The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-06-17
Ellis Platform ArOuseS Lively
Controversy
IS NOT ALL HARMONY
Congress Forces, Led by Cannon, De-
mand Confederation The Real
Purpose Is an Attack on
Roosevelt.

.SliieaiGOs buHU Ats--4b WIS only bou
syident when the convention opened al
noon yesterday that II would not be
the tame affair which its cut and dried
character had led everybody to expect,
There is too much bad blood in the air
for that. Too many persons and in
terests are eager for an opportunity to
clip the wings Of the administration, BY
letting it know that while they have
been suppressed and oyerridden, they,
nevertheless, have to be considered. The
platform controversy now has become
e. tremely heated, not only over the de
tails that are in dispute, to which re-
ference has already been made In these
dispatches, but also over the methods
and manners Of the Wade Ellis enter
prise. Here was a young ex.newspaper
man Of Ohio, Of considerable skill as Il
phrasemaker, but without legislative
experience or historic background so
the charge goes, who, after absorbing
from Roosevelt and Taft their general
.Jea concerning d platform, comes here
with finished document purporting 20
III "thc real thing 1t has been wide
~ read and gradually leaked into the
newspapers until this morning it ap
peSred in full.
Mr.. Ellis on The Gridiron.
The committee on resolutions only
now comes into existence Senator
Hopkins, its scheduled chairman ri.
n.-tg ,.nwe~k I.t.o &ha4 49, s....... n ~.
viii draw the platform, but fearing
that this would not be the case, unless
thy showed their hands vigorously, the
cid congressional crowd headed nv
Speaker Cannon, have turned in Is
make mutton Of Mr.. Ellis. They
have had him on the gridiron most Of
the night in q series Of conferences
which were attended with great bitter
nsss. They challenged his right 10
make a platform at all, except as any
individual may try his hand al party
creed writing. they next declared thd
the real Judges Of the DELICATE terms
Of expression should be those exper.
fenced in avoiding the pitfalls Of legis-
lation. They asserted that theoret.-
cilly the platform should not be de
signed to anticipate an inaugural nd
dress Of new president, or first
message TO Congress; but rather should
hive It's basis III congressional exper
fence.
The Ellis affront to the old timers
has thus became the casus BILL Of the
conservatives. Nor do they have To
make their battles alone. A consider.
able element OF the Taft following in
Guiding many of bis original friends,
like Senator Lodge, are eager to keep
cut Of the platform the presidents
anti-injunction plank and other pieces
Of radiealism. The committee on reso.
Il tions il nearly evenly divided BEL
tween the Roosevelt wing and the con
scYyativps; each side claims slight
majority and for several days Ell.
ioTts By each side have been unremit-
ting To secure control iii the final shake
up. The administration forces want to
on the text Of the anti-in
innctiohf plank. The conservatives waas
il left out altogether.
Declare it Means Nothing.
The apologists Of the administration
have been saying for several days chat
Wade Ellis drafe meant nothing, that /
II was merely platitnde, putting In.
to solemn declaration what was al.
ready the practice and usage Of WELL /
conducted courts everywhere But The
look with hesitation up
Oh any suggested tampering with the
freedom OF the judiciary. and they
want no reference whatever Their
basis Of compromise Is To trade this
issue Of for some one They say they
do not like postal savings banks, for
example. but they say that they will
accept series Of proposals along that
line from the administration if IL Will
allow the anti.injunction and perhaps
one Or two similar projects to be quiet
" dropped over TIE side exhibiting
great natural conservatism. Strong as
Roosevelt is. his cause becomes weaken
Cd, numerically as well as intellectual
", when it Is identified with any de- I
finite project Of the radical sort. In |
spite Of the seven hundred delegates
who are going To vote for Taft, II Is
clear that somewhat more conserva.
tive hand than that of the president
himself win give final shape TO the
platform.