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Foreign PostnKO 62 Conta Kxtra,
THE STANDPAT PLATFORM
(Continuod from Pago 3)
1904. During tlioso four years the republican
party was in power and the failure of that
party to reform tho abuses that have grown up
uudor individualism is responsible for tho rapid
growth of socialism. Even today the republi
can party is encouraging tho socialistic idea by
its defense of private monopolies. Instead of
exterminating monopolies, it only asks for reg
ulation, and experience has shown that monopo
lies rogulato tho government instead of being
rogulatod by the government. Whon a repub
lican presents . an economic argument in
favor of monopoly in industry, ho goes more
than half way in the defonso of socialism, for
the socialist malr.es tho sflmo argument but in
sists that the benefits of monopoly shall be en
joyed by the whole country. The democratic
party, instead of tending toward socialism, is
tho chief defendor -of Individualism in the
United States, for it Insists upon the restoration
of competition and upon the protection of com
petition as a regulation force in industry. It is
tho democratic party that insists upon equality
of- opportunity and upon the guaranty to each
individual of the results of his labor, and it is
tho republican party that has permitted tho
door of opportunity to boNY.iloBed and con
verted business into an immonc lottery system
under which a few draw capital prizes Jn tho
form of swollen fortunes while the many see
their prospect of independence decreasing.
Equally false is tho statement that the
democratic party believes in government own
ergWs and tho republican party in regulation.
TrJTe democratic party insists upon regulation
and the republican party, dominated by preda
tory corporations, will not consent even to effec
tive regulation. The president himself, and even
Secretary Taft, has pointed out that government
ownership must be expected if regulation is not
permitted, and yet oven- this threat does not
stir tho republican loaders to a successful re
sistance to corporate influences.
The newspaper men, supported by a mes
sago from tho president, tried to secure the
passago of a law putting wood pulp and print
paper on the free list. They not only failed, but
tho platform makes no mention of this specific
reform. If the president and all the republican
newspapers can not get a specific promise of
tariff reduction, what hope is there of tariff re
form at the hands of the republican leaders?
Tho platform as written is indubitable
proof that the republican party does not expect
to give the country any real reform. The plat
form is, in fact, a contract, signed and sealed,
betwoon the republican party and the exploiting
interests, guaranteeing that nothing shall bo
done to free tho people from graft and extor
tion; it is an admission that tho money to carry
on the campaign is to bo drawn from the "sys
tem" and that means that the "system"
will bo in control after the election. The
"system" is run on business principles and when
it. puts up its monoy to carry an election, it is
sure to be quite caroful about tho'security taken.
rl V ijfc
REPUBLICANS DECEIVING LABOR
Tho anti-injunction plank of the republican
platform, as finally adopted, is a transparent
fraud. It is possible that tho members of the
committee were buncoed by some trust lawyer
that is tho only charitable view that can bo taken
of.tt. Those who advocated tho plank claimed
to be doing it as a concession to the wage earn
ers, and yet if one will read tho ninnir i, ,m
u uuul xl is in nice an announcement that the
M..VHU iwjr la umunsniojy Opposed tO tllO
The Commoner.
laboring man's position. Tho plank reads as
follows: "Tho republican party will uphold at
all times tho authority and integrity of the
courts, state and federal, and will ever insist
that their powers to enforce their processes and
to protect life, liberty and property shall bo pre
served inviolate. Wo believe, however, that tho
rules of procedure in federal court, with respect
to the issuance of a writ of injunction, should bo
more accurately defined by tho statute; that no
injunction or temporary restraining order should
be issued without notice, except where irrepar
able injury would result from delay, in which
case a speedy hearing thereafter should be
granted."
It will be seen that the plank begins with
an unnecessary eulogy of the courts. Nobody
is opposed to upholding at all times the authority
and Integrity of the courts. Nobody is object
ing to the enforcement of their processes or to
their exercise of their powers to protect life,
liberty and property. The plank assumes that
somebody is attacking the courts and that the
courts are in danger of losing support or of
having their powers weakened. There is no
attack upon the courts and there is no thought
anywhere of interfering with any legitimate
function of the court. The republican conven
tion puts up a man of straw and then proceeds
to demolish it; it suspects an unholy assault
upon the judiciary and Its righteous indignation
at once finds expression in a boastful assertion
of its innocence of participation in any such
suspected assault. This part of the plank was
written to give assurance to the people who are
opposed to the laboring man's plea. And now
let us proceed to that part of the plank which
was intended as a sop to tho laboring man. It
says: "We believe, however, that the rules of
procedure in the federal court with respect to
tho Issuance of a writ of Injunction should be
more accurately defined by the statute' (Just
what that definition shall be is not stated.)
"That no injunction or temporary restraining
order should be issued without notice, EXCEPT
WHERE IRREPARABLE INJURY WOULD RE
SULT FROM DELAY, in which case a speedy
hearing thereafter should be grante.".." Note
the words in capitals (EXCEPT WHERE IRRE
PARABLE INJURY WOULD RESULT FROM
DELAY), and compare this exception with the
federal statute on tho subject and you will find
that under the law AS IT NOW EXISTS the
court is not empowered to grant a temporary
restraining order EXCEPT "THERE APPEARS
TO BE DANGER OF IRREPARABLE INJURY
FROM DELAY." It will bo seen that the man
who wrote the injunction plank copied the stat
ute almost word for word and made the excep
tion as broad as the statute. If the convention
had been frank in the statement of its position
it would have quoted the present statute and
said that it was in favor of enforcing the law
JUST AS IT IS. It would have said, "whereas,
at present, a court or judge may grant a tem
porary restraining order 'if there appears to be
danger of irreparable injury from delay,' there
fore be it resolved that we are opposed to chang
ing it."
