Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-20
RossIne, 4 pLATFoRM.

ROBslNea A PLATFORM.
A democratic friend has handed the
T..R. men q copy OF the Commoner IN
which Mr. Bryan's cartoonist has pic
tured President Roosevelt in the act
OF stripping the planks from the demo :
cratic platform. From the details Oh
the picture 1t would seem that the
president has done pretty good ooo'
He stands in the foreground with q
load OF panks under each arm labeled
income tax, railroad regulation, en-
larred powers for interstate commerce
commission, compulsory investigation
Of labor disputes. free trade with Phil
ippines and condemnation Of child labor
while democracy is compelled to stand
on the bare 1oist cf its former PLATFORM
with only three planks left. anti-im-
perialism. tariff for revenue only and
popular election Of senators.
Upon superficial glance at the picture
4 n would seem that the democratic car
toonist had much the best Of the argu-
nent There might be some question
as to when and where and how strong
{ ly the democratic party had ever made
rate regulation and the interstate COM
merce commission leading tenets of its
faith. but there can be no cloud on IT'S
title to the income tax or free trade
with the Philippines. Condemnation OIL
child labor has been owned Jointly by
both parties for some time. But on
close examination Of the picture the
: real humor in 1t appears For insta nee
+ who stole the free silver plank? Roose-
i Welt does not hold it under his arms,
and It is not shown upon what re-
mains of the democratic structure. On
the other hand the widest and most
& end,irable looking; plank which IS
shown as built Originally into the
strong republican platform upon which
the president stands is labelled elastic
/, currency If the corresponding demo-
cratic plank has cotted away because
of Its irnperfections, no mention Is
made of It,
Then the conclusion bursts forth that
the president has displayed a remark
dbles sense of discrimination. He has
/ taken from an unsafe structure the
sound planks OF rate regulation, inn
proved taxation, modern strike RENEE
dies, etc, and leaves the unsafe planks
OF tariff for revenue only, which would
iprecipitate business stagnations anti
Imperialism, which would bring about
national dry rot, and kindly asks no
questions about free silver which would
have crushed commercial ruin in upon
MS. All fair minded men have realized
that the democratic platform writers
had seized upon few sound doctrines
They had to in order ito hold the fol-
lowing of their millions of sincere men,
but the unsafe ,plarks of their structure
have always made their platform dan
gerous for careful men to tread upon.
Roosevelt, who is distinctly a builder
J and doer of things in our American
politics. says to himself ''That rickety
old platform is urssafe for public use,
I'll strip 1t Of its good boards and build
this sound republican platform wider
and stronger so more people can use
it ana be carried safely over the morass
I OF mistakes A thought with him sell
dom comes quicker than action and in
the twinkling of ten column message
its done. The Commoner has a strong
cartoon 1t ought to make many votes
!. for Roosevelt among its readers.