Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-07-09
REPUBLICANS IN FULL RETREAT.

Toilette must have felt indignant as
they watchedthe panic stricken delegates
running over each other IN their effort
to get away from the LaFollette reforms
some of which had been endorsed by the
president himself. Congressman Coop
or, of Wisconsin, representing the La
Toilette men, brought in a minority
report signed by himself alene. Fifty
two members of the committee signed
the majority report, and n signed the
minority report. The republican party
will find the ratio of fifty-two tol n a
very embarrassing one to deal with IN
the coming campaign. The report con-
tanned a declaration in favor of publicity
as to campaign funds. 1t was lost by a
vote of $50 to "a, more than nine to one
and yet the president has been advocat-
ing legislation in favor of publicity as to
campaign contributions. Who will deny
that, on this subject, the republican
party is retreating? Another plank OF
the LaFollette platform authorized the
ascertaining of the value of the railroads.
This plank was lost by a vote of 9l7 to
SO nearly fifteen to one-and yet Presi-
lem Roosevelt has advocated this very
proposition. Here is a treat on the rail
road question. The injunction plank
adopted by the republican convention Is
a retreat from the position taken by the
president and from the position taken
by Secretary Taft in his speeches, al
though neither of them went as far as
they ought to have gone in their effort
to prevent what is known as government
by Injunction. Here is the third retreat.
The president has advocated the income
tax as a means of preventing swollen
fortunes and of equalizing the burdens
of government. The republican platform
is silent on the subject. Was the prssi-
dent right in the position he took? If
so, then the convention was wrong in
o endorsing him. Will the republican
voters follow the president In this just
demand or will they follow the republi-
can organization in retreating from it?
The president advocated an inheritance
tax, but the republican convention is
silent on that subject. Was the presi-
delt ahead of the republican party In
advocating this reform, or has the re-
publican party receded from the presi-
dents position? Did the president give
a false alarm en- this question or has the
party sounded a retreat? In the presi-
dents 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 punishments
provided by law. The platform adopted
by the republican convention contains
no intimation of danger. If there are
any conspiracies, the convention did not
sec them; if there are any combinations,
it had not heard of them: if there are
any dangers ahead, it was unconscious
of them. Was the president mistaken
when he issued his defiance, or are the
republican managers deceived when
they think that an aroused public will
calmly contemplate the encroachments
of predatory wealth. This is retreat
number six.
The convention, by vote of $3.50 to III
more chan seven to one voted down the
plank in favor of the popular election of
United States senators. 1t is true that
the president and Secretary Taft nave
never advocated the popular election of
senator's. They seem to take the Hamil-
tonian rather than the Jetfersonian
view, but the most popular reform in
the United States today is the reform
that has for its object the election of
United States senators by direct vote.
1t has five times been endorsed by the
national house of representatives-three
times when the house of representatives
was republican. 1t has been endorsed
by nearly two-thlrds of the states of the
union, and there is probably not a state
in the union in which it would not be
endorsed at a popular election and yet
in spite of the record made in the house
of representatives and by the various
states, this reform is rejected by a seven
to n vote in a republican national con-
vention Here are seven propositions
upon which the republican party, in
national convention assembled, has
retreated from the position taken by
that party in congress or from the posi-
ton taken by the president. What have
Roosevelt republicans to say? The
president has awakened a spirit of
reform within his party, he has at least
revealed to the world that there are re-
formers in the republican party. Can
that spirit now bequelled by a stand pat
convention? Millions oil republicans
have enlisted at the presidents call to
arms and are ready to march forward:
will they furl their banners and turn
back merely because the president