Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1904 — WHAT BRYAN SAYS [ARTICLE]

WHAT BRYAN SAYS

lamination of Parker Is Triumph of Wall Street WT-TRUST PLANK IS NULLIFIED -ri-" : ~y_—;-r^——r-- . 111 Nomination Wai Brought About by "Crooked and Indefensible Methods"—His Candidacy Waa a Plain and Deliberate Attempt to Deceive i _ the Party. ■ In the first issue of “The Commoner" after the St. Louis convention Mr. Bryan makes a statement with reference to the Democratic national ticket and platform, it constitutes th« only editorial reference to Judge Parker in the paper. Mr. Bryan says la part: “A Democratic victory will mean ▼ery little, if any, progress on economic questions so long as the party la under the control of the Wall street element. * * * Nothing good can ba expected of him on the money question. “On the trust question the Democratic platform is very much better ihan the Republican platform, but the aomination of Judge Parker virtually aulliiles the anti-trust plank. • * * “So far as the labor questions are aoncerned we must await Judge Parser’s letter before we shall know whether the laboring man has anything to expect from his election. The labor plank as prepared by Judge Parker’s friends on the sub-committee was a straddling, meaningless plank. In the Ml committee planks were adopted in tavor of arbitration, the eight-hour day, and against government by injunction; also a plank on the Colorado situation. If Judge Par)r is silent or ambiguous on these ibjects it that the finanll influence baclV'bf him will not irmit him to take the labor side on ese disputed questions. “On the tariff question some littlo progress may be noped for, but the Parker men on the committee were nearly all in favor of a very conservative tariff planlc. and it-remains to seen whether Judge Parker will jarry out the -positive and definite plank which was submitted bv 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 trjumph of the Wall street element of the party denies to the country any hope of relief on economic questions. I have nothing to take hack, I have nothing to withdraw of the things that I have said against the methods pursued to advance his candidacy. It was a plain and deliberate attempt to deceive the party. The New York platform was vague and meaningless and purposely so, because the advocates of Judge barker were trying to secure votes from among the people who would have opposed his views had they known them. If he had sent to the Albany conven-

tion tno telegram that he sent to the St. Louis convention he would have had very tew instructed votes from the Soutn and no possible chance for the nomination. But he and his managers adroitly and purposely concealed his position until the delegates had been corraled and the nomination assured. Then his friends attempted to secure a gold piank, which was overwhelmingly defeated in the committee. After the party had rejoiced over the harmony secured by the omission of the question, and after he had secured the nomination, he injected his views upon the subject at a time f ■yh’en he could not be taken from the I ticket without great demoralization. The nomination was secured, therefore, by crooked and indefensible methods."