The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-06-23

4OA40Ss0 1OAO4AAos SVM0 VI WHICH uaU
been endorsed by the president him.
self. Congressman Cooper OF Wis
consin. representing the LaFollette
platform, brought IN q minority re-
port signed by himself alone. Fifty.
two members Of the committee signed
the majority report and one signed the
minority report. The republican par.
ty will find the ratio Of SO to one a
very embarrassing one to deal with.
In the coming campaign.
Publicity o. Campaign Funds.
Mr.. Cooper's report contained i
declaration IN favor Of publicity as to
campaign funds which was lost by q
vote Of $50 to "a, more than nine to
one and yet the president has been
advocating legislation In favor Of pub
licity as to campaign contributions
and Secretary Taft wrote q letter to
Mr.. Burrows advocating the passage
Of such a bill. How unfortunate It
was that Secretary Taft's letter was
finally discovered and published. SEN
ator Burrows, the man to whom the
Taft letter was written, was the tenn
porary chairman OF the convention
and the convention over which he
presided turned down the publicity
plank by a vote OF nine to one; who
will deny. on this subject the repub-
lican party is retreating?
another plank Of the LaFollette
platform authorized the ascertaining
Of the value Of the railroads. The
plank was lost by a vote OF 917 to 63,
nearly fifteen to one, and yet Presi-
dent Roosevelt had advocated It. Here
is q retreat on the railroad question. =
Tho Anti-lnjunetion Plank.
In another column reference is made
to the injunction plank.
"The injunction plank adopted by
the republican convention is a re.
treat from the position taken by the
president and from the position TAX
en- by Secretary Taft In his speeches,
although neither Of them went as far
as they ought to have gone IN their
efforts to prevent what is known as
government by Injunction Here is
the third retreat.
The president had advocated the
income tax as a means Of preventing
swollen fortunes and Of equalizing the
burdens Of government. The repub-
lican platform Is silent on the sub
ject. Was the president right in the
position he took? If so then the con-
vention was wrong In not endorsing
him. Will the republican voters fol-
low their Just demand or will they fol
low the republican organization in
r~etreating from It?
The Inheritance Tax.
"The president advocated an inner
itance tax, but the republican conven-
ton Is silent on that subject. Was
the president the head Of the repub-
lican party In advocating this reform
or did the republican party recede
from the presidents position? Did
the president create a false alarm on
this question, or has the party sound
ed a retreat?
I'm the presidents message to con
gress last spring, he presented an in
dictment against the conspiracy
formed among the great law breakers
to prevent the enforcement Of the law
and to evade the punishments pro.
vided by law. The platform adopted
by the republican convention contains
no intimation Of danger. II there are
any conspiracies the convention did
not see them; II there are dangers
ahead, 1t was unconscious Of them,
Was the president mistaken when he
issued his defiance, Or. are the re
publican managers deceived when
they think that an aroused public
will calmly contemplate the encroach'
ments Of predatory wealth. This Ii
number six.
Election Of Senator'S.
THE convention by q vote of 8st
to 114-More than seven to one-vot
ed down; the plank in favor Of the PEG
ular election Of senators. It Is true
that the president has never advocat
ed the popular election OF senators
They seem to take the Hamiltoniar
rather than Jeffersonian view, but the
most popular reform In the United
States today Is the reform that ha,
for Its object the election OF United
States senator's by direct vote. Il haa
i've times been endorsed by the ma
tional house Of representatives
three times when the house was re
publican. It has been endorsed b,
nearly two-thirds OF the states Of til,
union and there 10 probably not, 1
state IN the union in which It woul1
not be endorsed ct 3 popular election
and yet In spite Of the record made ii
the house Of representatives by TIL