The daily sentinel., 1908-06-22
Especial to The Sentinel }

THE Republicans who attended
the national convention as spectators
and Joined in the demonstration in
favor of President Roosevelt and
Senator La Toilette must have felt
indignant as they watched the panic
stricken delegates running over each
other in their effort to get away from
the La Toilette reforms, some of
which had been endorsed by the
president himself Congressman
Cooper of Wisconsin, representing
the La Toilette platform, brought in
minority report signed by himself
alone. Fifty-two members of the
committee signed the majority report
and one signed the minority report
THE Republican party will find
the ratio of so to a very embarrasr-
ing one to deal with in the coming
campaign. Mr.. Coopers report con-
tanned a declaration in favor of pub
licity as to campaign funds, which
was lost by a vote of $50 to "a
more than nine to one. and yet the
president has been advocating legis-
lation in favor of publicity as to cam
paign contributions, and Secretary
Taft wrote letter to Mr.. Burroughs,
advocating the passage of such a bill
How fortunate it was that the
secretary's letter was finally discov-
cred and published.
Senator Burrows, the man to
whom the Taft letter was addressed.
was the temporary chairman of the
convention, and the convention over
which he presided turned down the
publicity plank. by vote of to L.
Who will deny that on this subject
the Republican party is retreating?
Another plank of the La Toilette
platform authorized the ascertaining
of the value of the railroads. This
plank was lost by vote of 917 to 63
nearly 10 to l, and yet President
Roosevelt has advocated this very
proposition. Here is retreat on TIE
railroad question.
"In another column reference is
made to the injunction plank
"The injunction plank adopted is
a retreat from the position taken by
the president and also by Secretary
Taft in speeches, although neither of
them went as far as they ought to
have gone in their effort to present
what is known as government by in
Junction
Here is the third retreat.
4 The president has advocated the
income tax as means of preventing
swollen fortunes al / of equalizing
the burdens of government
The Republican platform is silent
on the subject. Was the president
right in the position he took? If so.
then the convention was wrong in
not endorsing him.
"Will the Republican voters follow
the president in this question or will
they follow the Republican organiza-
tion in retreating from it? The pres
ident advocated an inh hsritance tax.
but the convention is solemnly silent
on that. Was the president, the
head of the Republican party right
in advocating this reform or has the
Republican party rcneded from the
presidents position? Did the presi-
dent give false alarm on this ques-
ton, or has the party sounded a re-
treaG In the presidents message to
congress last spring he presented an
indictment against the conspiracy
formed among the great law breakers
to prevent the enforcement of the
law and to evade the punishment pro-
vided by law
The platform adopted by the con
vention contains no intimation of
danger
''lf there are any conspiracies. the
convention did not see them: If there
are any such combinations, the con-
vention had not heard of them: if
there are any dangers anead, il was
unconscious of them.
Was the president mistaken VIII en-
he issued his defiance. or are the
Republican managers deceived when
they think an aroused public will
calmly contemplate the encroaoh-
ment OF predatory wealth?
This is retreat No. 6.
The convention by a vote of sec
TO ll4-more than to /. voted
down the plank in favor of the pop
uiar election of United States SEN
ators.
1t is true that the president and
secretary Taft have never advocated
the popular election of senator's. They
seem to take the Hamiltonian rather
than the Jeffersonian view, but the
most popular reform in the United
States today is the reform that has
FOR Its object the election of senators
by direct vote. 1t has five times been
| endorsed by the national house of
representatives. 1t has been endors-
ed by nearly two-thirds of the states
OF the Union, and there is not a state
in the Union where 1t would not be
endorsed at a popular election. and
yet there is no record made in the
Republican platform, and 1t was re-
jected by 10 to | vote
These are seven propositions
which the Republican party in ma
uonal convention assembled has re-
treated from the position taken by
that party In congress or from the
position taken by the president. What
have Roosevelt Republicans to say?
The president had awakened a spirit
of reform within his party We has at
least revealed to the world that there
are no reformers in the Republican
party. Can that spirit be quelled by
a stand-pat convention? Millions of
Republicans have enlisted at the