The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-03-14
sRYAN,s picTATloN OF FREE
TRADE, FILIPINO FREEDOM AND
BANK CLAUSES ENDS HOPES OF.
PARTY.
ohio Doctrine Praised ~ Sentiments
Expressed BY Republicans Indicate
Tenor of Principles to Be Declared
In Chicago.
(BY RAYMoND.)

lthe next presidential campaign mas
been pretty clearly determined
1t is positively known that Mr..
Bryan wrote or dictated practically all
Of the Nebraska platform.
The completeness of the Taft vic
tory in Ohio renders it equally certain
that there was nothing in the Ohio
platform that was in any way distaste-
full to the secretary of war.
Mr.. Taft is not yet nominated, and
he may never be, but be is sufficiently
in advance OF all the other candidates
to make 1t fair to assume that the
Ohio platform is at least type of
that which will be adopted at Chicago.
just as the declaration agreed upon in
Omaha foreshadows the platform to
be adopted at Denver.
Democrats Ready to Bury Hopes.
Old line Democrats and southern
men generally aren't enthusiastic over
Bryan's Democracy as promulgated at
Omaha. There Is no government own
ership OF railroads in 1t, but there are
some other doctrines which will not
make it popular.
Republicans accept the Omaha
platform as defining the issues on
which they can safely go before the
public. The gold Democrats are par
ticularly dissatisfied because they say
that in the Omaha platform there is a
vein of Bryan's original financial here
sy, and the prediction was freely made
to-day that If the national convention
at Denver dominates Bryan on plat
form substantially the same as that
adopted at Omaha it will be impossi-
BILE for the Democrats to come any
where near carrying New York, New
Jersey, Delaware. or West Virginia, to
say nothing OF the States in the cen
trail west.
There is practically no opposition
to Bryan now In the Democratic camp,
but the leaders in the east have be-
gun to hope that they will be able to
frame up platform which would at
tract the conservative Democracy at
the election next November, and thus
consolidate the party in anticipation
of a real fight for the presidency four
years later
With the declaration of principles
at Omaha, the conservative eastern
and southern Democrats have lost
their last hope, and the opinion was
freely expressed to-day that the cleo
ton of 1908 is already over and the
Republican candidate as good as
elected.
Tariff Ideas Fatal to Success.
There are two things in which the
Ohio and Nebraska platforms are so
radically different as to challenge in
slant attention. These two things are
almost certain to dominate the cam
paign If Taft is nominated by the Re-
publicans.
In the first place, there is the
tariff. Bryan was free trader long
before he was free coiner He
came to congress originally on that
platform. and all his early speeches
we're based on the theory of tariff
for revenue only.
Up to the time of the Chicago con-
vention in 1896 Bryan was known al
most exclusively as tariff reform
er. He had practically no other stock
in trade.
The Omaha platform declares for
absolute free trade because 1t advo-
Gates such reductions "as may be nee
essary to restore the tariff to rev.
enue basis"
This is a dIstasteful plank to a
large percentage of Democratic lead
ers. 1t is idle to think of free trade
Democrat making any Roadway in the
manufacturing State of New Jersey.
Practically all of the advanced south.
crners to-day are protectionists within
certain bounds
Few of the leaders with the excep-
ton OF old timers like Bryan can be
persuaded nowadays to advocate tar
III for revenue only.
Leaders See Folly.
The issue is certain TO be joined he
tween Bryan and the platform he
stands for on the tariff question and
the declaration for revision adopted
at Columbus.
AS between the two there is scarce
! ly any doubt that with that Issue alone,
not complicated by anything else, the
Republicans would win in great ma
1ority OF the northern States.
Leading Democrats admit the
strcngth of the Republican POSITION
now. and frankly prefer the Columbus
plan to the Omaha declaration
In the second place, Mr.. Bryan has
insisted upon his favorite theory o.
Immediate independence for the Phil
ippncs.
Taft. on the contrary, would hold