Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-06-24
MORE STRUCTURES BY BRYAN
Nebraska Candidate Completes His
Review Of Republican Platform.
NONE OF IT TO HIS LIKING
He says the Document Is a silent
Reputation of Almost
Every RooseveItian
Principle.

the republican platform as a silent repu
diation of almost every Rooseveltian prin-
ciple, William ]. Bryan today completed
an editorial summary OF the work of the
Chicago convention. Mr.. Bryan will say
in the next issue Of the Commoner:
Have you read the republican platform?
II not you ought to read IT, The con-
test in the republican party between the
reformer and the standpatter is for the
in the saddle. The platform is a silent re-
Iudiation of nearly every promise of re-
form that the president and his followers
nave given to the country. II begins Win
an eulogy of the president lin no other
period since the days Of Lincoln accord
l,: ing to the platform has there b. been ,nrp such
ment which make for Justice equality and
fair dealing among men,"
The highest aspiration of the American
here implied on previous republican presi-
dents who have failed to furnish voice
for ''the highest aspirations of the Ameri-
can people).
Their most exalted servant represents
the best aims and worthiest purposes OF all
his countrymen. American manhood has
been lifted to noble sense of duty and
obligation. Without asking why the re-
publican party has held office and divided
the official salaries among its partisans
so long without giving us a president who
represented the best aims and worthiest
why no other republican president in recent
days has lifted American manhood TO
noble sense of duty ana oblisation we
mao ask why Il is that the republican
convention spends so much time in prais-
ing the president and gives so little at
tention to the specific endorsement of the
things he has advocated.
Alleged Inaction of Congress.
But the president must not feel that he is
the only republican deserving of praise.
The recent congresses, according TO the
platform, have been full of patriots and the
republican legislators have been keeping
step in the forward march to better govern
ment." What does the president think of
being bracketed with republican senators
and members of congress in this indiscrim-
mate praise? Nothing is said of the con-
spiracy formed among the republican lead
ers of the senate to defeat the president S
railroad rate bill; no intimation is here
given that he sent several messages to con-
gress in vain to endeavor to get the lower
house to take up the reforms which he was
urging. The president must resent the fact
that the platform expresses no grotitude
to the democratic members and senator's
for supporting him when the republicans
deserted him. Not only does the platform
fail to give the democrats credit for help
ing the president in every effort to lift up
Americap manhood to a noble sense OF
duty and obligation, but Il actually con-
demns the filbuster which the democratic
minority instituted and carried on for the
express purpose of compelling republicans
to carry out the presidents recommended
tions. Mr.. Williams, leader Of the minority,
time and again called upon the republicans
to furnish thirty votes in support of the
cratic minority to furnish the remaining
number of votes necessary to carry out
several of the presidents recommendations,
and yet the men who wrote the platform
presume upon the ignorance of the public
and complain that the filibuster prevented
the enactment of many wholesome and pro-
gressiye laws"
Currency Bill Criticized.
The writer's of the platform especially
commend the passage of the emergency cur
rency bill-a bill which combined two fea-
lures, one OF which has been rejected by
the senate and the other by the house So
| long as there was chance for a discussion
| there was sufficient republican opposition
| to condemn both features OF the bill, but
under the Influence of few financiers the
! bill was rushed through during the closing
hours, with all the bad features restored
and all the good ones eliminated. How
proud the republican bosses in the senate
and house must feel to have their work
thus endorsed by republican national con.
vention.
The plank demanding a permanent
change in the curfrency system is general
| enough to permit the republican orators
| to advocate in each section of the country
| the system most popular there and suffi-
ciently indefinite to enable congress to do
whatever it pleases or nothing without
violating any pledge. The trust plank must
| prove a disappointment to every republican
| who has come TO understand the iniquity
! of the trusts There is no demand for a
rigid enforcement of the law; there Is no
suggestion that the criminal clause which
has not yet brought the trust malefactor
within the walls of a penitentiary should
| be called into use. The platform says that
| the law can be strengthened by amend
ments which will enlarge the supervision
Of the general government. but these
| amendments are not mentioned, and there
is nothing in this plank of the platform
| that can be appealed TO TO secure any
real Improvement in the law. II the presi-
dent, with all his strenuosity has not been
able to enforce the criminal law against
| single trust, what progress can be made
with such an antitrust plank as that in
There is a plank in the platform in favor
! of legislation and supervision such as will
| prevent the future over-ssue of stocks
and bonds by interstate carriers. This is
good but 1t is coupled with the advocacy
| of a pooling arrangement which makes q
eXacting any security TO the public. fol
the convention voted down an amendment
| proposed by Senator LaFollett's followers
| authorizing an enlargement of the powers
of the interstate commerce commission.
Race Question Discussed.
The negro comes in for his quadrenria
quota of taffy. He is reminded that the
republican party gave him freedom anC
citizenship, and there is the implied warn
ing that he must not use his citizenshlI
against the party that gave II to him. I
boasts that he is Indebted to that part!
for his political rights and for his progress
In intelligence, industry, etc. The republi
can party has made political capital out o.
the negro for a third Of a century In man!
of the close states it has won its el=rtion
it has won its elections by the negro vott
and in the states where II has has yOwe
It has never treated the negro any botte
than he has been treated by the democrats
In fother words. I'm the northern states tn,
democrats, without receiving any supper
from the negro vote have been as friendly
to him as the republicans. In the south tn,
democrats have furnished a large part o
the money TO provide that education o
which the republican party boasts Yet II
each recurring campaign the republican
leaders have attempted to appeal to tn
prejudices of the negro by parading befor
him the restrictions placed upon suffrag
In some of the southern states. They haV
beer In control of the government, with IN
exception of a few years, now for nearl
half a century and they have controlled tn
courts as well as the other branches OF tn
government. II the democrats have don
anything that they ought not to have done
why have not the republicans prevented IL
. Why is II that the republican leaders ar
only soictous about the colored man whel
voting time comes?
The republican platform says: I'VE con
denim all devices which have for their rea
aim his (the negro's) Acknowledgement 70
reasons of color alone as unfair, un-Ameri
can and repugnant TO the supreme law o
the land"
How can these things be repugnant I
! the supreme la wof the land when the re
publican supreme court is supposed TO stan
! guard oVRr the s1IDFeme ~ Ian