The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-07-07
A FEW HINTS WORM TAKING.

der. In the interval. a candidate for
the Vice Presidency will be slated,
and something of the same sort will
| happen to platform. There is still
some talk of the possibility of beating
Bryan, but it is futile, nothing being
surer than that his nomination will
soon be an accomplished fact. Mean
while, curiosity concerning the plat
form is principally limited to the
plank, for which a trap was set at
Chicago That the Denver conyen-
tion will tumble into it is taken for
granted.
Strangely enough, there are signs of
a sober second thought. 1t has even
been intimated that Mr.. Bryan would
take not unkindly to the nomination
of Cleveland Democrat as running
mate. Nor will it be surprising should
the Denver platform as a whole be
anything but Populistic production.
Something happened to Hoke Smith
not very long ago. The disaster by
which he was oyertaken was not al
together personal in its significance.
1t meant that the pendulum had
swung in Georgia.
What was dropped was more than
hint. 1t is worth remembering next
week. 1t will or should be borne in
mind by those who are called into con-
sultation at Lincoln, where the plat
form is in process of elaboration.
Georgia caught the prevailing craze.
1t joined the hunt. And in due course
Of time it began TO pay the price,
which was excessive. The pastime of
running railroads was interesting but
expensive. Hence Brown. Hence
disagreeable surprise for Smith and
others. And hence the advisability of
the sober second thought.
| OF course, the party in power will
be denounced. The platform which
did not abuse the other side would be
| regarded as more than an anomaly.
| 1t would be quoted as an evidence of
| the insanity of the author. So, moth
! ing done by the administration will be
| praised and it's sins of omission will be
magnifed. This is custom. Also, 1t
| is comparatively harmless. For few
\ days there is discussion Of q platform
! in and out Of print Speakers may al
lude to it later OH, but 1t is difficult to
keep it from oblivion Already the
Chicago platform has been placed on
| fle.o Interest,in it has subsidized.
1t is certain that the declaration of
principles, so called, ratified at Den
yer will calmly and coolly a ID studi-
ously ignore nearly all of the more
momentouS events or developments
since Roosevelt ran for President. Not
long ago, the Wall Street Journal''
went a little further back for an in
ventory which it brought to date. 1t
called attention to The publicity in
the department. of Transportation, to
the passing of rebates, to the good eff
feet of the exposure of corrupt alli-
ance between corporations and BRIDE
takers and to some of the lessons adj
ministered in the matter of campaign
contributions. w
In other directions great advances
have been made. There has been a
notable change for the better in the ad-
miniStration of insurance companies
A weekly StaJment of banking condi-
lions Is now forthcoming, to the move
ment for the conservation of the
lcountry'S natural resources a tremen-
dous impetus has been given, irriga-
tion is adding generously to these re-
sources and the pure food laws have
driven thousands of quacks out of
business. This is an abbreviation of
the Wall Street I" Journals" list,
which might be supplemented almost
indefinitely.
Two items should be taken into &C
count at Denver. One is the indlspu-
table fact that it is not criminal for
men of means to do on a large scale
what was formerly done in miniature
by the individual. This Is called a
combination, the word being used as
term of reproach. Some years ago
power he would follow every great
combination into every nook and cor
ner of the country and declare it ex.
tinct. He did not then know that he
might as we'll have said he would pre-
cipitate universal ruin Possibly, he
has found that out by this time.
Curative processes have been at
work. Thanks to the great combina-
tionS, enormous economies have been
effected, to the corresponding lessen
ing of the cost Of production and dis
tribution. Perhaps, the Denver plat
form will be rancorously hostile to
corporations. Perhaps it will declare
that those who unite to send the
country's industries along the lines of
least resistance are the malefactors or
great wealth. Georgia has recovered
from such deluSion. And there are
not less significant symptoms in other
Southern ON no on wealths. Even
North Carolina is recovering from the
craze. So, it should not be too much
to expect a lucid interval at Denver.
The other item is worthy of espe-
cial attention. 1t is the translation
of the muck raker to another, If not a
better, world. He had fine time of
it, while it lasted. The country had
him for breakfast, dinner and supper.
He consigned it to the bottomless pit
morning, noon and night. He adver-
tised it as the Sodom and Gomorrah
of the times and what has become of
him nobody knows and nobody cares.
This should be of interest to the Den
! yer platform maker or makers. The
appetite for the putrid has lost its
edge. The country has had more