New-York tribune., 1908-06-22
Mr. BRYAN on THE PLATFORM.

II is NOT surprising that the Republican plat
eorr, does NOT nlease Mr. Bryan. Mr.. Bryan is
statesman of Populist sympatbies and assocld
tiops whose political convictions embrace sol'
of sugar coated socialism. who believes IN Ihe
government ownership of railroads and is impa-
tient for an opportunity 10 demonstrate tnat
their regulation by the government is failure
SO as to hurry on the Utopian era of paternaiism
To Such an eager accelerator of evolution as ne
If is NOT surprising that progress looks like re-
trest He moves so fast forward in his magma
tion that he gets the illusion that everything eise
is rushing backward. He is displeased; but then'
no especial effort made TO please him. 1nere
was a general feeling at Chicago that II the pat
form nIeased BRYAN it would not please the peo
la for he has vet to prove that the voters OF the
country are as much affected with pohticai
speed mania as he
How LITTLE Justice there is in Mr.. Bryan's as
sertion that the platform marks retreat may pe
,,erceived from the study of the document ltseH
and q comparison of it with the PLATFORM Oh
four wears ago. The new statement OF the
1,sr+v's principles is animated throughout by the
snirt of progress There is a distinct recoSnl'
tion i'm If that the great claim of the party 10
the srffrages of the people is its record Oh re.
forms under President Roosevelt Every ohe VI
these is referred to with pride, and lhere arc
numerous pledges that not only will they be
faithfully carried out in the coming adnlhlsud-
tion but that they Will be perfected, oeVelopeu
rounded out and extended into nelds to"aIu
which the steps already taken logically lead.
The employers liability law, the safety appliance
statutes the reduction of the hours of tralnnlen
and railroad telegraphers with many other poll
ios of tho nresent administration, are only a
heginning of a progressive programme TO tue
carrzinp ont of which the party is speclncaiy
nledged The platform commits the parry "
the regulation by statute OF procedure III III
iuncrion cases thus to put an end 10 any abuses
which may exist in the employment OF Inls VIII
,,-;+bout innairipg its effectiveness. TarlH re-
form and currency reform are prohllseu' WIN
regard TO the trusts and the railroads. i"o VI
the other large questions beIore LIE puDiiO =.
dor nromises Of a distinctly progressive nature
are made The policy Of the party Is grea'er
federal supervision and control over corpora
+ions engoqed in interstate trade and having
novrer 10 effect monopolies, and with REGARD 10
tba railroads the present administrations sue
cessfuI policy of public regulation Is 10 De eA-
tended to future issues of bonds and securlIieS'
We have taken up the major questions oI 'ne
dav-labor the trusts, the tariff ana the cur
rencv-and regarding none of them IS ihere I"
suggestion of Il retreat or even OF uo-lloinlliS
policy. but on all of them the party IS com
mitted both in its platform and in its candidate
a >
that has animated the present administration
When the platform of 1908 is compared with
that of four years ago It will be seen how far
if is from being 4 retreat. In that on Whlch
Mr. Roosevelt was elected there is no suggestion
of laws benefiting labor, such as the employers
liability law and the various enacfments I'M
nroyIng the conditions Of workers on rallroauS
engaged in interstate trade. There was no
promise of tariff reform. There was no pledge
TO end the determinations in railroad rates or
to press forward the policy OF government regu-
lation The trusts were declared TO be tine re
suIts of the economic movement of the age and
they were pronounced TO be subject to the law,
but no suggestion was made of the means by
which the government should keep an upper
hand over these industrial monsters, as IS done
in the new platform. However 1t is looked at
either by itself or in comparison with lhe pre-
ceding platform, the new declaration of the
nartv's principles is a record of progress and no
less promise of further progress