Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-05-24
OBLIGATIONS OF PLATFORMS

CIVILIZATIONS OF PLATFORMS
Secretary Bryans admirable speech.
es insisting on the obligation Of par
ty eontractsof course refer TO present
obligations. The Democratic party in
Baltimore promised the country a re-
duction of the tariff. If it had refused
to keep its promise It would have be-
trayed the public confidence 1t prom.
ised a revision Of the banking ana cur
rqacy laws, and the President and
Congressional leaders have been pre-.
pairing a scheme to submit to Cong
ress. 1t promised to amend the Sher-
man law in such ways as to make It
more effective in the prevention of
ipopopolies, and Il viii discredit it,
self il it shall not. as soon as more
pressing tasks are performed. redeem
this obligation, says the Philadelphia
Record. Ua @
The persons who attribute Mr. Bry.
ans insistenee upon platform oblieae
tons to an opinion expressed in the
Baltimore platform regarding the Pres.
idential term are, of course, humorous
or malicious. The Baltimore conyen-
tioa pledged itself to a single term for
the Presidency and it discharged it's
obligation by nominating Mr.. Wilson
for one term. The convention of 1912.
of course, had no obligations beyond
thesperiod for Which it was elected to
act : and ii VIII be functus ofllcio when
theconyention of 1916 shall meet. No
one understands this better than the
experienced Secretary of State He
knows that one convention cannot
bind another He knows that the
contention of 1896 made declaration
of party policy wlAeh was not made
by the convention of 1892. lie re-
members that the convention of 1900
reanirmed certain portions OF the
platform Of 1896. 1t would not have
done that If it had been bound by the
declarations of four years earlier He
cannot be unmindful Of the fact that
he made the effort Of his life in 1904
to secure reaiiirmation OF certain
declaration by earlier conventions.
which was wholly superfuous II the
declarations of the earlier conventions
had. been binding upon that of 1904.
OF course, the convention OF 1916
may decide that it will not nominate
for the Presidency any man who has
held the office, but it is absurd TO sup
pose that it vii be bound 10 such ac-
ton. by anything said by a previous
convention. The friends of Mr.. Bry-
an and Mr. Clark can hardly have fail
ed 10 notice that the President has
expressed his hearty approval OF the
pledges Of the Baltimore convention
that are within the jurisdiction of that
convention, and that me has never
varied from an eloquent silence re-
gardiug efforts Of the convention of
1912 TO bind the convention of 1916,
if indeed so impracticable "A purpose
were aimed at Our own belief is that
the Baltimore declaration regarding
single term was merely the express
sion of a pious opinion which may be
shared by the next convention, and
may not be. At any rate, the Presi-
dent has never expressed his concur
renee with it, and the declaration is
absolutely without effect upon another
convention, and aspirauis for the next
nomination Who are assuming on the
strength Of the Baltimore platform
that President Wilson win not be in
their way are leaning upon a broken
reed. The convention Oh win no
more be bound By convention four
years earlier than by one forty years
earlier or one prior to tbe cyl war