The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-29
w. Y. Morgan of the Formers
Political Staff
Writes interestingly Of the
Kansas Senator's Work at
CHICAGO CONVENTION.
And the Preliminaries Leading
"@ Up to 1t.
"Kansas Would Miss Great OPP
portunity in Defeating Long"
Opportunity Knocks for Kansas.

Opportunity Knocks for kansas.
1t is a popular saying that a
political platform is meant by It's
makers to get in on and not to stand
on after they are in. Republicans are
certainly justified in believing that this
fling does not apply to them. The
declarations of what they would do
IL given power, as made by the Re-
publican national conventions from
1856 to 1904, may be read now as
laws on the statute books or the ma.
ton. Changing conditions brought
changing issues and the Republican
party has been called upon to state its
position on a number of important
questions. The people have given IL
the-power. and in each and every IN
stance the party has redeemed It's
PROMISE You may view With alarm
the declared policy OF the Republican
party, and you may think It's prlncl-
pies are wrong. but you KNOW tnat'
given an opportunity, the party mas
the courage of its convictions, the
ABILITY and organization to enact those
principles into law. This characteristic
of the Republican party has douDtiess
been the chief reason Tor the long
lease of power 1T has been given py
the people, and is the cause or the
confidence of the country. There is no
more doubt that the legislation pro-
posed by the recent Chicago conVen-
ton win be part or the law OF the
land within the next four years than
there is of the success of the party at
the polls in November.
When Senator Long in his speech
at the state convention in March
announced that he would be a candi,
date for reelection upon the record
he had made, he Also declared s,that
his platform would be the platform
of the Republican party At 8 That
time Senator Long could not fofesee
that he would be one of the half
dozen men who would make that plat
form and in doing SO direct the
course of the government for an adj
mInistration. He could not have
known that the platform would be
In fact so much the product of his
own views and his own hand. But he
did look into the future and know
that the campaign prior to the
November election must be made and
won on the party policies. and that no
candidate for senator should run be-
fore the primaries on one platform
and after the primaries on another.
And he expected to be the candidate
after the primaries. -'@'i',t '@-
Everybody knows i1&fiat qlf& pened
at Chicago. Three meilsioaTne toothat1
convention with p the draft Sofsth e|
resolutions prepared by them in
consultation with thS~president of the
United States and the next president.
Long was one OFFS the three. He
represented Kansas f6n the committee
on resolutions. he was the first named
on the subcommittee of thirteen which
reported the platform and he was first
on the subcommittee or four on the
final revision. The story of the fight
In that committee has been told and
how. after almost forty-eight hours
of constant work. the resolutions
originally prepared and brought to
Chicago by the representatives of
Secretary Taft were adopted prac-
tically and in all essentials as they
were first drawn. To the preparations
of this platform on which ne now
stands Senator Long devoted time.
study and thought ana ror its sue
cess in committee and convention he
worked with signal wisdom, tact and
skill 1t is his platform because he
helped make 1t, and also because it is
the platform of the party whose bat
ties he has fought with ability and
In whose success he believes lies the
best interests of the country and the
people
This platform has been attacked by
Mr.. William Jennings Bryan, because
he Is a candidate for presidency on
another platform, and in Kansas by
Mr.. Joseph Il. Bristow and his sup
porters because he is candidate against
Long. Mr.. Bryan spoke first and gave
his reason for saying the Chicago
PLATFORM is retreat" from the poll
cies of Roosevelt and Taft. and Mr.
Bristow's management gave out a
statement repeating theacharges of Mr.
Bryan. Mr.. Bristow will be against
the Republican platform from now
until August A.. Then he will be
proposition and Mr.. Bryan and the
Democrats will have the field of OPP
position to themselves. In the con-
test before the primaries Senator Long
will defend, maintain and champion
the principles of the Republican party
as supported by Roosevelt. Taft and
sherman, and as stated in the national
platform, and after the primaries he
will go right on in the fight for the
same principles and the same PROPOSE
tions in whose preparation he has
taken so active a part The unfortu-
nate Mr.. Bristow, who would be per-
fectly willing to get on the Long plat
form or any other old PLATFORM that
might lead him to Longs Job, is left in
the predicament OF finding out. that he
has been following a hearse instead OF
a band wagon and the procession Is
headed for the political cemetery in
stead OF the national capitol.
Early in the campaign Mr.. Bristov
annouced some sort of a platform
which was to be just his and nobody
else's. The ideas in II were not origin
al with Mr.. Bristow, probably very few
people will remember just what the,
were. There was a vague prediction
that IL Mr.. Bristow should be elected
senator 1t would no longer be neces
sary to pay any freight rates and tina
any one who travelled on the railroads
should be paid two cents a mile. Mr.
Bristow did not exactly say this, bu
he might just as we'll have done so
The only firm position that he tool
was that in order to get the niiilen
mum started 1t was Necessary to cleo
Bristow senator. Anybody who OBJ
posed or questioned the New Though
was. promptly declared a servant O
Wall street. a tool OF the Money Pow
er. an emissary of Rockefeller and
worshipper of the Great Red Dragon
None Of this kind of statements had (,
be proven and it was necessary tina