The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-02-24
wilson and the Platform.

IN
Iemption plank of the BaltimoFe~plat91
form, 1t was intimated by friends OF
the administration that the resolution
was slipped in surrepfltiously as3a
l'joker'' while all the members or the.
committee were looking the other
way. In fact, Mr.. Bryan himself was
quoted as saying that he had moth
ing to do with this provision. Sena-
| tor Walsh, of Montana, however,
makes this positive statement with
regard TO what happened at Balti-
more:
while / have regarded the trans
actions within the resolutions com
mittee as more or less confidential.
am willing to give my recollectionS OF
the steps by which the free tolls
plank became a part of the Baltimore
platform Recent implications in the
newspapers may tend to create the
| impression that there was something
dIsingenuous, mysterious or sinister
in respect 70 the matter. There was
not on the contrary there was moth
I ing connected with lit which affords
the slightest foundation for such a
charge or suspicion. The plank was
offered In the subcommittee of
| eleven by Senator O'Gorman. Opin-
ion in itssfayor seemed so unanimous
that there was practically no debate.
! At the suggestion of Mr.. Bryan ships
owned by railroad companies were
barred from using the canal and the
! fact that. this latter suggestion is
found in the Baltimore platform
along with the approval of free tolls
for coastwise vessels shows plainly
( that the subcommittee was fully cog
infant of the existence of the free
tolls plank.
These matters, along with others,
we're then referred to sub-commit-
7 - r,F TrNy he
an, Senator Pomerene, Senator O'Gor-
man and myself. We reported back
/ on all the planks now in the Balti-
more platform and I was assigned to
put the sections in their proper Sc
quence. l did this. including the
! tolls provision. The subcommittee
OF four, heard and approved them.
I and approved them and then the en-
tire resolutions committee was called
| together, the platform was read, APP
proved and later adopted by the con-
! vention. Thus each plank passed
! throu gh-several stages of preparation
! and could not have failed 10 be known
to all attending the meetings of the
committee or the various sub-com-
mittees."
/ The president has clearly overruled
1.-THE Dem party's platform with
Preference to the approval of the eN-
emption of coastwise vessels. Criti-
cism OF htr. Wilson is based not mere
! ~ upon a technicaiity because the
keeping of platform pledges is i'm
I poctalt and is the only way by which
the good faith of the public official
may be judged. Exemption of coast
/ wise ships was a patriotic issue. 1t
was designed to build up an Ameri
can merchant marine and restore our
flag 20 the sea. It was designed
1 likewise TO break the foreign monop
oily Of American shipping. By pIedg-
( ing the Democratic party to this pol
icy. many persons were undoubtedly
Influenced to vote for the Democratic
/ candidate. II the party had pledged
Itself to repeal the clause eXempting
! American ships, the Republican par
/ ty would undoubtedly made this an
I issue of the campaign and would
have made inroads upon the Demo-
cratic vote. It is essential, there
fore. that what is promised before
election should be kept after election.
Mr.. Wilson had read the platform
and based his campaign upon it. He
now says that when other nations
are involved in the question the ma
FtionaI platform must be subordinated.
New cfrcum stances have arisen, he,
argues, that make the repeal of one
! OF the Democratic party planks expe-
dent. Nevertheless, the president
had read the platform, and in his
speech of acceptance he said with Aefzs
erence TO the platform: II
They say 1t is a very practical
document. We are now about to
ask the people of the United States to
adopt out platform. We are about to
ask them to intrust US with office and
power. and the guidance of their ar
fairs"
Later on. Secretary Bryan. who
played the biggest part in making the
platform. made this statement with
reference to it:
"a man who violates the party
platform is a criminal, worse than the
man who embezzles money"
1t win be remem bered by those
who attended the Baltimore conven-
ton that Bryan had insisted that the
candidate of the party he selected be-
fore the platform should be adopted.
He said that ii was essential that the
people should know their man before
approving platform on which he
Should run. His apparent reason was
that there was no sense in providing
platform that would not ii the
character of the man selected but
there are those who still believe hat
inasmuch as Bryan had written into
the platform the single presidential
term plank ne wanted TO ba certain
that ne was not going TO get he nom.