The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-08-26
Platforms, Candidates and President,

Platforms, Candidates and Presidents
The Democrats will go into the approaching cam
paign with one great advantage; namely their plat
FORM 1t is Short concise consistent and reasonably
liberal. The Republican document is long involved
prolx, evasive, contradictory and Of decidedly con-
sentative cast
The major issue involved is whether Mr. Roose-
velt will live up to his platform. If he wages de-
csye crisp, vigorous, and determined campaign in
dicating that he good or better than his plat
form then the people may await with some equanimty
his election and translation into the White House
But nothing is more evident to students of Amer
lean history than the fact that platform does not
automatically assure its execution by candidate or
party. 1t too frequently is merely window dressing.
stalwart candidate may use a good platform as
means Of holding his party to the performance of
ts duties and the execution of its promises This was
what Woodrow Wilson notably did in his first admin
stration and failed signally to do in his second
Take some Illuminating instances from our history
In lS4O the Wings did not think it necessary even TO
publish a platform. It was taken for granted that
Harrison would be dominated by Clay and Webster.
ana would carry out their nationalistic policies
But Harrison died and to his place came a vir-
ginian, John Tyler, states rights man. vain and
obstinate He was called traitor was read out of his
party and Clay resigned from the senate in dramatic
fashion
More recent and instructive is the case of Taft He
was the Roosevelt candidate in 1903 and the conven
ton went on record in approval of Roosevelt policies
Inc platform praised Roosevelt to the skies and de-
cared that he had done promote progress and
justice than any other President except WASHINGTON
and Lincoln
The platform did not admit that Theodore was
inferior to either of those giants of American his
torical tradition
NOR did the platform try to represent Roosevelt as
conservative. 1t singled out for particular men
ton and praise his liberal prosecution of
trusts rate regulation, attacks on transportation
abuses, exposure Of corruption in office arbitration of
labor disputes and the like
The platform went on record uneouivocalv for
reduction of the tariff, strengthening the Sherman
antitrust law extensive labor legislation aid of the
farmer, and conservation of natural resources It
pledges itself to that these policies were carried
out with true Theodorian vigor
But the able and amable Taft quickly got into
bad company. He was taken over by "Nelse" AIdrich
Murray Crane, Uncle Joe" Cannon Boies Penrose
Matthew Quay ]. B. Foraker Serene Pavne. and
other stand-pat Republicans who had fought Roose-
welt.
The Payne Aldrich tariff proved revision upward
but Taft praised it in his Winona speech He sup
ported Balnger in his dispute with Clifford Pinchot
thus repudiang the conservation stand of his party
Legislation against the trusts and for labor both
fell by the wayside. Taft good-natured but
hardly vigorous
Few presidents have been more earnest than was
Woodrow Wilson in regarding his platform of 1912
pledge to the American people, and he carried
it out with remarkable fidelity.
Yet his very example proves that even the same
man can not be counted upon to do this in every
instance.
In 1916 he pledged to work for world peace
but he put us into warm harmony with plans and
intentions which he and Colonel House had agreed
upon before the 1915 campaign.