Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1908.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 26 September 1908, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1908.

THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

THE CANDIDATES AND THEIR POLITICS. THE revelations or denunciations by Mr Hearst, of New York, the principal exponent of "yellow journalism," but also a reformer of sorts, have thrown a '•omhshell into the camps of tho Republican and Democrat parties contesting the Presidential election in the United States. In attacking the "lead, ing lights" other than the candidate themselves on both sides, Mr Hearst damages both sections impartially, but he does not improve the chances of the outside candidates, merely injuring Mr Taft and Mr Bryan. Ihe cables are somewhat obscuro on the question of the damage likoly to be done to the nominees of the two great divisions of American politics. It is asserted at the same breath that Mr Bryan has lost ground and that his chances have improved. Simultaneously, Senator Koraker, who is one of those assailed as a tool of Standard Oil, dissociates himself from Mr Taft's cause lest he should do it harm before he can justify and exonerate himself; and Mr Bryan ha6 come forward with pledges in defence of tho Treasurer of the Democratic National Fund, similarly charged with being a "led-captain" of the Rockefellers, I Rogers, and others of the Trust. • In j the genera] lesults one seeing the work- | ing of the leaven that was -tarted by , T. W. Lawson in his famous exposure of "Frenzied Finance" a year or so ago. ...... In view ot the great interest centred j on the coming Presidential Election in the United States, a summarised account of the candidates, then- parties, and their politics iray be of nse to the general reader. With the virtually unanimous nomination of Wm. Jennings | Bryan on tho Democratic ticket the campaign was fairly started on 10th July, ( the running being between him and Mr Wm. H. Taft "the inheritor of the policies of President Roosevelt, . and j the Republican nominee. But there are various other candidates, including a. "probable" representing the liquor Prohibitionists,, and, as predicted a couple of months ago, Mr Wm. R. Hearst, representing the Independence League, has commenced making trouble with hifl per- 1 sonallv controlled party. Attention, however, need be given only to Taft j and Brvan, and if one were bold enough to predict, ho might give the preference to the former. It may be that the swing of the political pendulum has come to the side of the Democrats who . have been for many years m the cold shade of the "oute." But Mr Bryan hae a bizarre personality and ideals repugnant to ever, moderate conservatism, and | while he is accepted as the strongest nominee procurable his candidature does not encourago enthusiasm except among xtrcmiet*. Mr Bryan emerged from •bounty at th- Democratic National : Convention of 1896 by reason of a florid ■iddrcss to the assemblage on the subject ••[ the free coinage of silver; which ••stampeded" the convention to "is nomination. He was a lawyer who had -lade no considerable reputation either in his profession or in Congress. ni- , nomination, however, gave him an ap- i portunity lo place his "radical views bet

