The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-15
PROGRESSIVE JUGGLERY,

The Progressives are dismayed at a
recent development with respect to the
suppression of a part Of their plat
form. 1t appears that when the plat
form was given out for transmission by
wire on the night of its alleged adop-
tion, the following paragraph was with
drawn:
We favor Strengthening Of the Sherman
Jaw oy prohibiting agreements TO divide
territory or limit output, refusing to sell
TO customers who buy from business
rivals; to sell below cost IN certain areas,
while maintaining higher prices In other
places; using the power of transporta ton
TO aid or iDJure special business CON
Germs. and other unfair practices.
Professor Charles Mccarthy, who
helped to frame this clause and also
other portions Of the Progressive plat
form in Chicago, gave an interview in
which he expressly stated that the par
agraph above quoted was part Of the
platform as reported and adopted, but
1t was not part Of the Progressive
platform as officially printed, some one
having had it suppressed. Professor
Mccarthy says it was suppressed by
0. K Davis, as by authority. What
authority it was he acted upon is un-
known. Colonel Roosevelt disclaimed
giving any authority Of the kind, in q
letter to Professor Mccarthy; and
stated unequivocally that he was in ia.
vor of that paragraph, and that he in
corporated 1T in one Of his speeches as
part Of the Progressive's purpose,
Professor Mccarthy quotes a letter
which he had received that saws e1plic
lilly Davis made this withdrawal. Profes-
sor Mccarthy says further that he has
used all diligence to ascertain who it
was that authorized the suppression Of
that paragraph, but has not been able
to do it. Very naturally, he applied
first to Colonel Roosevelt as the one
who would be most likely TO assume
authority Of this kind, but the Colonel
absolutely disclaims it, and announces
his support Of tho paragraph which was
adopted but suppressed.
Professor Mccarthy further gives his
opinion that the suppression Of that
paragraph cost the Progressive party
thousands Of votes, and may even have
lost to it whole States. He is en-
phatic on the proposition that the Pro.
gressive orators for the first two weeks
of the campaign presented this para
graph as the pith Of their whole dec
laration on the trust question, but
when they received their printed cop
les Of the platform that paragraph was
left out, and then they were all cat
sea- on tins question,
Senator La Toilette is also naturally
anxious TO find out who it was that
was guilty OF this mutilation of the
Progressive platform. In his Weekly
he puts his queries in the following
form:
Why was the Bull Moose platform
changed from anti Trust to pro-Trust?
Oscar King Davis. to be head press agent |
for the Roosevelt campaign?
Who directed Oscar King Davis to go
this change before the platform could
reach the newspapers OF the country?
What passed between George w, Per-
kins and Theodore Roosevelt on the even
ing of August Z. when Perkins saw the
copies OF the platform |
that had been adopted by the resolutions |
and the convention, and dis
covered that II contained his pet aver |
sion-an antitrust plank with teeth In |
What discussion. II any, did Theodore |
Roosevelt have with Senator Joseph NJ |
Dixon. his campaign manager. after Per |
kins and Dixon found the antitrust
plank in the platform as adopted?
the resolutions committee. and In charge |
Of its records. to say TO Oscar King |
Davis. whose hasty "expla nation"
charges some one with Overlooking"
plank (which the resolutions committee
had adopted?
What was II that first suggested that
the paragraph OF Roosevelt's confession
Of faith" pointing out the advantages OF |
Big business combinations, be substituted
for the eliminated antitrust plank?
Why did the supporters OF Roosevelt |
who knew about this tampering with the
covenant" long before election day
why did they keep silent? Why did they
not tell the voters about their discovery? |
All OF which makes a most inter.
esting complication, and the American