The men who are responsible for the
language of the injunction plank may have
fooled the rest of the committee and they may
have fooled the convention, but they can not
fool the laboring men or the voters in general.
The injunction plank has not even tho value of
a gold-plated brick for the plating is brass, as
well as tho interior of the brick.
The plank as prepared in advance of tho
convention by Mr. Tart's friends and given out
on Tuesday reads as follows: "We declare for
such amendments of tho statutes of procedure
in the federal courts with respect to the use
of tho writ of injunction as will, on the one hand
prevent tho summary Issue of such orders with
out proper consideration, and on the other will
preserve undiminished the power of the courts
to enforce their process, to the end that justice
may be done at all times and to all parties "
It will be noticed that in this plank the
declaration in favor of amendments comes first
and tho declaration in favor of preserving undi
minished the power of the courts to enforce
their processes comes afterwards. In the nlanlc
as adopted by the convention, the declaration in
favbr of the courts comes first and the discussion
of a change in he law comes afterwards. It
will also be noticed that in the first drift of
the platform the pledge is that the poweMho
courts "to enforce their process" shall be Pre
served In the plank adopted by the conven
ion this promise is enlarged and elaborated
f?vn? Trignnal atf0 amendments aro
favored. In the platform adopted by the con
vent on there is no. suggestion of an amend
ment, they only ask for a more accurate defini-
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2
tion of the rules of procedure. In the original
plank the aim of tho party was to "prevent the
summary issue of such orders without proper
consideration," whereas in the plank adopted
in tho convention an exception is inserted that
nullifies the promise because the exception
leaves tho subject just as it found it.
If tho demand of the laboring man is un
reasonable, why did not the convention say so?
Why did It resort to deception? The republican
party will find that an honest course would have
been safer than the dishonest course pursued.
The fraud which tho convention attempted
will not mislead anyone because there is time
enough between now and election for everyone
to find out the facts.
Secretary Taft is known as the father of
government by injunction and his speeches in
Oklahoma last year gave conclusive proof of
his adherence to the position taken by him on
the bench. He is still in favor of the use of
the writ of injunction in labor cases and he is
opposed to trial by jury.
In a speech delivered in New York last
winter he said, in response to questions, that
the law ought to be so amended as to give a
hearing before the injunction was granted and
even consented that the hearing for contempt
should be before a different judge from the ono
who granted tho injunction, but when he came
to prepare a plank for the convention he did not
go as far as he went in his speech. The plank
that went before the convention as his plank
was so weak that it amounted to nothing, but
it was even then too strong for the convention
and the convention adopted a plank which not
only does not grant any concessions to the labor
ing man but really emphasizes the position taken
by large corporate employers by hurling an
athema at those who are suspected of a desire
to modify the law relating to injunctions. This
is the treatment received by the wage earners
from the national convention Qf the republican
party. If this is the position of the party before
the election, what reason has the laboring man
to hope that the party will do better after
election?
W & f&fc iM
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS
COLORADO , ,.. ,.
The democratic state convention for Colo
rado met at Glenwood Springs, June 16. Former
Governor Alva Adams was elected national com
mitteeman. The delegates chosen are Charles
J. Hughes, Jr., ex-Governor Charles S. Thomas,
Mrs. Mary C. Bradford, Elmer F. Beckwith,
Henry M. Limberger, Christian Kaiser, J. U.
Virgil, W. E. Jones, F. R. McAliny,- Frank A.
Wheeler.
The platform concludes, as follows: "Re
solved, That in William J. Bryan the democracy
of Colorado recognizes a true patriot, a wise,
fearless and conservative statesman, and a thor
oughly honest man. In the White. House or
out of it no machine controls him, no boss dic
tates to him, no special privilege interest can
coerce him. His independence, his ability, his
exalted patriotism, his stainless character ap
peals to the people of the nation. Therefore we
instruct the delegates elected by this convention
to cast their votes for W. J. Bryan for president
and continue to so cast them while his name
shall be before the convention as a candidate."
MISSISSIPPI
Following is an Associated Press dispatch:
Jackson, Miss., June 17. The democratic state
convention which met here instructed the dele
gates named to represent the state at the na
tional convention to vote first and last for the
selection of W. J. Bryan as candidate for presi
dent. The delegates selected to attend the na
tional convention follow: Senator A. J. McLau
ren, Brandon; Representative John Sharp Wil
liams, Yazoo City; Governor E. F. Noel, Jack
son; ex-Governor J. K. Vardaman, Jackson; ex
Governor Lowery K. Jackson; ex-Governor Long
ino, Jackson.
TENNESSEE
Following is an Associated Press dispatch:
Nashville, Tenn., June 17. The state democratic
convention which met here to select the dele
gates to the national convention at Denver com
pleted its work and adjourned late this after
noon. The delegates are: L. D. Tyson of Knox
county, G. D. Fitzhugh, Shelby county, and
United States Senators James B. Frazier and
Robert L. Taylor. The delegation is instructed
to vote as a unit for the nomination of W. J.
Bryan for president, John A. Johnson of Minne
sota being commended for vice president.
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