The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. ,BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 4. No. 26.
Lincoln, Nebraska, July 15, 1904.
Whole No. J82.
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THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET
I shall vote for Parker and Davis, the nomi
nees of the democratic national convention, and
shall do so for the following reasons:
First Because the democratic ticket stands
for opposition to imperialism, while the republican
ticket stands for an imperialistic policy. On this
question, which was the paramount issue in 1900,
and which must remain , an important issue so
long as an attempt is made to hold 'colonies under
the American flag on this issue the convention
was unanimous, the platform emphatic, and I havo
no douht that the candidate will carry out the
platform.
SecondMr. Roosevelt is injecting the race
issue into American politics, and this issue, if it
becomes national, will make it impossible to con
sider economic questions that demand solution.
The election of the democratic ticket wilL put a
quietus upon this attempt and permit the race
question ta work itself out without the bitterness
which Mr. Roosevelt's conduct has engendered.
Third Mr. Roosevelt stands for the spirit of
war. His friends present him as a man of blood
and iron.- He believes in strenuousness and in
culcates a love-forwar-llke things. The demo
cratic ticket 'stands "for peace'for "reason andJlor
arbitration rather than for force, conquest and
bluster.
Fourth The democratic platform- declares in
favor of the reduction of the standing army, and
as this plank was unanimously adopted there is
reason to believe that a democratic success on
this subject would bring some advantage to the
people.
For these four reasons I feel justified in sup
porting the ticket, but I shall not mis
represent the situation, or appeal for votes for
the ticket upon false grounds. A democratic vic
tory will mean very little, if any, progress
on economic questions so long as the
party is under the control of the Wall street
element. On the money question Mr. Parker is as
thoroughly committed to the side of the financiers
as Mr. Roosevelt. If he does not go as far as
.the republicans would in retiring silver dollars,
in establishing branch banks, in enlarging the
powers of the national banks, and in the sub
stitution of an asset currency for the present cur
rency, it will be because ho is restrained by the
democrats in the house and senate. Nothing good
can be expected of him on the money question.
On the trust question the democratic plat
form is very much bettor than the republican
platform, but the nomination of Judge Parker
virtually nullifies the anti-trust plank. Unless in
his letter of acceptance he commits himself to at
tempt anti-trust legislation we need not expect
him to pursue a different course from that pur
sued by President Roosevelt.
So far as the labor questions are concerned we
must await Judge Parker's letter before we shall
know whether the laboring man has anything to
expect from his election. The labor plank as pre
pared by Judge Parker's friends on the sub-cora-mittee
was a straddling, meaningless plank. In
the full committee planks were adopted In favor
of -arbitration, the eight-hour day, and against
government by injunction; also a plank on the
Colorado situation. If Judge Parker is silent or
ambiguous on, these subjects it, will mean that the
financial' v influence back of him will not permit
him to take the labor side on these disputed' ques
tions. On the tariff question some little progress
may be hoped for, but the Parker men on the
committee were nearly all In favor of a very con
servative tariff plank, and It remains to be seen
whether Judge Parker will carry out the positive
and definite plank which was submitted by the
full committee. This is the situation.
Judge Parker stands for enough things that
are good to justify me in giving him my vote, but
as I have tried to point out for several months,
the triumph of the Wall street element of the
party denies to the country any hope of relief on
economic questions. I have nothing to take back,
I have nothing to withdraw of the things that I
have said against the methods pursued to ad
vance his candidacy. It was a plain and deliber
ate attempt to deceive the party. Tho Now York
platform was vaguo and meaningless and pur
posely so, becauso tho advocates of Judge Parker
wcro trying to sccuro votes from among tho pcoplo
who would havo opposed his vlows had thoy known
them. If ho had sent to tho Albany convention
tho telogram that ho sont to tho St. Louis con
vention ho would havo had very fow instructed
delegates from tho south, and no possible chance
for tho nomination. But ho and his managers
adroitly and purposely concealed his position un
til tho dolegates had been corraled and the nomina
tion assured. Thon his friends nttompted to
secure a gold plank, which was overwhelmingly
defeated in tho committee. After tho party had
rejoiced over tho harmony secured by tho omis
sion of the question, and after ho had secured
tho nomination, ho injected his vlows upon
tho subject at a time when he could not bo
taken from the ticket without great demoraliza
tion. Tho nomination was secured, therofore, by
crooked and indefensible methods, but tho demo
crat who loves his country has to make his de
cisions upon conditions as he finds them, not upon
conditions as ho would like to have them.
After having stated that I shall support the
"-ticket, and 'after' havBggrmrray-Teason for so
doing, I think it due to -tho 'democrats of tho na
tion to say that while tho fight on economic
questions is postponed, it is not abandoned. As
soon as the election Is over I shall, with tho help
of those who believe as I do, undertake to or
ganize for the campaign of 1908, the object being
to marshal the friends of popular government
within tho democratic party to tho support of a
radical and progressive policy to make the demo
cratic party an efficient means in tho hands of tho
pcoplo for securing relief from tho plutocratic ele
ment that controls tho republican party and for
the time being Is in control of tho democratic
party. This plan of organization will bo elabor
ated soon. It is only mentioned at this time that
tho readers of Tho Commoner may know that
the contest for economic and political reform will
begin again as soon as tho polls close, and be
continued until success is achieved,
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
On another page will be found the democratic
platform in" full. The intention of this editorial
is to point out the main features of that platform.
Tho plank on Imperialism is positive, strong and
satisfactory to the entire party, and this question
becomes the paramount issue of the campaign.
. The tariff plank is good, but it was made so
on a close vote in 'tho. committee and largely
against tho opposition of Mr. Parker's adherents.
Tho plank which was voted down favored "a ivise,
conservative and businesslike" revision, made
"with due regard to existing conditions." The
committee thought that these qualifying words
emasculated tho plank and left it so weak as to
give no hope to tariff reformers.
The anti-trust plank is a good pne. It de
mands the enforcement of the criminal clause of
the criminal law against the trusts; it- demands
the abolition of rebates and discriminations, and
it demands the withdrawal of the interstate com
merce privileges from trusts when once convicted.
The plank is Infinitely superior to the republican
plank, and with a president who desired to de
stroy the trusts, would be a sufficient plank, but,,
as this trust plank was also substituted by the
full committee, there is reason to fear that it may
not be In keeping with the ideas of the candidate.
The lanor plank is nearly all that
could be desired. It declares against government
by injunction; it favors arbitration and the sight
hour day, and denounces the methods that have
been resorted to in the Colorado strike, but at
these planks were added In the full committee,
some uncertainty exists as to the candidate's po
sition. The platform declares in favor of the reduce
tion of the army. Upon this tho committee was
unanimous. Tho sub-committee reported a plank
in fayor of an increase of the navy, but this wa
stricken out in tho full committee.
Tho platform Has a plank in favor of tho en
largement of tho scope of the interstate commerce
commission and in favor of irrigation. Tho gen
eral clauses of tho platform cxclto no dispute, and
the appeal against tho introduction of a race issua
ought to have weight with the sober, thinking
Americans.
On tho whole, the platform is good. From a
western standpoint its greatest defect is that it
makes no mention of the money question. An at
tempt was made to securo a plank opposing the
melting of the sliver dollar, opposing the asset
currency and branch banks, and expressing a
preference for the United States note, (ordinarily
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