Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1906-09-26
President Roosevelt or Mr.. Bruan2

Issue in the present Congressional cam |
paign?
President Roosevelt stands for the Re |
publican party and the party stands for |
him. Every vote for Republican can
didate for congress this year is "a vote of !
approval for the policies of the Re |
publican party as interpreted and car
ried out by Mr.. Roosevelt and the Re- |
publican Congress. Every vote for a
Democratic candidate is vote of en-
dorsement for Mr.. Bryan and for all of
the ,socialistic and imperialistic ideas
that he ha3 picked up on his tour of the
world and that he will incorporate in
the next Democratic national platform.
There are Democrats who are trying to
convince themselves that Mr.. BRYAN is
not the dictator of his party and will
not automatically shape its platform in
1908. The history of their party for the
last decade, however, shows that. if
the future can be judged by the past.
MIR. Bryan will make the party plat
form in 1908 as absolutely as he has i'm
every national convention since 1896,
when he captured the convention i'm
Chicago. and, after assisting i'm the
framing of most radical platform.
forced his own nomination as the candi
date. Again IN 1900, although he was
implored by his party associates to make
concessions to the conservatives. he
forced the adoption of his own platform
in every detail. Yet again in 1904 he
dictated the platform and put his partv
in the absurd position of running a gold
standard candidate on free silver plat-
form.
With this history in mind there can
be no doubt that Mr.. Bryan expects and
intends not only to be the candidate of
his party in 1905 but also to shane its
platform. He has put forward govern
ment ownership and operation of rail
roads as his idea of what the paramount
issue in the next campaign should be.
He is shrewd enough to profess now
that he does not want to force II ON his
party, but If the Democrats should elect
IA majority of the Congressional candi-
dates TINS year or should make any sub
stantlal gains he would immediately
claim the result as an endorsement of
his new issue. He would sweep Sena.
tor Bailey, Senator Daniel and all the
other States rights conservatives from
his path and force the adoption of a
platform containing his government
ownership plank and embodying all of
the other strange and un American
theories of government that he NAV vet
have in reserve.
In contrast with this picture of "a
party ruled by single man who will
tolerate no disapproyal Of his views the
Republican party stands for basic princi-
pies and ideas from which it has not
wavercd since its foundation. They
nave been forced upon it by no man
lhey are believed in by all Republicans
and yet the creed of the party is fiex
IDLE enough to permit of differences of
opinion as to details and as TO the WIS
dom or unwisdOm of particular meas
ures that do not involve fundamental
principles without putting those who
dlffer outside of the pale of the party.
For instance. Representative Mccall
and Representative McCleary are none
the less Republicans because the former
believes that protection to American
industries and American workmen can
best he afforded by lowering some duties
while MIR. McCleary would revise the
tariff upward if at all Both are pro
tectionists, but they differ as to details
Oh tarlh schedules. In the same
way all Republicans believe in the
stringent regulation of railroads and i'm
preventing unreasonable charges. but
Senator DodlIver and Senator Foraker
are none the less Republicans because
the former believes in having excessive
charges corrected by the Interstate
Commerce Commission, subject to iu-
dlclal review while the Senator from
OHIO, doubling the constitutionality of
this plan, would have them summariIy
corrected by the courts. Both are Re-
publicans and both would reach iden-
tically the same end, though by differ
ent means.
President Roosevelt is the leader o.
his party and is their principal issue in
this campaign; not because he is his
party 8 dictator, but because, believing
IN It's fundamental principles and com.
missioned by the voters Of the United
States, he has taken the lead in putting
those principles into effect. A vote for
Republican Congressional candidate
Is a vote of endorsement Of President
Roosevelt and for the continuation Of
well-defned and time-tried policies. A
vote for a Democratic candidate Is q
| vote for Mr. Bryan, government owner
| ship and no man knnvns what hnni.In,