Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-06-27
THE CHICAGO PLATFORM s1lLL LIVES.


The Washington Post is Offended be
cause The Commoner said; ''1fhe Chica-
go platform still lives" The Post says
that free coinage at sixteen.to- one
was the OILY vital issue''in the Chicago
platform, adding: !
What possible motive can Mr.. Bry.
ans Commoner have for eulogizlng The
Chicago platform at this time when the
democratic factions are trying to ge'
together and elect a democratic house
Of representatives.? A red flag in a bull
yard would be no more OF pr9vOcation
to wrath than is such perfor nance in
the democratic party. What that par
ty most needs is to forget, or affect tp
forget, the split of 1896. 1t cain win no
presidential victories and therefore, can
not take its place-the place II ought to
fill as strong and safe opposition
without the cooperation of the conserY.
alive democrats"
The Post forgets that the radicalism
Of 1896 has become the conservatism OF
1905. The Chicago platform did not
deal exclusively with the money ques
ton. What the Post calls 81 xteen to.
ope'' was not the issue. Indeed. six
teen to one"was the bugaboO which re-
publican leaders held up for the purpose
of frightening the people. !
The Commoner said: 1T is NO exag /
geration TO say that in its essential
principles the Chicago latform stands
indicated in the court of public opin /
ion." That statement is proved. Re
cent developments show that men whip
poured millions of dollars into the re-
publican campaign fund: we're more
afraid of criminal prosecution thap
they were of free silver. so far from
being "a hoodoo." as the w ashington
Post calls it,the Chicago platform read
today in gathering OF American citi.
zens anywhere in the land wo uld cali
for cheers from republicans as well as
from democrats.
the Post says that the dem ocratie
party''needs to for get the Chicago plat
form" Then the democratic party Is
in bad way indeed How may demo.
Gratis forget the Chicago platform when
republican conventions everywhere are
endorsing its essential principles. when
newspaper editors that once condemn
ed its statements Of fact now admit
their error, and when the president Of
the United States, elected as a repubii
can, wins applause from the masses OIL
the people only as he moves along thF
lines defined in that platforms Why's
you could almost palm off the Chicago
platform as republican edl torial in
some sections of this country. Il
1t was the cumulative theory o.
money-not ''16 to 1"-which was in
fact the foundation of iall arguments
made in behalf of bilnesallism' and thai
foundation is recognized generally to
day. Even the Post will not now CUES
ton it.
In every section of the country repub
licans demand the restrictions of the
privileges conferred upon the nations
banks. And that's in the Chicago pla,
form. /.
In every state in the union a consid
cradle number of republicans denonn G
the high tariff as "a prolific breeder q
trusts and monopolies (which '.enuche
the few at the expense of the MANY re-
stricts trade, aud deprive, the prbduG
ers of the great American staples q
access to their natural markets" An,
that's in the Chicago platform.
Many republicans now advocate til
income tax and that's in the Chicago
platform
A republican congress has enacted
law enlsrging the powers Of the Inter
state commerce commission. That
in the Chicago platform. i
Men, regardless of party, now favo
the election of senators by the pebpli
oppose the free pass syste m and d.
mand the enforcement Of the .crimina
clause of the Sherman anti trust law
The Chicago platform reminds us of a
these reforms for the men who stoo
upon that platform have stood faitf
fully for them They have lived to sc
the day when meu who, ten years ag.
sneered at the handiwork Of the demo
cratic platform makers at Chicago, see
the preservation of the business ii
terests of the country, and the. defens
of the national honor along the line
laid down by the democratic party II
1S96.-Commoner.
| Evnrv Mon His OUR, hoo%n,.