Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-17
Women S Clubs

MEMBERS of the Friday Morning
XE club were offered a program OF
AA unusual interest yesterday, be-
ing privileged to listen to discussion
of presidential campaign issues pre-
sented by two of the members, Mrs. y.
p. Clark, who spoke for Republicans,
and Mrs. M. S. Robertson, VINO pore
the standard of the Democrats.
Each speaker championed the politl-
cal faith into which she had been porn
and each was well informed and
earnest in her exposition of her party
tenets. Both Mrs. Clark and Mrs.
Robertson enjoy the widest possible
popularity among individual club mem
bers and the impartial applause which
greeted each in turn was a tribute TO
the personality of the speakers rather
than an evidence of composite clun
mind entirely free from politlcal
prejudice. -
opened the program with happily
phrased introduction, and presented
Mrs. Clark, who opened the discussion.
Mrs. Clark is a clear, convincing
speaker and her paper showed that
time and research had gone to its prep
aration. Prefacing its reading with the
statement that she was already Ike
publican from heredity, environment
and habit before undertaking to pre-
pare her paper, and that she is now a
Republican from conviction, MIS-
Clark said in brief:
"-he Republican part. was porn
protest against great moral wrong
1t continues as a protest against Or
ganized wrong and injustice. 1t began
it's administration of affalrs Win
Abraham Lincoln-it is today IN the
hands of Theodore Roosevelt. FROM
Lincoln to Roosevelt is the history or
the Republican party, and within that
period is crowded a growth, progress
a record not equaled by any party In
any country, in any age.
After eulogizing Lincoln, Roosevelt
and Taft, the speaker went on to the
consideration of party platforms as
follows:
1.-THE Republican platform is worthy
of your consideration as dignif1ed lit
erature 1t deals lucidly Ind at length
with tariff revision railroad legislation,
with currency conditions at home ana
abroad, gives a full report as to pro-
gressive laws passed during the last
administra ton, and was written py
Wade J. Ellis, attorney general for the
state of Ohio"
The platform of the Democratic party
was characterized as "a negative docu-
I,
Haskell of Oklahoma"
The Prohibition party was disposed of
as a party dealing with an eye single TO
it's one great idea, touching other ques-
tions in general, but not giving evidence
of being able to cope with the great
commercial and financial questions in
volved. The platforms of the lnde-
pendence and the Peoples parties, the
speaker claimed, were very frank, clear
ell
parently straightforward statements,
the leaders knowing full we'll that they
will never be called on to make good,
and therefore have all the courage that
goes with responsibility
1.-The five political parties" said she,
"are a unit in demanding banking ana
currency reform, tariff revision, popu-
lar election of senators, good roads,
parcels post, postal savings banks and
preservation of natural resources of the
country, and all parties want more
sweeping federal control Of railroads
and great corporations.
with all parties agreeing on eight of
the greatest questions before the pub
lie, it is not to be wondered at that
Mr. Bryan says President Roosevelt has
stolen his thunder, and that Mr.. Hearst
says the Democratic platform was built
by political jackdaws, who feathered
their nests with the plumes of others.
with such a similarity of platforms
and such a difference of methods, the
issue really Is which of the two men,
Mr.. Bryan or Judge Taft, will you choose
as business manager of the nation for
the next four years.
"There is a reason for the similarity
of ideas in all these five platforms,
President Roosevelt having in the past
seven years. by his utterances and
practical leadership crystallized to a
point of substantial agreement in the
minds of the American people num-
ber of questions which unconsciously
to themselves they have indicated in
this harmonious trend of public opinion.
president Roosevelt has been strenu-
Gus, and at times tempestuous. He has
made mistakes, but nevertheless he has
given to politicians new working
model. He has struck straight: he has
never been an unseen foe; he has talked