Semi-weekly herald., 1913-06-23

Will DiuQ bnom " VobS W Pub buBAA
on the free list when the opportunity
comes in the senate, as it surely will,
to vote for a revenue duty on sugar,
instead of putting it on the free list
and that without endangering the
final passage of the Underwood bill.
The reason The News hesitates to
believe that they will refuse to stand
by a vital industry of Colorado in
the face of a caucus order to the
country, is, that for years the two
senators have been making record
as "PLATFORM DEMOCRATS" that
will follow them into the retirement
votes for free sugar will court, and
bemoan their apostacy; for they will
deserve being conscripted into the list
of false leaders that are being con-
tinually cast aside by betrayed con-
stituents.
The political stock in trade Of Sen
ators Thomas and Shafroth for the
past five or six years has been their
fidelity to PLATFORM PLEDGES
and anathema for every Democrat who
served hairs breadth from those
pledges.
Organize Bolt from Regular Party
To magnify their virtue of fidelity
to platform pledges, they organized
bolt from the regular Democratic or
ganization and created "The Platform
Democratic party" They called con-
ventions of that party; they sent dele
cations of Platform Democrats to
these conventions; they, with the aid
of sympathizers, prevented caucus
of the Democratic members of the
1910 legislature, which, if it had ever
been held, would have sent Mayor
| Speer to the senate, and neither
| Thomas nor Shafroth would now be
gracing the nations capital.
| This Platform Democratic party
kept Colorado from it's full represen
tation in the senate of the United
States for more than two years, with
the only reason for doing so thai
Mayor Speer would control the caucus
and it would elect senator to sue
ceed Senator Hughes, who had en-
couraged disregard for Democratic
platform pledges. They vowed tha'
no such renegade should represent
Colorado in the senate. No, never
by the great Jehovah? Never!
Kept Way Open for Own Election
In the name of and buttressed b.
their proclaimed devotion to the Dem
ocratic state platforms of previous
years, these two gentlemen kept tn,
way open for their own election t.
the senate by the last legislature, ant
it was their professed militant fidel
ity to every pledge of the PLATFORM
of 1908 and 1910 that rallied Demo
Gratis to their candidates. in 1912, an,
that nominated them in the Democrat
ic primaries and later elected them t.
the senate.
1t was the Democratic state con
vention of 1908-but little NOR
than four years ago-that nominate
John F. Shafroth for governor, an
it was the platform adopted by tn
convention that nominated him, owe
which the Democracy of the stat
grew enthused.
One of the planks Of the 1908 plat
form is the following:
1--WE FAVOR AND DEMAND RE
DUCTION OF THE TARIFF SCHED
ULES IN ACCORDANCE WITT
THE NATIONAL PLATFORM
ADOPTED AT DENVER. WE RE
GARD THE DECLARED POLICl
OF WILLIAM H. TAFT TO SIN
GLE OUT FOR ATTACK THE SU
GAR BEET INDUSTRY BY ADMIT
TING FREE OF DUTY SUGAl
RAISED IN THE PHILIPPINE Is
LANDS AS A DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST THE FARMERS OF TIL
COUNTRY AND THIS STATE II
H LIN VT ASIA ~ SOO
LIE LABOR AND AS A FRS,
STEP IN THE ADOPTION OF 1
PERMANENT POLICY OF EXPLOI
TATION OF THE ISLANDS B,
TRUSTS WHICH WILL RENDEl
IT IMPOSSIBLE EVER TO OBTAIi
THE CONSENT OF CONGRESS IN
RECOGNIZE IN THE INTEREST Oh
LIBERTY AND HUMANITY TIL
INDEPENDENCE OF THE PEOPLl
OF THOSE ISLANDS"
Bryan Platform the More Radical
Won't good Democrats re-read tina
platform declaration of their party
1t was made following the nationa
Democratic convention that nominate
William j. Bryan at Denver. Tn
Bryan platform is even more radica
for tariff reform than is the Balti
more platform. 1t declared for tn
immediate revision of the tariff b,
the reduction Of import duties; i
declared that articles in competition
with trust-controlled products shoul,
be placed upon the free list, and i
| l. 1l