Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-07-05
BADGERS FOR BRYAN.
WISCONSIN DEMOCRATS WANT
NEBRASkAN FOR 1908.
Platform Demands Municipal own
ership. Revision of the Tariff on
Revenue Basis, and a War on
the Trusts-No Ticket Named.

w
nesday afternoon and proceeded to for
get the recently passed primary law by
organizing itself, as of old, into the old
fashioned gathering which has been
wont to ruffie the feathers of the
American eagle so often in the past.
The State primary law did away with
conventions until the Democrats of Wis
conSin rose up and said they could see
no reason for not joining together in
Il friendly session" and Offering Sug-
gestions to the party to reflect upon.
This sentiment met with general IA
vor and therefore the convention wss
not a convention legally and was one
actually. For it is generally accepted
as true that the platform framed at
this meeting will be adopted next fall
by the nominees, who, according to the
new law, must meet gravely in Madison
and announce the party's principles.
As Governors in the Badger State
hereafter are to be named at the pri-
maries, the only thing this suggesting"
convention could do was to whoop it
up for some man for President and to
proclaim itself alphabetically on the
burning questions of the day.
There seems to be only one man talk
ed of by Wisconsin Democrats for Pres
ident ard he is William ]. Bryan. The
Nebraskan received flattering indorse-
ment when the Resolutions Committee
raDorfad Evon forponr ITpitad Stotoc
Senator William f. Villas has come into
camp and there was presented the pic
ture of one of Grover Cleveland's clos
est friends sitting in a gathering of So
called radical Democrats encouraging
and participating in the applause which
greeted the name of the leader whom
the Cleveland Democrats opposed both
in 1896 and 1900.
The convention met in the afternoon,
appointed the usual committees, heard
Daniel III. Grady of Portage, who was
elected temporary chairman make an
address lauding Mr.. Bryan, and then
adjourned until night, when Permanent
Chairman John A. Awkward of Madison
spoke and other voices were raised
Meanwhile the Resolutions Committee,
headed by Louis f. Marchetti of Wau-
sau, was drafting the platform.
Mr.. Bryan's name was mentioned
twice during the day, when the resolu-
tons were read as a whole and when
the planks were adopted separately. In
both instances the words, Bryan!
Bryan! Bryan! Three cheers for Bry-
ant brought forth a tumult of APP
plause, which continued for several
minutes
The plank in the platform indorsing
Bryan as the Democratic candidate in
1908 reads:
We regard with just pride and admira-
ton the typical American who has been
journeying in foreign lands the last year,
and, although only private citizen with
none of the allurements of place or power
about him, has been accorded distinguish
ed consideration and attention wherever
he has gone, solely because his course in
public and private life alike has shown
him to be a patriotic citizen, a wise and
far-seeing statesman, and a thoroughly
honest and upright man, in whom the
people can safely repose their utmost con.
fdence. We therefore declare that we are
heartily in favor of that typical American,
William Jennings Bryan, as the Demo-
cratic candidate for President in 1908,
and we pledge our united efforts to Sc
cure his nomination.
No State Ticket Nominated.
No State ticket was nominated, that
work being left to the primaries, which
are to be held later in the summer The
only work of the convention, therefore,
was the Endorsement of Bryan and the
adoption of platform.
The leading feature of the platform
is the demand for municipal ownership.
The planks demanding municipal own
ership are as follows:
We favor such legislation as will en-
able municipalities to own, construct and
acquire by purchase such public service
utilities as they may deem proper, and
to enable them to do so we favor amend
ing section of article II of the constitu-
ton Of our State so that indebtedness in
Cured in acquiring such public utilities
shall be excluded from the limitations of
said section, thus permitting municipal
corporations to acquire public utilities
and to restrict the constitutional limita-
tons of indebtedness to debts incurred for
non-productive property.
The platform, outside of the features
mentioned, makes many demands and
favors many things, among others the
following:
We demand strict enforcement Of ex-
listing civil and criminal statutes against
all trusts, combinations and monopolies
We favor a revision of the present tar
if, and hold that the tariff duty should
be levied for the purposes of revenue.
We favor placing on the free list any
commodities now supplied by trusts or
monopolies.
We believe in the principles of the in
come tax.
Before the convention adjourned a
motion was put and carried that the
Democratic State chairman be emDow-
cred to appoint a committee of three
to examine the books of the Secretary
of States Office to ascertain the CAUSE
for expending large sums of money.
Dear Girls.
Eva-You were playing whist with
Jack? Were you playing for money?
Edna-No, for kisses
Eva-Ah, how l admire a cheerful
loseri