Pocahontas star herald., 1908-06-26
IN FULL RETREAT
Bryan Dissects Republican Plat
form and Sees Retreat

sis of the work of the Chicago con
vention. In an editorial for The
Commoner, released for publication
today, he says;
"The Republicans who attended
the national convention as spectators
and joined in the demonstrations
in favor of President Roosevelt
and Senator Lafollete must have
felt indignant as they watched the
panic stricken delegates running
after each other in their efforts TO
get away from the Lafollete re-
forms, some of which had been in
dorsed by the president himself,
Congressman Cooper of Wis.
consin, representing the Lafollette
men, brought in a minority report
signed by himself alone. Fifty.
two members of the committe sign
ed the majority and one the minor
ity report. The Republican party
will find the ratio of SO to | very
embarrassing one to deal with in the
coming campaign.
"Mr. Cooper's report contained
declaration in favor of publicity
as to campaign funds. 1t was lost
by vote of $50 to "a, more than
to /, and yet the president had
been advocating legislation in fav'
or OF publicity as to campaign con
tributions, and Secretary Taft
wrote--how fortunate it was that
Secretary Taft's letter was finally
discovered and published-SenatoI
Burrows to the same effect. The
man for whom the Taft letter wa,
addressed was the temporary chair
man of the convention, and the con
vention over which he presided
turned down the publicity plank by
vote of to /.
"Who will deny that on this sub
ject the Republican party is retreat
ing?
''Another plank of the Lafollett'
platform authorized the ascertsinins
of the value of the railroads. AnC
yet President Roosevelt has advo
Gated this very proposition. Herr
is retreat on the railroad question
"The injunction plank adopted
by the Republican, convention is
retreat from the position taken by
Secretary Taft in his speeches, al
though none of them went as far a
they have gone in their effort t.
prevent what is known as govern
ment by injunction. Here is tn
third retreat.
"The president has advocated tn
/ income tax as means of preventing
swollen fortunes and of equalizin!
the burdens of government. Tn
Republican platform is silent on tn
subject. Was the president righ
in the position he took? If so, the
the convention was wrong in not in
dorsing him. Will the Republica
voters follow the president in hi
just demand or will they follow tn
Republican organization in retreat
ing from it?
1.-The president advocated an in
heritance tax, but the Republican
convention is silent on that subject
Was the president ahead of til
Republican party in advocatin
this reform, or has the Republica
party receded from the president
4 position? Did the president Civ
false alarm on this question 0
has the party sounded a falls
alarm?
"In the presidents message t
congress last spring he presented a
Indictment against the conspirac
formed among the great lawbreakel
to prevent the enforcement 81 til
law and to evade the punishmer
provided by law. The platfor1
adopted by the Republican conven
ton contains no intimation of daI
ger. If there are any cOnspiracie
the convention did not see them;
there are any combinations it ha
not heard of them; if there are an
dangers ahead it was unconscior