Semi-weekly herald., 1913-06-23

American oepenooncy. he did not
propose to open up American ports
to the sugar of the entire world And
yet that small amount of free sugar
the Colorado platform denounced, and
denounced President Taft for favor
ing it.
Are Colorado's two senator's now to
vote, not only to admit Philippine
sugar free and thus discriminate
against the farmers of this country
and this state in the interest of Ash
attic coolie labor, but also to admit
the sugar of the world free and put
the white labor of Colorado in COM
petition not only with the coolie labor
of Asia, but with the cheap negro
labor of Cuba and of other West In
dia islands, and also with the cheap
labor of every European sugar-mak-
ing country in the world?
Both Senators Thomas and Shat
roth were delegates and very, very
active delegates in that 1908 conven-
tion. Senator Thomas was, as he
always has been in Democratic con-
ventions, consulted about the platform
and gave much advice in framing it.
Governor Shafroth was also very ac-
| tive in the convention and was its
nominee for governor. Not only did
these gentlemen not object to line
in the platform, but time and again
in the campaign that followed they
grew eloquent in denouncing the at
tempt to put even Philippine sugar on
the free list and grew pathetic in
picturing the outrage of placing Colo
radios white labor in competition with
the cheap coolie labor of those is
lands.
That was four years ago, say some
of the senator's defenders. Issues
change with the year. But in 1910
two years ago-the question of OBJ
serving platform pledges was even
more acute than in 1908. The legis-
lature of 1908-9 had failed to re-
deem many of its pledges; those who
held that platform pledges were "tri-
files light as air" organized to defeat
the denomination of Shafroth for gov
ernor, and they came within very
few votes of succeeding, and they
would have succeeded easily, had not
The News championed his renomina-
tion and with all the power and in
fluence it could WELD insisted that
because he stood for the strict re-
demption of every pledge made in
the platform it would dishonor the
Democracy to turn him down. He
was renomipated, and the platform
which was then adopted repledged the
Democracy to every one of the 1908
pledges.
! Wording of Democratic Platform
| This is its language:
"WE ARE IN SYMPATHY WITH
AND HEREBY INDORSE THE
PLEDGES OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY IN IT'S PLATFORM ADOPT
ED IN PUEBLO IN 1905"
1t was in the legislature elected
that year that the pledge-breaking
members organized to elect Mayor
Speer to the senate, and they would
have succeeded had not Senators
Thomas and Shafroth fought the call
ing of a caucus and publicity and
frequently declared they would not
: be bound by caucus Endorsement of
any body for the United States SEN
ate who stood for repudiation of any
Of :he rlanks in the Democratic plat
form.
1t has been publicly announced for
the last four years that Messrs. Thom-
: as and Shafroth would be candidates
Lefore the last legislature for the
senate. The struggle for the platform
pledges was to forward those candi-
: dacies. 1t is safe to say that neither
Thomas nor Shafroth made any con-
siderable speech during the four years
of their candidates. without denounc-
ing Taft for favoring free sugar, and
without giving to the farmers of
! Colorado assurances that neither their
election nor that of Mr.. Wilson would
in any manner imperil the sugar beet
industry of the state. During the
last campaign they quoted time and
again the closing clause of the tariff
plank of the 1912 national platform,
that in revising the tariff the Demo-
cratic party would neither destroy nor
injure any legitimate industry, to
gain the confidence of voters for
themselves and the national ticket.
Sincerity of Senators Questioned
Neither Thomas nor Shafroth would
have dared to intimate before cleo
tion that under any possible contin-
gency would they vote to put sugar
on the free list-whether Immediately
J or three years hence. They were
never tempted to do so, for they i'm
plicitly believed that the assurances in
the Democratic platform we're a guar
antee against Mr.. Wilson ever coun-
tenancing what he now insists shall
| ha