Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1908-06-24
SINS OF OMISSION

The republican platform Is more re-
marllablc for its sins of omission than
for the material it contains. The dele
gates voted down the propositions
Publicity for campaign contributions.
Popular election of United States
Senators.
\ demand for Il bureau of mines.
Such revision of the tariff as would
make duties on imports equal to the
difference between cost of production
at home and abroad, and no more.
A law prohibiting combinations for
the purpose of Sitting competition and
providing IN Imprisonment penalty for
violations.
The extension of the eight hour law
t." all departments Of the government.
1t is difficult to believe Mr. Taft and
Mr. Roosevelt were sinners when they
proclaimed themselves in favor of pub
licity for campaign contributions
They absolutely dominated the Chicago
convention. They could have written
into the platform anything they desired
t. put there. And the publicity planl;
was defeated by Il vote Of $50 to 81, a
majority Of nearly 800 votes That is.
eight tcnthS of Il convention controlled
by Taft and Roosevelt went on record
against Il proposition ostcnsibly favored
10y the controllers.
1t is hard to account for this over
whclming vote except on the theory
that MrsSrs. Taft and Roosevelt are not
really in favor of making IL frank state
mcnt of the contributions received and
II be received by thu republican
national committee in this campaign.
1t must be that they are expecting to
r"cciv" money from sources of which
they would not care for the public to
hav" knowledge. There is no other
avcnu" of escape
Tn" voting down of the popular clcc.
tlon of senators was not surprising. If
may have been Influenced, i'm part. at
least, by the recent result i'm Oregon,
where republican legislature is in
honor bound to elect democrat To the
(nitCd States senate. because the
democrat received II mainrity of the
votes cast at Il recent election. But the
hpnhlIramS as Il party. have never been
~ Favor of clCcting senators bv plp1lar
Nhr. II it had not been for the votes
OF republican senators Il constitutional
amendment covering this point would
long since have boon submitted to the
legislatures of the various states,
III" usual republican lack of interest
~ tn" west WAS manifested in the defeat
"i TN" bureau of mines proDoSition
Mr.. Roosevelt is often spoken of as q
western president because he lived for
Il time on IL Dakota ranch The west
had right to believe he took cuoiIrh
lntrrc in it IT, ut least suggest through
the platform, the establishment of this
bureau. for the west would hc distinctly
b'n"hted by it. But Mr.. Roosevelt
ana his political heir did not take the
necessary interest, and so the blank
was left out
The refusal to adopt anything re-
motcly approaching IN honest tariff
revision plank shows quite conclusivcly
that the country wide desire for Il rcvi-
sion of the tariff can never reach
fruition through the republican party.
The revisionists did not ask for much
They only wanted to commit the party
to n reduction of duties to point equal
to the difference between the cost of
production at home and abroad. That
would he fair. 1t would prevent the