The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-08-01
PLATFORM INsINcERITY
COL Roosevelt Says Platform
n Both Old Parties are
model of Bad Faith"
EDITORIAL In The OUTLOOK

platform Carried Out il Would
Mean Ruin TO the Country-Wilson
Would Either Have to Repudiate
Platform or Bring On a Financial
C,ash-Democratic Position on the
Trust Question is Not Sound-The
dishonest Trust Would not Fear
Democrats.
New York, July 29.-In an edito-
rial in the Outlook to-day Theodore
Roosevelt points out the faults and
trailties of both old parties. He dis
cnsses Platform Insincerity."
The editorial is as follows, in part:
The platforms Of the two parties
are models of dangerous insincerity
and Of bad faith. The platform of
the Republican party is bad anyhow.
Taken in connection with the action
NJ the convention, ii amounts to
declaration against actual rule by the
people and a determination that the
politicians or the benefciaries of spe-
ciaI privilege shall completely domi-
nate the people in the future Just as
they are doing at this moment. The
actions of Mr.. Taft and his admins
tratiOn and the actions of the Repub-
Iican National Convention itself
make any prOtestations of virtue on
the part of the Barnes-Penrose-G
genheim combination, which at the
moment represents all that is effici-
ent and real in the existing Republi-
can party, of no consequence whatso-
ever
The Baltimore platform offers per-
haps as good an example as any plat
form of the last thirty years of what
has become a typical vice of Ameri
can poIitics-the avoidance of say
ing anything real on real issues and
Inc announcement of radical policies
with much sound and fury, and at the
same time with a cautious accom-
painment of weasel phrases, each of
which sucks the meat out of the pre-
ceding statement. Neither the Re
publican nor the Democratic platform
shows the slightest grasp of the real
situation that confronts this country
the fact that we are now face to
face with a great industrial evolution
which, unless frankly accepted as
such by the Government, will become
an industrial revolution.
Democrats Weak on Tariff.
IF Doctor Wilson were elected, he
would either have to repudiate the
promises made about the tariff in the
Democratic platform or else bring in
dustry in the coustry to a crash which
would make all the panics in our past
history seem like child'splay in COM
parisOn.
After stridently proclaiming that
the protective tariff must be imme-
diately abolished and making asser-
tons about the present tariff duties
which, if true, would demand their
immediate abolition, it adds that in
carrying out the principle enunciat-
ed it will proceed by legislation that
will not injure or destroy legitimate
industry.
This is as fine an example Of a
weasel phrase as could ever be i'm
agined. Either it is itself absolutely
meaningless or it sucks all meaning
out of all the previous denunciations
Of the tariff. 1t admits in so many
words that the tariff system is init
mately connected with the legitimate
business of the country; it also says
that it is unconstitutional, that it
makes the rich richer and the poor
poorer.
The same thing is true in what
the Baltimore platform says of the
high cost of living. 1t states that i'm
port duties on the necessaries of life
must be materially reduced. Yet la
ter on it expresses fervent purpose
to encourage agriculture. But, of
course, those who drew up this plat
form must know that in the average
household it is farm products which
go to make up most of the cost of liv-
Ing, and it is both cowardly and in
sncere not to state that the proposed
reduction of duties is aimed primari-
~ at the farmer.
Sound and Fury
There is much sound and fury in
the declaration for a drastic enforce
ment of the antitrust law. There is
loud demand that it be enforced not
merely by civil, but by criminal pro-
ceedings. There is a purpose ex-
pressed to amend it so that the SUI
preme Court will no longer be able to
snow any leniency in it's construction
II this portion of the platform means
anything, it means that the antitrust
law is to be made of such character
mat it would, as President Can Fise
mas shown, if literally applied STOP
all business, not merely by business
men, but by farmers throughout the