The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-04-22

on the merchant marine, the tolls ex-
emption plank would have read as
follows: We favor the exemption
from toll of American ships engaged
in coastwise trade passing through
the canal but without imposing addi-
tional burdens upon the people and
without bounties or subsidies from
the public treasury
"But even if the platform had not
contained without itself a complete
refutation OF the position taken by
the advocates of free tolls, the presi-
dent would have been justified in the
position that he took by the changed
conditions which confronted him. A
platform is a pledge and is as bind
ling upon an official as the command
of military officer is upon subor-
dinate statement can not be
made stronger. But the subordinate
officer is sometimes compelled to act
upon his judgment where change
of which the commanding officer is
not aware has taken place in condi-
tions. It is not the right of the su-
bordinate to judge the situation for
himself where conditions have chang
ed since the order was given, but it is
his duty to do so.
'In the case under consideration
the president takes responsibility for
an official act which he regards as
necessary for his country's welfare
and the people must decide whether
or not he is justified; and those who
refuse to act with him also assume
responsibility and they, too, must
abide the judgment Of the public.
Such a change has taken place since
the Baltimore platform was adopted.
Had the Democrats in convention as
sembled been confronted by the con-
dition which now exists and had they
known what those now know who
voted for repeal, no such plank would
ever have been placed in the plat
form. The conventions attention
was not even brought to the fact that
a majority of the Democrats in the
House had voted against the free tolls
measure and that it had, in fact, been
passed by combination of minor
ity of the Democrats and majority
cf the Republicans"
Mr.. Bryan says that platform
planks dealing with international
questions must be accepted with the
understanding that we act Jointly
with other nations in international
affairs" that even if the plank had
not been contradicted by another
plank in the platform and even if it
"had not concealed a subsidy policy
repucnant to Democratic principle
and history" that even if conditions
had not changed, a platform plank
should be taken on international
questions "as the expression of wish
rather than as the expression of a de-
termination, for no nation can afford
to purchase a small advantage in the
face of universal protest"
'If a nation" continued the Sec
retary, "desire to array itself against
the world, it should be sure that the
thing which it is to gain is worth
what it costs. The president, know
ing that every commercial nation ex-
cept our own construes the treaty as
a pledge of equal treatment, would
hare beel. recreant to his trust had
he failed to point out to the American
people that our diplomatic relations
would be seriously disturbed by the
carrying out Of the free tolls policy"
Considering the repeal measure
upon its merits, Mr. Bryan said there
were just two questions to be decid-
ed: First, it is desirable for the
Democratic party to abandon it's his
toric position and become the advo-
cate of subsidies and bounties? And,
second, if it is desirable, what is the
Democratic party willing to sacrifice
in international prestige and world
influence in order to secure the ad-
vantage which these subsidies prom
ise to few people"