The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-19
Bryan as a Historian and Guardian
OF Dc mOcratic Doctrine.

| Secretary of state BRYAN In the Com
moRcr. and published generally on April
| II. Secretary BRYAN created the impress
sion that the plank In the Baltimore
platform on this subject had been
adopted without due consideration and
In ignorance of the facts. As an active
member of the conventions committee
on resolutions the Secretary should
have known the details of the affair.
and his allegation. II accepted at its
face value. was IN fact confession of
! incompetency.
Secretary BRYAN conteuded In the
COmmOuer that "it the plank care
fully conceals the means by which It is
to be carried OUT and that III the
| same care had been used In the draw.
ing Of this plank that was used In the
| drawing OF the plank on the merchant
marine" its form would have been
much modified: aud he declared that |:
The conventions attention was not
even brought TO the fact that majority
Of the Democrats In the House had voted
| against the free tolls measure, and that
II had In fact been passed by a combina-
| ton Of a minority OF the Democrats and
| a majority OF the Republicans.
THE platform plank which Is now being
| worshpped as IL II were the only plank
| In the platform was In reality q rebuke
to the Democrats In Congress when the
convention had reason to suppose that 1t
was indorslng the action OF a majority
OF the Democrats when Il Endorsed the
action OF Congress.
1T was more than that II was In fact,
though not upon its face. an Endorsement
Of the doctrine OF subsidy. which the party
had taken pains to denounce In the same
platform"
That Secretary Bryan undertook (,
| difficult task when he attempted TO
show that the convention had been
misled In this matter Is obvious. When
he wrote that the Implications Of the
plank were concealed from the dele
| gates and that II was IAN Endorsement
4 of the doctrine OF subsidy" he was con-
dennlng himself as IN unfaithful or In.
competent leader. Secretary BRYAN can
not under any circumstances have been
| altogether comfortable as he composed
this justification Of President WILSON'S
Reputation Of the tolls plank; II Sen
ator WALsH's history Of the plank is
correct. his discomfort must have
amounted to serious embarrassment.
! Senator WALSH was the secretary If
the committee on resolutions. In the
Senate on Saturday he described the
organization Of that committee and the
| appointment Of subcommittee Of
eleven TO make draft of the platform.
The eleven selected for membership in
this committee were:
JAMES y. CLARKE. Arkansas JOHN
W. kern, Indiana lsADoR RAYNER. Mary
| land: JAMES h. VARpAMAS, Mississippi (;
j. J. WALSH, Massachusetts; W. j. BRYAN.
! Nebraska; J. A. O'GoRMAN, New York
| ATLEE PoAiERESE. Ohio; BENJAMIN r.
| TILLMAN. South Carolina CHARLES A.
| CULBERsoH, Texas, and THOMAS MARTIN,
Virginia.
These eleven discussed matters gen
orally. according 10 Senator WALSH,
and eventually to Mr.. BRYAN and Sena-
tor O'GoRMAN WAS entrusted the task
Of clothing with appropriate language
the declarations on which there was
general agreement. they to have the
assistance OF such committeeman ms
they might designate. II Senator
WALsH's memory Is to be relied on,
they pitched on Senator PoMFRENE and
himself or the tolls plank Senator
WALSH said:
THE plank referring to canal tolls
| by the Senator from New York and was
adopted by the subcommittee OF eleven
before the smaller committee assumed
the task imposed upon IT,
There was no debate upon It, simply
because it was generally approved or ac-
quiesced in.
There was no debate as to whether
a declaration should be made favorng a
reduction In tariff duties"
That the plank received careful con-
slderation two circumstances recalled
by Senator WALSH clearly Indicate:
The draft rendered used the express
sion free tolls which had acquired a
place in the literature OF the subject, and
which has been used frequently on this
floor In the present debate
Some one suggested that the two words
were contradictory OF each other and the
expression OF doubtful propriety from a
literary point of view
1T was changed to read as We find it,
Thus the literary form Of the dec.
laratioD attributed to Senator O'GoR.
MAN was changed. Senator WALSH
makes no suggestion that Secretary
BRYAN was concerned in this altera.
ton. But that the Secretary read and
studied the plank the Senator shows
plainly when he recites that:
when 1t was presented. MI BRYAN
expressed his approval. but said that /,
should be accompanied by another plank
declaring against the admission OF rail-
road owned ships to the canal.
"And so the platform reads after the
declaration concerning tolls:
I'VE also'-
Note the ALSO
flavor legislation forbidding the use a,