Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-06-23
IN FULL RETREAT.
Democratic Leader Shows What Re-
publicans Stand For.

publlcans stand For.
Under the caption I'm Full Re-
treat" the Hon. William ]. Bryan
discusses the recent Republican con-
vention in this weeks Commoner as
follows:
The Republicans who attended the
national convention as spectators and
Joined I'm the demonstration I'm favor
of President Roosevelt and Senator
La Toilette, must have felt indignant
as they watched the panic-stricken
delegates running over each other In
their effort to get away from the La
Toilette reforms, some of which had
been endorsed by the president him
self Congressman Cooper, of Wis
cOnsin. representing the La Toilette
men, brought in a minority report
signed by himself alone. Fifty-two
members of the committee signed the
majority report and one signed the
minority report.
The Republican party will find the
ratio Of So to l a very embarrassing
one to deal with in the coming cam
paign. Mr.. Cooper's report contained
a declaration in favor of publicity as
to campaign funds. 1t was lost by
vote of $50 to "a, more than to l,
and yet the president had been advo-
eating legislation in favor OF publici-
ty as to campaign contributions and
Secretary Taft wrote letter to Mr..
Burrows advocating the passage of
publicity bill. How fortunate it was
that Secretary Taft's letter was finally
discovered and published, Senator
Burrows, the man to whom Tafts let
ter was addressed, was the temporary
chairman of the convention and the
convention over which he presided
turned down the publicity plank by
vote Of nine to one; who will deny that,
on this subject, the Republican party
is retreating?
Another plank Of the La Toilette
platform authorized the ascertaining
Of the value of the railroads. This
plank was lost by a vote Of 917 to 66,
nearly IS to l, and yet President
Roosevelt had advocated this very
proposition. Here is a retreat on the
railroad question.
In another column reference Is
made to the injunction plank. The
injunction plank adopted by the Re-
publican convention is a retreat from
the position taken by the president
and from the position taken by Secre-
tary Taft i'm his speeches, although
neither of them went as far as they
ought to have gone in their effort to
prevent what is known as govern
ment by Injunction Here Is the
third retreat.
The president has advocated the in
come tax as a means OF preventing
swollen fortunes and Of equalizing the
burdens of government. The Repub-
lcan platform is silent on the subject.
Was the president right in the posi-
a. Lo pOnVpn-
ton was wrong in not endorsing him.
Will the Republican voters follow the
president in this just demand or Will
they follow the Republican organiZa-
tion in retreating from 1t?
The president advocated an inheri-
tance tax but the Republican conven-
ton Is silent on that subject. Was the
president ahead Of the Republican
party in advocating this reform or has
the Republican party receded from
the presidents position? Did the pres
ident give a false alarm on this ques-
ton or has the party sounded re-
treat?
In the presidents message to con-
gress last spring he presented an In
dctment against the conspiracy form
ed among the great lawbreakers to
prevent the enforcement Of the laws
and to evade the punishment provid-
ed by law. The platform adopted by
the Republican convention contains
no intimation of danger. If there
are any cOnspiracies. the convention
did not see them; If there are any
combinations it had not heard or
them: if there are any dangers, they
are unconscious Of them. Was the
president mistaken when he issued
his defiance, or are the Republican
uvhn think
than an aroused public will calmly
contemplate the encroachments Of
predatory wealth? This Is retreat
number six.
The convention by vote of 866 to
114-more than seven to one-voted
down the plank in favor Of the popu-
lar election of United States senator.
It is true that the president and Sec
retary Taft have never advocated the
popular election Of senators. They
seem to take the Hamiltonian rather
than the Jeffersonian view, but the most
popular reform in the United States
today is the reform that has for its
object the election Of United States
senator's by direct vote. 1t has five
times been endorsed by the national
house of representatives-th times
when the house Of representatives was
Republican. 1t has been endorsed by
nearly two-thirds Of the states OF the
Union and there is probably not
state in the Union in which it would
not be endorsed as a popular election
and yet in spite Of the record made In
the houses and by the various states,
this reform is rejected by Z to
vote in a Republican convention.
Here are seven propositions upon
which the Republican party, in ma
tiOnal convention assembled, has re-
treated from the position taken by
that party in congress or from the po-
sition taken by the president. What
have Roosevelt Republicans to say?
The president has awakened spirit
Of reform within his party, he has at
least revealed to the world that there
are reformers in the Republican par
ty. Can that spirit now be quelled by
stand-pat convention? Millions Of
Republicans have enlisted at the pres
ident's call to arms and are ready to
march forward; will they furl their
banners and turn back merely be-
cause the president acquiesces in the
sounding of a retreat.