The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-07-04
THE BALTIMORE CONVENTION


probably as good and strong as any
TINT .it could have made Bryan had
his own way throughout, after his pre-
liminary defeat on the temporary chair.
manship. 1t looked at first rs though
the reactionaries, so called, in winning
their victory for Parker, would have
| control of the convention, but BRYAN
quickly changed that, and the passage
of his resolution against the "money
power swung the convention to the
so-called progressive side.
But after all, what is the progressive
side and what the reactionary7 The
division along this line began in 1909
when the Republican stand ,pattcrs in
the L. ). Senate determined that they
would not yield either TO the promise
of the Republican National platform,
as interpreted by President Taft, nor
to the sentiment Of the country which
called for a readiustment of the tariff
and reduction in the tariff rates.
There sprang up the division between
staDd-patters and insurgents, who
have now come TO be known as Pro-
eressives. At that time there was q
we'll defined difference between stand,
pattism which is now called reaction,
and the insurgency, which soon rallied
around IL strong men, and quickly came
to be known. and has ever since been
known, as progressivism.
When we come to the Democratic
platform, we get no new light on what
is meant by progressive and what
is meant by "reactionary: in fact
the platform in some respects is more
reactlonary than any platform that has
been adopted by any party in a good
many years Take the plank which re-
lates to the "rights Of the States, -
for example. and undertake TO apply 1T
to any interstate business, transporta-
ton, financial, commercial, or other;
and 1t is seen at once that the plank
has to be kicked out of the wav before
any definite ideas can be had, for
States count as nothing in interstate
business of any kind, and when one
reads, as it is said in that platform,
Federal remedies for the regulation
of interstate commerce and for the pre-
vention of private monopolies, shall
be added to-. and not substituted for
such fStateI remedies the words are
absolutely meaningless. The plank is
a relic of the old Bryan notion put
forth number of years ago, to prac-
tically the same effect, but which i'm
sank into oblivion, because
there was no practical way of apply
ing it. To undertake 10 regulate inter
state commerce by state legislation is
practically impossible Besides that,
the sweeping grant to Congress in the
for the regulation of in
terstate commerce is not only so broad
and so complete as to fill every require
ment, but is exclusive Of any interfer
ence by any State authorities.
In other respects the platform is in
no way marked by any special progress
sive idea. The income tax, which is
dwelt upon as an especially Democratic
idea, is in fact Republican doctrine
from war time. The income tax of the
sixties is well remembered as distinc-
tive Republican legislation, and no
party has ever opposed it. AS a mat
ter Of fact, almost everybody agrees
that the income tax is the best possible
form of Federal taxation. Tt has been
upheld by the U. S. Supreme Court
but afterwards the court reversed it.
self, annulling the tax as in conflict
with the Constitution, being as now
held, direct legislation, but different in
form of levy from the method pre-
,cribed in the Constitution for the
levy of direct taxes SO many Of the
States have now agreed TO the income
tax amendment, unqualiiedly changing
the Constitution so as specifically to al
low of the imposition of the income
tax, that the success Of this amend
ment is practically assured
The platform is very long one, a
sort of dragnet, binging In apparently
everything that anybody could think of
that might add a modicum Of strength
here and there, and catch votes for the
Democratic candidates, Some Of these
are good, some indifferent,
and some positively bad. The plank on
he Alaskan question is indefinite, and
It would probably be difficult for even
Democrats 10 agree on anything that
they would do under it, The plank IN
regard to the Philippines is positively
bad, and if the Democrats should win
On this platform. and undertake to
carry it out, the act would make the
,ostliest kind of trouble for lis in those
Islands. We may add that, on the the
Dry unon which that plank is put in
the platform, the reservation to the
United States of such lands as may be
necessary for ''coaling stations and ma
val bases,' would be, in the political
frenzy Of the day ease of "clear rob-
oery,' opposed to the commandment
which says "Thou shalt not steal;'
for if the Philippines are for the Fill
oinos, what right has the United States
col gr. H. l.