The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-16
4 PLATFORM DILEMMA.

A PLATFORM DILEMMA.
Certain that Taft viii be nominated,
the administration forces are turning
their attention 10 plans for the adOp
ton of the platform which Roosevelt
has drafted and which the Taft people
say they will compel the convention to
adopt. One of the planks, the one urg
ing a modification of the use of iniunC-
tons IN labor disputes, has already pre-
cipitated a fight between the preSiden-
tial crowd on one side and the eastern
leaders aided by Speaker Cannon. on
the other. So strenuous has the contest
over this plank become that Cannon
has abandoned his announced intention
OF staying away. from Chicago. except
for casual visits. and has gone into
the thick of the fray in self-defense.
1t viii be remembered that the presi-
dent urged the adoption of a law modi-
flying the injunction statutes, but that
Cannon and Littlefield blocked every
effort 10 get il before the house. in
spite of all the pressure that could be
brought by the administration. Deter
mined, as usual, 10 compel the adoption
of his idea, the president has inserted
in the platform the plank which more
nearly than any other repudiates abso-
lutely all the traditional policies of
the Republican party in its atti-
tude toward labor; and there is
every indication that the Taft follow
ing viii put the plank through the con-
ventiOn unless some extraordinary SEN
timent against it develops suddenly.
Now, Bryan was denounced by the
Republicans in 1886 as an enemy of the
law, an anarchist one without respect
for the courts, because he suggested.
and the convention adopted his sugges-
ton, that the power of injunction had
been abused by the federal courts In
labor troubles. Nothing in that plat
form or in Mr.. Bryan's language during
the campaign approached in bitterness
and contempt for the dignity of the
courts the comment Roosevelt has since
made In several instances. When Jus
tice Holmes ventured to dissent from
the majority view, which happened 10
be the Roosevelt view, in the Northern
Securities case, Roosevelt removed
Holmes name from the White House
guest list and would have pursued his
ostracism further if he had not been
dissuaded by friends. who pointed out
the unwisdOm Of such a course.
was his language used in a message 10
congress denouncing Judge Humphrey
decision in the packing house cases
After denOuncing the immunity decis-
ion as IA miscarriage of justice" he
said: at can hardly believe that the
ruling OF Judge Humphrey will be fol-
lowed by other judges. Such
Interpretation of the law comes meas
urably near making the law farce"
Common contempt of court is bad
enough; contempt expressed in such
language and by the chief executive OF
the United States is intolera BILE, because
he, of all men. should uphold the courts
and he most of all should recognize the
power of the law, which depends almost
solely on the respect in which the
courts are held. 1t is within his pro-
vince TO recommend changes in the
law, to suggest notifications; but he
is in no position to criticise Bryan, as
he has repeatedly, for his attitude
when his own language reads as II II
had come from a Debs editorial
Suppose Roosevelt and Taft carry
out their program and secure then
anti-injunction plank. 1t is. of course
intended as bait for the labor vote
which is antagonistic TO Taft, becaus.
of his record on the federal bench in
labor cases. How can they escape the
record of congress. which refused Il
consider the passage of the Legislation
asked for by the labor organizations
Do they suppose the federated trades
viii accept a party platform as con.
elusive when il is certain that no Re
publican congress would ever carry on
the pledge Of the platform after the
election? And how can they escape
the party declarations Of 1896. which
pledged Republicans TO an unalterab l,
adherence TO the established rule o
contempt proceedings?
One of two alternatives is offered th'
convention: it may either adopt Roose
velt's plank and lose the support o