The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-21
Ignores Many Reforms Wisely
Advocated by Mr.. Roose.
welt, Bryan Declares.
HAS RECEDEL FROM
PRESIDENTS STAND
Democratic Leader Cites Seven
Propositions on Which G. o. F..
Has Either Failed to Say
Anything or Has Said
Too Little, He
Thinks.

INCoLN, NEB, June 2o-Under
the caption, IN Full Retreat"
William j. Bryan, in the next
issue of the Commoner, Will
discuss the Republican conven
ton, as follows:
"Tlie 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 dele
gates running over each other In their
effort to get away from the La Fol-
lette reforms. some Of which had been
| Endorsed by the President himself.
Az to Publicity.
Congressman Cooper, of Wisconsin.
representing the La Toilette men.
brought in minority report signed
by himself alone. Fifty-two glembers
of the committee signed the majority
report, and one signed the minority
report. The Republican party will
| find the ratio of fifty-two to one a
very embarrassing one to deal with in
the coming campaign. Mr.. Cooper's
report contained q declaration in favor
of publicity as to campaign funds.
| 1T was lost by a vote of $50 to "a.
| President has been advocating legis-
| latio. In favor of publicity as to cam
| paign contributions, and Secretary TAFT
wrote a letter to Mr.. Burrows advo-
eating the passage of publicity Dill.
| How fortunate it was that Secretary
Taft's letter was finally discovered and
! published Senator Burrows. the mai,
| 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
i Republican party is retreattng?
Another plank of tbs, La Toilette
i platform authorized the ascertaining or
1.-THE value OF the railroads. The plankwas
1 lost by a vote of oil to Sc, nearly
/ fifteen to one, and yet President Roose-
Welt has advocated this very PROPOSE
ton. Here is retreat on the railroad
| question.
I'm another column reference is made
to the Injunction plank. The injunc-
ton plank adopted by the Republican
convention is retreat from the posi-
ton taken by the President and IRON.
the position taken by secretary Ials
! in his speeches, although neither of
/ them went as far as they ought 10
have gone in their efforts to prevent
what is known as government by IN
| junction.
Platform Is silent.
Here is the third retreat
.,rhe President has advocated the
income tax as a means OF preventing
swollen fortunes and of equalizing the
burdens of government Tho Repub-
lican platform is silent on the sub
iect. Was the President right IN the
/ position he took? II so, then the con
vention was wrong in not indor;ng
him. Will the Republican voters fol-
! low the President in this just demand.
or will they follow the Republican
Organization In retreatinE from IT?
THE President advocated an In
heritance tax, but the Republican
convention is silent on that subject.
/ Was the Pres dent ahead OF the Re-
/ publican party in advocating this re-
form, or has the Republican party re-
coded from the Presidents position?
/ Did tho President give q false alarm
| on this question. or has tho party
! sounded retreat?
4 I'm the Presidents message to Con-
| gress last spring he presented an III
I dictment against the conspiracy formed
among the great law breakers to pre-
vent the enforcement of the law ana
i to evade the punishments rNovided by
< law The platform adopted by the
4 Republican convention contains no IN
timation of danger. If there are any
| conspiracies, the convention did not
see them II there are any conlblna-
lions. it had not heard of them; II
there are any dangers, they are un-
conscious of them. Was the President
/ mistaken when he issued his defiance.
4 or are the Republican managers de-
ceived when they think that an aroused
public will calmly contemplate the en-
croachments of5predatory wealth? This
is retreat number siX
Election OF Senator's.
"The convention, by, vote OF Sb6 to-
! MA, more than seven 10 one, voted
down the plank In favor OF the popular
4 election of United States Senator's It
is true that the President and Score
!. tary Taft have never advocated the
popular election of Senator's. They
7 seem to take the Hamiltonian rather
: than the Jeffersonian view, but tho
most popular reform in the United
states day is the reform that has
a for its object the election of United
States Senator's by direct vote.
y 1T has five times been Endorsed by
. the national House of Representatives..
a three times when the House OF Repre-
sentatives was Republican. II has
3 been Endorsed by nearly two-thirds OF
the States of the Union, and there Is
{. probably not a state In the Union In
which 1t would not he Endorsed at q
popular election, and yet, IN spite OF
the record made in the House and by
u tho various states, this reform Is re-
]. jected by a Z TO 4 vote in n Republican
\ national conventions.
Here are seven propositions on which
the Republican party In national CON 3
a yention assembled. has retreated from
Il the position taken by that party IN
II Congress- or from the position takett
4 by the President What have Roose-
Welt Republicans to say? The Presi-
A dent has awakened a spirit of reform
4 within his party; he has at least re-
!. vealed to the world that there are 70
formers in the Republican party. Can
Z THAT spirit now be Gnelled by a stand
pat conventions? Millions OF Hepnblir8