Gloucester County Democrat., 1908-07-09
DEMocRAT J. 1905
The Republican Party is in IuII Retreat

AuU hUPAnAAOuH "a ~ AZ kAA AOhA Aa0tA uAa
The Republans who attended the ma
tional convention as spectators and joined
in the demonstration in favor OF President
Rooseyelt and Senator LaFollette must
have felt indignant as they watched the
panic STRICKEN delegates running over each
other in their effort to get away from the
LaFollette reforms, some Of which had
been endorsed by the president himself.
Congressman Cooper. Of Wisconsin, repre-
senting the LaFcllette meu, brought in a
minority report signed by himself alone
Fifty-two members of the committee signed
the majority report, and one signed the
minority report. The republican party will
find the ratio of fifsy-two to one a very en-
barrassing one to deal with in the coming
campaign. Mr.. Cooper's report contained
a declaration in favor Of publicity as to
campaign funds 1t was lost by vote OF
$50 to "a, more than nine to one, and yet
the president has been advocating legisla-
tion in favor of publicity as to campaign
contributions, and Secretary Taft wrote a
letter to Mr. Burrows advocating the pas
sage of publicity bill How fortunate it
was that Secretary Taft's letter was finally
discovered and published Senator Bur-
rows, the man to whom the Taft letter was
addressed, was the temporary chairman OF
convention, aud the convention oyer which
he presided turned down the publicity
plank by vote of nine to one Who will
deny that, on this subject, the republican
party is retreating?
Another plank of the LaFollette platform
authorized the ascertafning of the value OF
the railroads This plank was lost by a
vote of 917 TO 63-neaily fifteen to one
and yet President Roosevelt has advocated
this very proposition. Here is retreat on
she railroad question.
In another column reference is made to
the injunction plank The injunction plank
adopted by the republican convention is a
retreat from the position taken by the pres
ident and from the position taken by Secre-
tary Taft in his speeches, although neither
of them went as 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 income
tax as means of preventing swollen for
tunes and of equalizing the burdens OF
government. The republican platform is
silent on the subject. Was the president
right in the position he took II SO, then
the convention was wrong in not endorsing
him. Will the republican voters follow the
presidents in this just demand or will they
follow the republican organizl ltion in re-
treating 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 advocating this
reform, or has the republican party receded
from the presidents position Did the pres
ident give false alarm on this question or
has the party sounded a retreat?
In the presidents message to congress
last spring he presented an Indictment
against the conspiracy formed among the
gr at lawbreakers to prevent the enforce
ment Of the law and to eyade the punish
ments provided by law. The platform
adopted by the republican convention con-
tains no intimation of danger. II there are
ATTY conspiracies, the convention did not see
them if there are any combinations, it had
not heard of them; if there are any dangers
ahead, it was unconscious Of them. Was
the president mistaken when he issued his
deoaace, or are the republican managers de-
ceiyed when they think that an aroused pub
lic will calmly contemplate the encroach-
ments of predatory wealth. This is retreat
number Six.
The convention by vote of 866 to ia -
more than seven to one-voted down the
plank in favor of the popular election of
United States Senators. 1t is true that the
president and Secretary Taft have never ad-
voeated the popular election of senator's.
They seem TO take the Hamiltonian rather
than the Jefersonian view, but the most
popular reform in the United States to. day
is the reform that has for its object the
election of United States Senators by direct
vote It has fye times been endorced by
the national house of epresentatives-thre
times when the house of representatives was
republican. It has been endorsed by nearly
two-thirds of the states of the union, and
there is probably not state in the union in
which it would not De endorsed at a popu-
lar election, and yet IN spite of the record
made in the house of representatives and by
the various states, this reform is rejected by
a seven-to-one vote in republican national
convention.
Here are seven propositions upon which
the republican party, in national convention
assembled, has retreated from the position
taken by that party in congress or from the
position taken by the president. What
haye Roosevelt republicans to say? The
president has awakened spirit of reform
within his party, he has at least revealed to
the world that there are reformers in the
republican party. Can that spirit now be
queiled by stand pat convention Mil
lions 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 jhe president
acquiesees in the sounding of retreat?
w. j. Bryan, in The Commoner