The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-06-26
In Full Retreat.

Under this caption, William Jennings
Bryan, in the Commoner, discusses the
republican national convention as follows !:
The Republicans who attended the ma
tional convention as spectators and Joined
in the demonstration in favor of President
Roosevelt and Senator La Toilette must
have felt indignant as they watched the
pauIc-stricken delegates running over
each other in their effort to get away from
the La Toilette reforms, some of which
had been Endorsed by the President him.
self. Congressman Cooper, of Wisconsin,
representing the La Toilette men, brought
in minority report signed by himself
alone. Fifty.two members of the CON-
mittee signed the majority report and one
signed the minority report. The Repub-
lican party will find the ratio of Sc to a
very embarrassing one TO deal with in the
coming campaign. Mr.. Cooper's report
contained declaration in favor of pub.
licity as to campaign funds. 1t was lost
by vote of $50 to "a, more than to 7.
and yet the President has been advocating
legislation in favor of pub licity as to cam.
paign contributions, and Secretary Taft
wrote letter to Mr.. Burrows advocating
the passage of publicity bill Senator
Burrows, the IMAM to whom the Taft letter
was addressed, was the temporary chair
man of the convention, and the con-
vention over which he presided turned
down the publicity plan, by vote of Q to
L. Who will deny that, on this subject,
the Republican party is retreating?
Another plank of the La Toilette plat
form authorized the ascertainine of the
value of the railroads. This plank was
lost by vote of GIT to sc, nearly Is to /.
and yet President Roosevelt had advo.
Gated this very proposition. Here is a
retreat on the railroad question.
The injunction plank adopted by the
Republican convention is a retreat from
the position taken by the President and
from the position taken by Secretary Taft
in his speeches, although neither of them
went so far as they ought to have gone in
their effort to prevent what is known as
government by injunction" Here is
the third retreat.
The President has advocated the in.
come tag as means of preventing
swollen fortunes and of equalizing the
burdens of government. The Republican
platform is silent on the subject. Will
the Republican voters follow the Presi.
dent in this demand or will they follow
the Republican organization in retreating
from it
The President advocated an Inheritance
tax, but the Republican convention is
silent on that subject Was the President
ahead of the Republican party in advo.
eating this reform, or has the Republican
party receded from the Presidents
position.
In the Presidents message to Congress
last spring he presented an indictment
against the conspiracy formed among the
great lawbreakers to prevent the enforce
ment of the law and to evade the punish
ments provided by law. The platform
adopted by the Republican convention
contains no intimation of danger. If
there are any conspiracies, the convention
did not see them; if there are any COM
binations, it had not heard of them; if
there are any dangers. it was unconscious
of them. Was, the President mistaken
when he issued his defiance, or are Re.
publican managers deceived when they
think that an aroused public will calmly
contemplate the encroachments of pred
atory wealth. This is retreat No. 6.
The convention by vote of S66 to ia
more than 7 to voted down the
plank in favor of the popular election Of
United States Senators. 1t is true the
President and Secretary Taft have never
advocated the popular election of Sena-
tors. They seem to take the Hamilton.
ian rather than the Jeffersonian view,
but the most popular reform in the
United States today is the reform that has
for its object the election of United
State Senators by direct vote. 1t has
five times been Endorsed by the national
House of Representatives-thre times
when the House of Representatives was
Republican. 1t has been Endorsed by
nearly two-thirds of the Union, and there
IS probably not state in the Union in
which it would not be Endorsed at a
popular election; and yet in spite of the
record made in the houses and by the
various States this reform is rejected by a
toI vote in a Republican national
convention.
Here are seven propositions upon
which the Republican party in national
conversion assembled, has retreated from
the position taken by that party in Con-
gress or from the position taken by the
President. What have Roosevelt Re-
publicans to say9 The President has
awakened spirit of reform within his
party; he has at last revealed to the
world that there are reformers in the Re-
publican party. Can that spirit now be
quelled by stand-pat convention?
Millions of Republicans have enlisted at
the Presidents call to arms and are ready
to march forward. Will they furl their
banners and turn back merely because
the President acquiesces in the sounding
of retreat