The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-31
BRYAN ON
 ROOSEVELT.
tceas..sea srem rsEs l.,

who who cSontrived S them and have fattened
 -rhis announcement just before the election recalls the e,no,l,ss, creson o 's hsfoee the last election 80 that ne could pass inc hat with effect as. in spite, of the bold denial of Judge Parkers charges. .Ths history of the Republican party since slavery was abolished and the in- terests which have, always controliot 1t beiies the expectation or any real the Democrats in commission. They aloi,o can and N III, with fairness 10 all, with wisdom and care for the. in- l. .terests. of the entire country, set rign, measure of relief. Let us not. by lack. of haru1onysor wisdom. show ourselves unequal 10 the. oppnrtInity or uh Ovation for Mfr. Bryan. ,, The Banquet was served in the arena l, where MT. Eryai, was nominated for | President In 1900. His reception on that occasion was not more enthusas. sic than that which was accorded him tonight. MT. Bryan said:
 7 Tn this great city. on the boundary line between Missouri, with her rock ribbed Democracy and the west which uptila1ss7 was counted as Republican territory. we have met to. begin the campaign of 1908 and to present those,
 
 appeal to progressive Republicans as well as to Traditional Democrats. 'It is only a recognition of a fact that there is a Democratic element in | the republic to which a succesgfnl ap- peal can be made. might giye sev- srs rst sIeensSs eiaee wsaf q @ known oS as @ ths Roosevelt sentiment is strong in the valleys of the Mississippi and the Missouri aud the Roosevelt sentiment I is not sd much attached to person | as devotion to an idea with which the | person has identified himself.
 i"And what is this idea7 II is the should De. Before a remedy can be | applied. the need of remedy must be | admitted. For. years the Democratic party has been poinssng out the abuses | publican rule. but those abuses have been denied by Republican leaders and the country has been congratulated | upon the possession of everything es- | sential to it's welfare.
 l Republican platforms have been full | of fulsome eulogy of the Republican form. form Eve Even the platform of iso4. upon | which President Roosevelt was elected, | was silent in regard to govefnment | evils and gave no hope of relief. To the surprise of Democrats and to the l surprise of Republicans as well, the President began to recommend rem I edial legislation. taking as his guide
 
 ocratic party. He did not follow in the footsteps of the Democracy out of | any desire to compliment the Demo-
 cTatss or to enc9uTage them put sim
 empted all the ground in front and he could not go forward without trespass- ing upon their land.
 tions were hailed with delight by | Democrats and met with Indignation
 by Republicans. Whether the Presi- the Republican party or only revealed | q. previously existing sentiment, we
 shall never know, and the question Is not material anyhow: It is sufficient that it is so strong that the President is praised by. the masses just, In. pro portion as he assails the predatory corporations and pleads for reforms and fairness in the government.
 | Good Samn for Democratic.
 Tt is proof that the reform senti-
 oniS iarss snf but sR9Hsa %tsns tat the 2orate interests. powerful as they are,
 have not been able to coerce the Mid- ale wsst ,tn,,nt into the sA; support cf any of
 garded as reactionary. This In itself
 Is the most hopeful sign of Democratic
 Nov. what prospect is there that the Republican National Convention VII satisfyths urgent demands of | made to satisfy these demands. Two things are peeessafy to establish con ndence in the Intention of the Repub- iican Party ts W ', repeal its own laws and grown out of R4publican leeislation and admifnstrRtion; and these. two things are. first. a platform specihcai- reforms. and s second. S to the i,sIg nogminatioS nation l of a ticket composed of men imbued with the .spirit of reforrl.
 If in the coming campaign the Re- publicans; have an ambiguous platform. filled with glittering generaiitfes and fragrant syith bouquets thrown at the Republican Party, a Republican Pres poWerless gaso as the pon pprestSt Presideht has been. say powerlessr-for what has the President succeeded in doing? There are more trusts today than when l he entered the ofice, and he has never succeeded in getting law enacted to strengthen the present law. He has not succeeded in putting trust mag nate in the penitentiary. and the only | large fine that has been imposed has 1 aroused more criticism than commen- dation among Republican leaders. He has not secured any tariff reform, and yet he has been in ofiice for over sev- en years. He has not secured the en- actment of the necessary labor legts- lation. He has not secured an income tax, and the Republican Senators fore ed him into a compromise on the rail- road question.
 Platforms and Candidates.
 But even a good platform would be worthless without a candidate who embodied the spirit of the platform And what candidate have they? If the President had picked out Senator La Toilette. a real reformer, 1t could have compelled the confidence of reform Re- pubiicans. Senator La Toilette has a 1 record as a reformer. He has fought corporate domination in his own State
 "rhe President has picked out Sec retary Taft and given him the support | of the administration. Without the | support of the administration the Sec- l retary would scarcely have a State in the convention and with the Presidents 6 1 support he Is having an uphill night: He has no record as a reformer and his speeches do not Indicate a definite purpose or a courageous program. He may be the best man the President | could find among his Cabinet ofncers, but Secretary Taft's superiority over | his colleagues is due not to his posi- tive virtues but to the fact that none tendencies whatever. In fact the wide spread reform sentiment among the | Republican masses Is not, reflected to | any considerable extent among Re- publican leaders.
 What does Secretary Taft stand for What does he denounee as. wrong | What would he do with the trusts ? He tells us that he would not exter- flInate them, but simply regulate them. | What does he propose on the tartu question? Rerision-but not until after the election. s.
 nronose for the benefit of labor? The ! fahorinx men insist that they are en- | tItIed fo trial by Jury; but Secretary