The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-10-29
Raps Its Own Platform by Sc
vereIy Criticizing Repub.
lican Tariff Plank.
MIR. LoNGwoRrH ON DYNASTY
Presidents Son.in-Law Declares Eight
Years Taft---Then Roosevelt.
Republicans are Incensed at the Re.
marks Made by LOngworth in His
Rock Island, Ill, Speech on the
Succession of Presidency.

The Omaha Bee, puDllSned Dy VIC
tor Rosewater, member Of the Repub-
lican national committee, and head Of
the Republican campaign publicity bu-
reau, has made the blunder of criti-
cising vigorously part of the tariff
plank of the Republican platform, the
writer being under the impression that
he was really pouring hot shot into
Mr.. Bryan. The Democratic leader, In
a recent speech, had quoted that part
of the Republican platform which Is
criticised.
The editorial in Mr.. Rosewater's pa
per goes on the theory that this Ian
guage was Mr. Bryan's own, the
writer failing to notice that the Ian
guage was really part of the platform
on which Mr.. Taft is running.
The consequence of this is that Mr..
Bryan and his friends have on a broad
grin and they think that the smiles
at Fairview are likely to spread to all
Democrats in the country.
The words complained Of in the Bee
editorial were these:
''In all tariff legislation the true
principle is best maintained by the i'm
position of such duties US will equal
the difference between the cost Of
production at home and abroad to-
gether with reasonable profit to Amer
lean industries"
The Bee went on to puncture this
language in the following style:
Nothing prettier in the catch-all
line has been offered in this cam
paign. The most hide-bound stand
patter in the country can accept that
as satisfactory and the rankest free
trader can find delight in it. The dec
laration means simply nothing. An at
tempt to legislate along that line
would simply open the way to inter
minable wrangling as to what consti.
tutes "a reasonable profit, for hair
splitting on wages on one industry,
price of raw materials in another, re-
bates and drawbacks in third and
so on through the list Of thousands of
articles that are now on the tariff re.
vision, at Bryan's direction, would
serve only to halt industrial and com
mercial progress and keep business un'
settled during his term of office"
The Omaha World-Herald shows
that the words complained of are not
part Of any speech of Mr.. Bryan
but a part of the tariff plank Of the
Republican platform.
Mr.. Bryan had this to say wher
the matter was calleu TO Ills dlCel
ton:
II am very much surprised that Mr.
Rosewater should have attempted tt
misrepresent my position. goot
many unfair things have been said b.;
Mr.. Roscwater. To accuse me O
using the language Of the Republican
platform is an outrage. He ought t.
apologize for this injustice and ex
plain to his readers that the Language
which he criticises was taken from tn
Republican platform and not from an.
speech Of mine.
This is rich find. It shaws HOY
absurd the Republican platform look
to Republican when the Republican
has a chance to look at it in a disin
terested way. When Mr.. Rosewate
thought that the language quoted wa
taken from speech Of mine he coul
see how ridiculous the language was
hope that his opinion Of the languag
will not change when he finds that Il
was shooting at his own platform II
stead at me.
1.-THE amusing blunder Of the Oman
Bee suggests new diversion for tn
campaign. Let the Democrats accus
me of using various sections from til
Republican platform and from Nj
Taft's speeches and see how the RI
publican editors will ridicule the laI
guage."