The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-03-20
Bryan's Dictation of Free
Trade, Filipino Freedom.
and Bank Clauses Ends
Hopes of Party.
OHIO DOCTRINE PRAISED.
Sentiments Expressed by Re-
publicans Indicate Tenor OF
Principles be Be Declared
in Chicago.
BY RAYMOND

90 I6I Ab one Chu JuuSc isc" ~
platforms adopted in Ohio and
Nebraska, the lineup between the
ewo parties for the next president
ial campaign has been pretty
clearly determined. 1t is positive
ly known that Mr.. Bryan wrote or
dictated practically all OF the Ne
braska platform. The complete
ness of the Taft victory in Ohio
renders it equally certain that
there was nothing in the Ohio
platform that was in any way dis
tasteful to the Secretary of War.
Mr.. Taft is not yet nominated,
and may never be but he is suff-
GENTLY in the advance Of all the
other candidates to make it fair
to that the Ohio platform
is at least a type of that which will
be adopted.:at Chicago, just as the
declaration agreed upon in Omaha
foreshadows the platform 10 be
adopted at Denver.
Democrats Ready to Bury Hopes.
Old line Democrats and south
ern men generally are not enthu.
siastic over Bryan's democracy as
promulgated al Omaha. There is
no government ownership of rail-
roads in it, butGsthere are some
other doctrines which will make it
popular. Republicans accept the
Omahr platform as defining the
issues upon which they can
safely go before the public. The
gold Democrats are particularly
dissatisfied because they say that
in the Omaha platform there is a
vein of Bryan's original financial
heresy, and the prediction was
freely made today that If the
national convention dominates
Bryan on a platform substantially
the same as that adopted at Oma-
ha it will be impossible for the
Democrats TO come anywhere
near carrying New York, New
Jersey, Delewsre:or West Virgins
TO say nothinglof the states in the
Central West.
There is practically mo opposi-
ton to Bryan now in the Demo-
cratic camp, but the leaders in the
east have begun to hope that they
will be able ito frame up a plat
form which would attract the oon-
sentative democracy at the cleo
ton next November, and thus con-
solidate the party in anticipation
Of a real fight for the Presidency
four years later.
With the declaration of prinei-
pies at Omaha, the conservative
eastern and southern democrats
have lost their s.last hope, and the
opinion was freely expressed to-
day that the election of 1908 is
already over and the Republican
candidate as good as elected.
Tariff Ideas Fatal to Success
Therefore two things in which
She Ohioiand Nebraska platforms
are SO: radically different as to
ohall enge instant attention. These
swo thingsMare almost certain to
dominate the campaign, if Taft ID
nominated by the Republicans.
In thes<<frst place there is thu
earih. ZBryan was a free trade,
long before he was a free coiner,
He came:s to Congress originally
on that platform, and all his carly
speacheslwere basedscn the theory
Of a tariffifor revenue only.
Up to tho time of the Chicago
convention in 1896 Bryan wal
known almost exclusively as q
sariff reformer. He had practi.
0ally no other stock in trade.
The Omaha platform declares
for absolute free trade because
1t advocates such reduction "as
may be necessary to restore the
Sariff to revenue basis"
This is q d~istasteful plank to q
large percentage of Democratic
leaders. It is idle to think OF q
free trade Democrat making any
Roadway in the manufacturing
State OF New Jersey. Practically
all Of the advanced Southerneri
today are pretectionists within