Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-10-09
Don't Recognize Their Own
Platform.

TtaNVIms
There was much amusement at
Fairview last Saturday On the re-
ceipt Of the Omaha papers las.
Saturday. In Fridays Omaha Bee,
published by Victor Rosewater. mem
Der Of the Republican executive COM
mittee and head Of the Republican pu
lefty bureau, there was an editor
ial criticising In vigorous language
an extract from a supposed speech
Of Mr.. Bryan's on the tariff question.
The words complained Of in the ed
itorial were:
I'm all tariff legislation the true
principle Is best maintained by the
imposition Of such duties as will
equal the difference between the
cost Of production at home and
abroad, together with reasonable prof.
1t to American industries"
In regard to this the Bee said edi-
torhny:
Nothing prettier In the catch-all
line has been offered In this campaigi
The most hidebound standpatter In
the country can accept that as sat-
isfactory, and the rankest free trad.
or can find delight In 1t. The dec
larahion means simply nothing
"An attempt TO legslate along
that line would simply open the way
to intamhable wrangling as to what
constitutes a reasonable profit for
hadrsphtting on wages ON one indus
try, price Of raw material In anoth-
or, rebates and drawbacks IN a third,
and % on through the List Of
thousands Of articles that are now
on the tariff lists.
Under such proposition, an at
tempt at tariff revision, at Bryan's
direction would serve only to halt
industrial and commercial progress,
and keep business unsettled during
his term Of office"
Saturdays World Herald shows that
the words complained Of are not a
part OF any speech Of Mr.. Bryan1s,
but part Of the trust plank of the
Republican platform, and that the
head Of the Republican publicity bu-
reau, and member Of the executive
committee Of the national commit
Tee, had, through the editorial col
umns Of the paper, published by him,
severely criticised one of the planks
Of the platform on which Mr.. Taft
is running.
When Mr.. Bryan's attention was
called to the World-H erald's editor
ial reproducing the Bees attack up
on the Republican platform, he said:
81 am very much surprised that
Mr.. RoSewater who is the edito~ of
the Bee, and also a member of the
executive committee of the Repubh-
can national committee, and the head
of the Republican bureau of public
ity, should have attempted to mis-
represent my position. A good
many unfair things have been said,
but nothing more unfair than that
said by Mr.. Rosewater.
ITO accuse me Of using the Ian
guage Of the Republican platform Is
an outrage. He ought to apologize
for this injustice and explain to his
readers what the language which
he criticises was taken from the
Republican platform and not from
any speech Of mine.
Mr.. Rosewater is right, however,
in making fun of the language. He
Is right In saying that nothing
prettier in the catch-all line has
been offered in this campaign He
is also right in saying that The
most hidebound standpatter in the
country can accept that as satisfac-
tory and the rankest free trader can
find delight in It,
HE is right again in saying that
the declaration means simply moth.
ing. Andagain is right in saying
an attempt to legislate along that
line would simply open the way to
interminable wrangling as to what
constitutes a reasonable profit, for
hair-splitting wages on one one in
dustry, prices Of raw material in
another, rebates and drawbacks In
a third and 50 on through the list
Of thousands of articles that are
now on the tariff lists"
But hardly expected from him