Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-09-23
sRYAN's REPLY TO RoosevELrs
LETTER.

/
one OF the strongest he has made in
! this campaign, Bryan effectively an
swered the Roosevelt letter endorsing
I Taft.
1T was expected. of course said
Mr.. Bryan, that President Roosevelt
would support Mr.. Taft. He could
hardly do less in view of the fast
that he selected him as the admins.
tration candidate, and supported him
with all the influence that the ad-
ministration could bring to bear. The
presidents letter, however, may be
objected to as irrelevant, immaterial
and not the best evidence. If Mr..
Taft We're dead, it would be interest
ing to know from Mr.. Roosevelt what
he knew of Taft's opinions, and work,
ard as Mr.. Taft Is alive and able to
speak for himself. it is hardly nee
essary for Mr.. Roosevelt to tell us
what Mr.. Taft will do.
Mr.. Taft's Speeches
Mr.. Taft is running upon a plat
form which was SO unsatisfactory that
he had to amend 1t In several import
ant particulars. and yet even as
amended it gives the public. no def.
mite idea as to what Mr.. Taft stands
for. Mr.. Taft also has made some
speeches and promises to make some
more. The ones he has already made
have not thrown any light upon the
political situation, but 1t is hoped thai
lie will yet conclude to define his po-
sition with sufficient clearness to en-
able the public to know what he
stands for. 1t is not sufficient for
the president to say that Mr.. Taft
is friend of labor. That is sub
ject upon which the laboring man is
entitled to an opinion, and Mr.. Taft's
friendship Is to be determined not by
the presidents Endorsement, but by
the measures which Mr.. Taft advo-
Gates Mr.. Taft believes that the la
Dor organization should come under
the operation of the antitrust law.
thus dealing with the men who be-
long to the labor organizations as If
they were merchandise, for the anti
trust law deals with the monopoly of
the production of labor.
"Mr. Taft is opposed to trial by
jury in cases of indirect contempt
thus denying to the laboring man a
safeguard which is guaranteed to
every man tried in the criminal court.
Mr.. Taft does not agree with the
laboring man in regard to the use
OF injunction in labor disputes. No
words of praise from the president ca
change Mr. Taft's attitude on this
question, or make that attitude more
acceptable- to the ---wage- earnors
TAFT and the Trusts.
Mr.. tTafts position ON the trust
question is not changed by the pres
ident's Endorsement. The president
himself has not succeeded in putting
any trust magnates in the penitenti-
ary, and; only a few of the trusts
have been disturbed. If Mr.. Taft is
no more successful than the president
In his attack on the trusts he will
not satisfy the expectations of the
public. There are more trusts in the
country today than there were when
Mr.. Roosevelt was inaugurated, and
MIR. Taft favors a weakening rather
than strengthening of the antitrust
law, for he has advocated an amend
rlnent that will limit the operation of
the law to unreasonable restraint Of
trade.
"On the tariff question Mr.. Taft
has failed to express himself with
clearness. The republican platform
does not use the word reduction.
1t only promises revision, and Mr..
Taft has construed that to mean that
some schedules would be lowered and
some raised, but there is no intima-
ton that the average will be lower
or higher than it is now.
Says Taft Must Speak.
and so in regard to all the ques-
tions which are at issue, Mr.. Taft
must make his position known. He
can not rely upon the presidents In
dorsement. An Endorsement on note
is not necessary If the maker of the
note is good, and the Endorsement is
only good when suit can be brought
against the indorser to enforce 1t. II
Mr.. Taft had q reform record of his
own he would not need to be in
dorsed by the president and the pres
| ident's Endorsement is of no value
unless the president will agree tc
stay in Washington and see that Mr
Taft makes good We ought to have
some definite statement as to what
the public is to expect from Mr.. Taft
No such definite statement appears
in the platform and no definite con
clusion can be drawn from Mr.. Taft's
speeches, and it does not answer the
public for the president to say thai
he feels sure that Mr.. Taft will dt
what is right or what is just, fol
there is wide difference of opinion
as to what is right and what is just
A few plain, simple sentences from
Mr.. Taft will be worth more than tht
eulogy that the president pronounces-
Il
CAMPAIGNING IN THE EAST.
John snure who is furnishing po