The Washington times., 1908-07-06
By 7. C. WELIIVER

DENVER. July 6--The real contest
between conservatives and radicals ii
this convention IS now hourly develop
Ing Mr. Bryan stands between the two
factions. He sympathizes intellectually
with the radicals, but he is anxious 10
play good politics so that neither crowd
may be driven from supporting him Il
is q hard proposition, and his close
friends are going % have their hands
fun OF trouble before they are done
with f.
0Ir. Bryan has selected Governor
Haskell OF Oklahoma 70 be chairman
Of the resolutions committee The gov
ernor has been at Lincoln and IS both
willing and anxious 10 play the game
just a. Mr. Bryan would have il played.
II can be said that no draft OF a
platform has come 20 Denver in any
body's pocket. The Nebraskan plat
form will be the basis Of the national
declarations, but -he language VIII be
left 20 the Conn Oners friends on the
resolutions committee. There VIII be
plenty Of Ieeway for play Of ideas, for
mutual concession and adjustment But
all day Sunday. conferences were in
progress, concerning various planks;
and they have made plain that the
opposing elements are far from agreed
Fight On Injunction.
Thus. there IS a powerful element or
Middle Western and Western members
Of the party which wants an auti-in-
junction plank that viii prohibit in
functions altogether IN industrial dis
putes- These have been working hard
70 set Governor Haskell 70 accept
their view, though with small success
so far. Everything indicates that the
Nebraska Injunction plank viii be praC-
tcaIIy reproduced
The Eastern wing considers the Ne
braska plank more than progressive.
and the adoption cf the plank declaring
for prohibition Cf injunction would
cause a bolt in he East. which the
managers there are determined 20 pre-
vent
The Eastern people want 10 tone
down the declaration on regulation OF
railroads Governor Haskell has in MS
pocket today q redraft Of the Nebraska
plank on this subject. which is under
stood to have come nearer 10 meeting
his approval than any other thus Tar.
and Il is considered likely 70 be
The Railroad Plank
The plank reads thus:
We assert the right Of Congress
to exercise complete control over in
terstate commerce, and we assert
the right Of each State to exercise
lust as complete control over com
merCe within its borders We de-
mand such an enlargement OF the
powers OF national and state rail-
way commissions as may be neCes-
sary 10 give full protection 10 per-
sons ana places against diSCTimina-
tiOns and extOrtiOns-
The powers of the Interstate Com
merCe Commission should be ez-
tended 70 enable II either on com
plaint or on its own initiative 70
suspend the operation Of any tariff
Of rates by which transportation
charges are Increased until after in
vestigatiOn shall have been made
and shall have proved the reasona-
bleness of the proposed increase
We believe both the national and
the various States should. first. as
ceTtc in the present value OF the rail-
roads on the basis Of original cost.
and such other elements as r. JUS
tice and equity alike 20 the shipper,
the public, and the investor. should
be taken into consideration: second,
prohibit the ISSUE Of any more wa
tered stock or fictitious capitaIiza-
ton. third continue the present pro
hibition Of railroads engaging in any
business which brings them into
competition with their shippers. and
fourth, reduce transportation rates
until they reach a point where they
Will yield only = reasonable return
on the ascertdined value of the
rOads-such reasonable return being
defined as a return sufficient 10 keep
the stock Of the roads at par when
they are honestly capitalized. and 10
assure 70 employees wages cOmmen-
surate with the high intelligence and
ex2cIing responsibilities which their
service requires
The Eastern people are setting store
by their fight on the Government guar
antee OF bank deposits plank They
insist that this must not be adopted.
and viii make a great struggle in the