The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1908-07-09
SCORES PUB|[|C,AhS
Address st Permanent Chairman
Clayton at Demo cratic Ma.
tional Convention.
ROOSEVELT AND my POLICIES
President Has Well Advertised Him
self Says Speaker.
Enormous Tribute Levied on the Peo.
pie by Trusts Behind Wall of
High PrOtectiOn-Demo.
cratic Duty.

Upon assuming the Office Of perma-
nent chairman Of the Democratic ma
tional convention, Representative Hen
ry D. Clayton, Of Alabama, said in
part:
''Mr. Chairman and Fellow Demo-
Gratis: Let me thank you for the hon.
or you have conferred upon me. This
is Democratic year. Democratic
ideas are now popular. Doctrines al
ways taught by our party and scoffed
at by our opponents are now urged as
a gospel of their own. Measures and
policies Of Democratic origin are now
advocated by the leaders Of the Repub-
lican party. It is no longer anarchistic
to declare private monopoly to be in
defensible, or that the great trans
portation companies should be regu.
lated and controlled by public law A
demand for the revision of the tariff
is no longer a threat to destroy our
industrial system. Trusts are not to
be tolerated even by the Republican
party. We need not. now enlarge on
the list of Republican admissions and
promises for election purposes only.
The Republican party has made marked
progress in promises to the people and
much greater progress in aiding selfish
interests and special privileges. That
party, guided by expediency and cam
paign necessity, would camp this year
on Democratic ground. 1t is apparent
that If recent progress is to continue
it does not require very great sweep
of the imagination to see written into
a Republican platform four years
hence those immortal words Of Thom-
as Jefferson. Equal rights to all, spe-
cial privileges to none
Republican Responsibility. .-.
1.-THE Republican party, having had
full control Of the federal government
for more than decade, must give an
account Of its stewardship. Its pre-
tentious claims, largely without founda-
ton, and largely exaggerated, will not
suffice. Let honest investigation re-
veal the bad and defective laws passed
by that party; vicious policies main
tanned; reforms rejected; the recent
panic and its consequence; promises
broken; discrimination practiced; incom-~
potency confessed by its failure to
meet urgent public needs; and exhibit
ing this incompetency by the appoint
ment of junketing commissions for the
alleged purpose Of advising that party,
so long In control and Of such boasted
legislative wisdom, what legislation is
required by the country. Against the
Republican party, so dangerous and
crafty. is a capable, determined, hon.
est Democracy, in sympathy witt, all
just public demands, and confidently
asking in it's behalf the candid public
Judgment To that judgment the is
sue must be committed, and we un.
hesitatingly submit our cause to that
fine and true sense for the right that
we know distinguishes the American
people.
my Policies.''
"1n this quadrennial contest Mr..
Roosevelt has identified himself with
Mr.. Taft. Mr.. Taft has identified him
self with Mr.. Roosevelt. The Repub-
lean party has inseparably identified
the two together. To praise one you
must praise the other; to criticise one
is to criticise his pursuing shadow.
And so, must say, if it should ap-
pear to any one that in noting and de-
nouncing abuses and failures on the
part of the present administration any
license is assumed, urge the impossi-
bility Of separating the present occu-
pant of the White House from his own
anointed one.
1T has been made evident in the
pending campaign that the Republicans
Roosevelt and will rely upon the pres
ident's policies as priced asset The
president. has advertised himself and
his policies with a frequency and abil-
ity that surprasses the best efforts Of
the shrewdest press agent. A distin-
guished Republican, a former cabinet
officer, once publicly proclaimed the
president to be the greatest exponent
of the art Of advertising the world has
known. The country has been told
and not allowed to forget that, in his
opinion, his energies have been devoted
to the accomplishment Of many high
purposes, and that if his work is yet
incomplete it is so only because his un-
dertakings were too vast to be carried
to success during his term of Office
MY policies must continue, The pre-.
tense is that the fight must go on un-
der the leader designated by him un-
til the last foe shall have surrendered
Or lies inglorious in the dust. The
nomination of his Would-be successor
was largely accomplished by the use
of official patronage and coarse ma
chine methods, and has delighted the
chief apostle of strenuosity, and, at
the same time, has not perturbed the
conscience of the one-time civil service
refOrmer, now the boss, an adept in
the bestowal Of advice to the public
and forgetful of all his resounding
moral cOmmonplaces. No fair-mindeI
American could read the daily ac-
counts of the recent political doings at
Chicago without feeling modification
and regret; modification that the pres
ident should have so abused his power
in debating to great party his choice
of successor, and regret that that
party should have submitted so coward
" to a humiliation that was as mani
fest as 1t was degrading
Mr.. Clayton called attention to the