from robbery an
oppression, y
/ The Democratic National .Pla
form adopted at Kansas City
1900 said:
I'VE favor such an enlargemel
, of the scope of the interstate con
! merce law ms will enable the Con
D mission to protect indivldals al
communities from Discrimination
and the public from unjust and II
fair transportation rates.
I The Democratic National Pla
E form adopted at st. Louis in l9'
said:
We demand an enlargement
the powers of the Interstate Con
merce Commission, to the end tn
:, the travelling public and shippe
) of this government may ha
+ prompt and adequate relief fro
the abuses to which they are su
iected in the matter of transport
ton. We demand a strict enfort
. ment of existing civil and crimir
+. statutes against all such trus
combinations and monopolies; Il
we demand the enactment of su
further legislation as may he nee,
= sary to effectually suppress them
In his letter accepting the pre-
N idential nomination in 1896, n