The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-05-10
A REMARKABLE PLATFORM.

II is extremely unfortunate that
the recent Republican state conven-
ton should have adopted a platform
that can so readily be used as
weapon against us by the enemies
of the Republican party. Hands
that were more skilled politically
could have framed a platform that
should have been entirely satisfac-
tory to both wings of the party and
would not have served as ammuni-
ton to the opposing hosts. There
are good planks in the platform;
principles with which not only all
good Republicans, but all good citi-
zens will heartily agree.
The trouble with the platform IS
that it can find no virtue in the Re-
publican party from the days OF
Abraham Lincoln to the present.
1t is made up largely of confess
sion of Republican sins both of omls-
sion and commission. The last half
century, during the greater part OF
which the Republican party mas
been in power, is characterized as
period, when the peoples power,
misused, was sold by the political
boss to the corporate money power"
and special privilege dominated the
nations business and social and
political life" There is much more
to the same effect. 1t all sounds like
q Democratic arraignment of the
Republican party. Though the plat
form covers the political history OF
the country from the time OF the
| Civil war to the present, 1t not only
has no word of commendation for
the splendid achievements of the
Republican administrations OF Grant
Garfield, Hayes, Mckinley, Roose-
velt, and Taft, but covers them all
in a sweeping denunciation OF the
political sins and social injustice
which it is alleged were prevalent
in their times. Indeed, only two
Republican leaders this side OF Lin
|
ton, and they are Theodore Roose-
yelt and Clifford Pinchot. President
Taft and the Republican admins
tration at Washington are studious-
ly ignored except through condem-
nation by inuendo, as are also Gov
ernor Tener and the State admins
tration at Harrisburg. The plat
form is as Objectionable in what 1t
leaves unsaid as in what it says.
Our Democratic opponents are al
ready claiming that we are con-
demned out of our own mouths. In
deed, if all that is said of us in this
platform is true, and If all that is
left unsaid is to be legitimately in
| ferred, then as a party we had bet
ter close our doors and drop out OF
existence as quickly and quietly as
possible. 1t is not pleasant for us
to criticize a Republican state plat
form in this way, but we regard 1t
as a duty we owe to the party to do
so. Its fatal weakness has already
been discovered by our Democratic
opponents and they are using 1t to
our disadvantage and discontinue
In the platform adopted by the Dem
ocratic state convention on Tuesday
of this week it is declared that the
Republicans of the state have adopt
ed a platform every item of which
presents an indictment against the
course of the Republican party in
state and nation, coupled with ad
missions of its failure to keep iti
promises" 1t is humiliating to be
unable to effectively answer this
charge. And inasmuch as the Re
publican platform is practically in
defensible in the greater number o
its features, it is doubtless better
for us to concede its weakness, ant
to say plainly that 1t does not fair
ly represent the history and achieve
|, ments and leaders of the Republi
can party in times past, nor the be
, lief and aspirations of a great bod!
of the Republican voters of the stat
to-day. The mistake was this: tha
the builders of this platform, flushed
with a recent partisan victory, in
= stead OF framing the platform t
opposing parties, framed it to NEE
the issues between their victoriou
wing of the party and the wing o
the party which had been defeated