Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1904 — Political Comment [ARTICLE]

Political Comment

. . The St. Louis convention modified, at the dictation of Its presidential candidate, the platform adopted a few hours before, and nominated an octogenarian for Vice President. In these two particulars the St. Louis convention was different from any other Democratic convention ever held. In previous conventions concessions have been made to the minority. The only concession mada to the minority in this convention was revoked by the presidential’candidate. In previous conventions of all parties there has been at least a pretense of consulting the wishes of the defeated factions in the nomination of a candidate for Vice President. There was no such pretense on the part of the dominant faction in the St. Louis convenlon. The political managers In control of the convention forced the nomination of Judge Parker to carry New York, New Jersey and Connecticut They drove the convention to the approval of Judge Parker’s telegram on the gold question to increase their chances of success in New York. They insisted on the nomination of Henry G. Davis as candidate for Vice President to strengthen thdr ticket in the East and South. They did absolutely nothing to invite the support of or excite enthusiasm in the West. Mr. Davis is an excellent gentleman

and a man of affairs, but be has scarcely one quality to recommend him to the average voter. He was not nominated to please the average voter, but to please the heavy contributors to campaign funds in the East. He was not nominated to secure the support of the average worker in any field, but to secure the support of those whose special grievance against President Roosevelt is that he lias Insisted that the great trusts have no more rights above the law or under the law than .rdlnary business corporations and individuals. Mr. Davis’ name was put on the ticket to increase the- chances of Democratic success in New York and to bring West Virginia and Maryland into the Democratic column.

By their action at St. Louis the Democratic leaders have marked out the area of heavy fighting for the Republicans. The Republican leaders should take up the gage of battle and strike hard. —Chicago Inter Ocean.

Two Speeches. There was a marked difference between the speeches of the temporary chairman and the permanent chairman of the national Republican convention. The opening speech, while undeniably a choice example of polished diction gnd fine rhetoric, contained few statements calculated to influence a single vote. “Uncle Joe” Cannon's speech, on the contrary, dealt with real things, exigent things, such as production, employment, wage earning, w’age paying, business, trade, commerce—in short, prosperity, the prosperity that has always attended Republican policies, the prosperity that must largely abate If those policies are abandoned. Chairman Cannon showed a thousand reasons for voting the Republican ticket. Chairman Root said some things, to be silre, indicating that the country would Dot fare as well under n Democratic as under a Republican admlrilstration, but the things be said were, In the main, of the kind that are pleasant to hear and agreeable to read, but do not appeal strongly to the average man. And it is the average man that elects Presidents. The vote-getting speech of the convention Whs “Uncle Joe’s." Whoa* Interests? It is a peculiarity of free traders, as it is of “antis,” that the welfare of fiaretgn countries and peoples Is always

in their minds superior to the welfare of the United States. Certain New England tariff smashers are just now bewailing the fact that reciprocity with Newfoundland would be difficult of attainment because Newfoundland would insist upon the free entry of fish into the States, and this would injure the Gloucester fishing interests. “Our New England leaders in Congress,” they sneer, “will take care of Gloucester’s interests and not permit any modification of the tariff which would benefit Newfoundland.” Why not take care of Gloucester’s interests? The welfare of the New England fisheries is the welfare of the the thousands of American citizens employed in them; and whose interests should the New England leaders in Congress first consider—those of the fishermen of Newfoundland or the fishermen of New England ? The fishermen of Newfoundland, the free traders seem to think.—New York Press - - Chicago Chronicle Bolts Parker. The Chicago Chronicle, one of the most ably edited papers in the country, has changed its politics from Democratic to Republican. The change is announced in a leading editorial, in which it bids farewell to “the party of Bryanism and Hillism,” and comes out .for the Republican ticket. The Chron-

icle says: A mixture of William J. Bryanism and David B. Hillism is insupportable. Thi Chronicle is not in sympathy with Mr. Bryan’s Ideas. For eight years it has refused to believe that Mr. Bryan’s ideas were acceptable to the real Democrats of the country. The result at St. Louis appears to end the discussion. He and Hill art in control. He and Hill have named the ticket and made the platform. A timid eastern Democrat, who fondly imagined that he could be nominated as an unknown, has been placed oh the ticket with an octogenarian free silverite from West Virginia and supplied with a platform which amounts to an indorsement of the platforms of Chicago and Kansas City. The Populistic West and the reactionary South are again in alliance, with a new leader it is true, but with no change In principle and purpose. The ticket bears the stamp of Populism. There le not a plank in the platform which was not modified by Populism. The Democratic party is attached to Bryanism. It is subservient to Bryan. It has been persuaded against its natural inclinations to nominate an unknown candidate whom Bryan has antagonized, but it lias permitted Bryan to do the rest. The Democratic party is Bryan and there is no reason to suppose that its triumph tinder the leadership of a man who voted twice for Bryan and free silver, and boasted of it, would be anything else than a triumph for Bryan. Disagreeing fundamentally with this leader and this party in most things and agreeing with the Republican party in the essentials of its creed, The Chronicle takes leave of the Democratic party and allies itself with the Republicans.

As at (resent constituted and led, the Democratic party is a menace to the peace, the prosperity and the integrity of the United Rfstea and their people. It has discarded Democratic principles and takes up with the radicalism of Populists and Socialists and the obstructionism and the cowardice of wreckers and demagogues. No good can come out of it. With | blank for a candidate and a blank for a platform it will become more and more a contemptible instrumentality (or the exploitation of William J. Bryan nnd the school of demagogues following in his train. The Chronicle believes that the Republican party, while not free of fault by any means, offers the American people st this time the only prospect of effleient. intelligent and honest government that is anywhere to be seen, and, so believing, it Will do what it can to advance its ins sad to strengthen its candidates.