Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-07-03
BRYAN ANALYZES REP" PLATFORM.
The Peerless Leader" Says 1t Is Equal
toa Full Retreat.

| OiIttlt pldtloIHl. DlOuti III III q hIitiioi
| ity report signed by himself alone. %
members of the committee signed
the majority report and one signed
| the minority report The Republican
party will find the ratio of 81 to Il
very embarrassing one to deal with in
the coming campaign. Mr.. Cooper's
report contained a declaration in
favor of publicity as to campaign
funds, which was defeated by vote
of $50 to "a, more than nine to one,
and yet the President had been advO-
eating legislation in favor of publicity
as tocampaign contribution and Sec
retary Taft wrote letter to Mr.. Bur-
rows advocating the passage of such
bill.
How fortunate it was that Sec
retary Tafts letter was finally dis
covered and published. Senator
Burrows, the man to whom the Taft
letter was addressed, was the tenn
porary 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 Re-
publican party is retreating?
! Another plank of the La Toilette
platform authorized the ascertain
ing of the value of the railroads.
This plank was lost by vote of 917
to 63. nearly fifteen to one, and yet
President Roosevelt has advocated
this very proposition. Here is re-
treat on the railroad question
In another column reference is
made to the injunction plank:
1.-The Injunction plank adopted by
the Republican convention is re-
treat from the position taken by the
President and from that taken
by Secretary Taft in his speeches,
although neither of them went as far
as they ought to have gone in their
effort to prevent what is known rs
government by Injunction. Here
is the third retreat. The President
has advocated the income tax as a
means of preventing swollen fortunes
and of equalizing burdens of govern
ment. The Republican platform is
silent on the subject. Was the Presi-
dent right in the position he took?
If so, then the convention was wrong
in not indorsing him. Will the Re-
publican voters follow the Presi-
dent in this just demand or will they
follow the Republican organization in
retreating from it?
The President advocated an in
heritance tax. but the Republicans
are silent on that subject. Was the
President the head of the Republican
party, right in advocating this re-
form, or has the Republican party
receded from the Presidents posi-
tion? Did the President give the
false alarm on this question or has
the party sounded a retreat? In the
Presidents message to Congress last
lspring, he presented an indictment
against the conspiracy formed among
the law-breakers to prevent the en-
forcement of the law and to evade
the punishments provided by law
The platform adopted by the Repub
lican convention contains no intima
tion of danger. If there are any
conspiracies, the convention die
not see them; if there are any
J dangers ahead it was unconscious
: of them. Was the President mis-
taken when he issued his defiance
or are the Republican managers de
ceived when they think that al
aroused public will calmly contem
plate the encrOachments of predatory
, wealth. This is retreat number six.
THE convention, by vote of 86t
e to ia, more than seven to one vOtet
4 down the plank in favor OF the pop
: ular election of United States Sena
tors 1t is true that the President
and Secretary Taft have never ad
vocated the popular election of Sen
Iators. They seem to take the Hamil
: tonian rather than the Jeffersoniar
j view, but the most popular reform
in the United States to-day is the re
form that has for its object the elec
ton of United States Senator's b,
! direct vote. 1t has five times beer
indorsed by the national house of Re
3 preventative, Republican. 1t ha
been indorsed by nearly twO-thirds
! of the States of the Union, and ther
is probably not State in the Unio1
\ in which it would not be indorsed a
a popular election, and yet in spit
of the record made in the House
of Representatives and by variOu
Estates this reform is rejected by
seven.tO-one vote in a Republican ma
! tiOnal convention.
Here are seven proposition
upon which the Republican part.
in National Convention assembled
has retreated from the position takel
by that party in Congress or iron
the position taken by the President
What have Roosevelt Republicans t.
say2 The President has awakene'
a spirit of reform within his party
he has at least revealed to the worl'
that there are reformers in the Re
~ publican party. Can that spirit b
quelled by stand-pat convention
Millions of Republicans have enlist
ed at the Presidents call to arm
and are ready to march forward
= they furl their banners and turl
back merely because the Presiden
acquiesces in the sounding of re
treat!
HALF the divorces are founded OF
the wedding journey, just as half tn
I;,d;o,,,x;ox, 70 fO,,pdad IN too mllc