Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-10-20
Raps Its Own Platform by Sc.
verely criticizing Repub-
Iican Tariff Plank.
MR.. 1oNGwoRTH ON DYNASTY
Presidents Son.in-L Law Declares Eight
Years Taft---Then Roosevelt
Republicans are Incensed at the Re.
marks Made by Longworth in His
Rock Island, ILL.,, Speech on the
Succession of Presidency.

The Omaha Bee, published by Vic
tor ROsewater, member of the Repub-
hcan national committee, and head Of
the Republican, campaign publicity bu-
reau, has made the blunder of criti-
cising vigorously part of the tariff
plank of the Republican platform, the
writer being under the impression that
he was really pouring hot snot into
Mr.. Bryan. The Democratic leader, in
a recent speech, had quoted that part
of the Republican platform which Is
criticised.
The editorial In Mr. Rosewater's pa
per goes on the theory that this lam
guage was Mr.. Bryan's own, the
writer falling to notice that the Ian
guage was really part of the platform
n which Mr.. Taft is running.
The consequence of this Is that Mr..
Bryan and his friends have on broad
grin and they think that the smiles
at Fairview are likely to spread to all
Democrats in the country.
The words complained Of in the Bee
editorial were these:
"In all tariff legislation the true
principle Is best maintained by the i'm
position of such duties as will equal
the difference between the cost of
production at home and abroad, to-
gether with reasonable profit to Amer
lean industries"
The Bee went on to puncture this
language in the following style:
Nothing prettier in the catch-all
line has been offered in this cam
paign. The most hide beund stand
patter In the country can accept that
as satisfactory and the rankest free
trader can find delight in it. The dec
| laration means simply nothing. An at
tempt to legislate along that line
| would simply open the way to inter
minable wrangling as to what consti-
tutes "a reasonable profit, for hair
| splitting on wages on one industry,
price of raw materials in another, re-
bates and drawbacks in third and
SO on through the list of thousands of
articles that are now on the tariff re
VISION at Bryan's direction, would
serve only to halt Industrial and com
| mercial progress and keep business I'M
settled during his term Of Office"
The Omaha World-H Herald shows
| that the words complained of are not
a part of any speech Of Mr. Bryan,
but part of the tariff plank OF the
Republican platform.
Mr.. Bryan had this to say when
the matter was called to his atten-
ton:
II am very much surprised that Mr..
Rosewater SHOULD have attempted to
misrepresent my position. A good
many unfair things have been said By
Mr.. Rosewater. To accuse me Of
using the language Of the Republican
platform IL an outrage. He ought to
| apologize for this Injustice and ex.
plain to his readers that the language
which he criticises was taken from the
Republican platform and not from any
speech of mine.
This is rich find. 1t shawS how
absurd the Republican platform looks
to Republican, when the Republican
has a chance to look at 1t In disin-
terested way. When Mr.. 'Rosewater
thought that the language quoted was
taken from speech Of mine he could
see how ridiculous the language was.
hope that his opinion of the language
will not change when he finds that he
was shooting at his own platform in
stead o at me.
The amusing blunder Of the Omaha
Bee suggests new diversion for the
| campaign. Let the Democrats accuse
me of using various sections from the
Republican platform and from Mr..
Taft's speeches and see now the Re
publican editors will ridicule the Ian.
guage."