[ore the world— an opportunity of which , he has availed himseif ever since, with tho result that, next to President Roosevelt, he is the best known man in American politics. After his first defeat he was re-nominated in 1900) he estabiished a weekly paper, the "Commoner, which, with his fees from lecture engagements, has made him a comparatively wealthy man. Though his views on Jomo public questions have apparently been modified with the passing of the vears, he is still the exponent of radicalism in the Democratic Party, and is rewarded as a dangerous man bv _ many &emo.-rats, particularly in the Eastern States. _ On the other hand, Mr Wm. H. Taft, tl»o Republican nomln^o in- "the mJ-eri-to- of the nolicios of President Roosevelt" hae L long and brilliant record of publio service. His reputation as a jurist was established as a United States Circuit Judge, when he delivered a series of opinions against railway employees who interrupted tho service of a road bv striking and boycotting. At tne . yune time he upheld the r ight °* ™»-\ way employees to strike without notice when their grievance against the company of their employment was a direct one. Appointed by President McKinley to the Presidency of the Philippines Commission, he showed executive ability of the highest order, and hu? work as an administrator in those Islands did more than anything else to reconcile the Filipinos to American rule. As Secretary of War under President Roosevelt, he has visited Cuba twice, acting as peace-maker after insurrections, ana* he has performed sjmilai functions in Panama, in addition to Ms seneral control of the canal work, lic-h Taft and Bryan are men of thoroughly democratic mould, of great personal charm, and topically American. Apparently Mr Hearst is his own nominee for the Independence League, although the cablegrams do not say so in so many words. The Socialsit party nominate Eugene V. Debs— but there is a serious split between the Socialists pro. per and the Socialist-Labour party. The latter nominated Martin R. 1 reston, of Goldfield, Nevada, lor the sole reason that he is serving a 25 v<mie sentence for killing a saloon-keepi!--Preston, however, cannot see his way to netting about to conduct his canvass, eo he has refused the nomination, which has greatly incensed the leaders of the party Labour as represented by unionism makes no personal nomination ; hut extorts pledges from Republioaus nnd Democrats alike- as the price of f nppcrt. ...... With regard to the policy of the various p^rties conoerned in the contest, organised labour brought great pressure to bear upon the platform-makers to secure from each a pledge to limit thf power of the. writs to issue injunctions in cases involving disputes between em plovers and employed. From the Demo i crats Labour secured the adoption o; a declaration against the use of in junctions in any cases in which the; ■ would not issue if no industrial disput were involved ; the approval of the pro i position that labour organisations shouli » not be regarded (as they now are unde % strict construction of the anti-trus i law) as "combinations in restraint o I trade" ; and the recommendation tha when labour organisations are charger with contempt of court in disobeying aj , injunction the charge shall be tried be fore a jury. The Republican platforn concedes so much only: "The Republi ■-an Party will uphold at all times th luthoritv and integrity of the courtState and Federal, and will ever insis that their powers to enforce their pro ce6s and to protect life, liberty, ane property, shall be preserved inviolate We believe, however, that the rules o l procedure in the Federal courts will i respect to the issuance of the writ of in L junction should be more accurately de fined by statute, and that no injunc I tion or temporary restraining orde: should be issued without notice, ex cept where irreparable injury would re suit from delay, in which case a speedi hearing thereafter should be granted. As an outcome of the relative conces sion. Samuel Gompers. President of tin American Federation of Labour, has de dared in favour of the Democratic no minee, Mr Bryan. This article would not be complete without a review of the fiscal policy of the Republican and Democratic parties, with brief reference to other issues. Thc Republicans ara for a revision of the tariff hv a special '-ession of Congress immediately following the inauguration of the next President. They say:— "ln all tariff legislation the true principle of protection is best maintained by the imposition of -uch duties as will equal the difference between the cost of production at home and abroad, together with 1 reasonable profit to the American industries. We favour the establishment of maximum and minimum rates to be administered by the President under limitations fixed by law, the nviximum to be available to meet dis'rimination by foreign countries against American (jools entering their markets, and the minimum to represent the normal measure of protection at homo " Tho Democratic plank is as follows : — "We favour immediate revision of the tariff by the reduction of import duties. Articles entering into competition with trust-controlled products should be placed upon the free list, and material reductions should be made in tho tariff upon the necessaries of life, especially upon artieels competing with such American manufactures as arc sold abroad moro cheaply than at home, and graduated reductions should be made in such other schedules as may be necessary to restore tho tariff to a revenue basis. ' ' With regard to the crusade against the trusts and combines, the Republicans favour such amendments to th© antitrust law as will give the Federal Government greater supervision and control over the management of corporations engaged in the inter-State commerce; also such legislation and supervision as will prevent the over-issue of stocks and bonds by inter-State carriers. The Democrats are more definite in their anti-trust programme; they specify threo remedies in addition to the exist, ing law :— First, a law preventing a duplication of directors among competing corporations; pecond, a license, system, which will, v.-ithout abridging the right of each State to create corporations or its right to regulate at its will foreign corporations doing business within its limits, make it necessary for a manufacturing or trading corporation engaged in inter-State commerce to take out a Federal license before it fhall be permitted to control as much as 25 per cent, of the product in which it deals, the license to protect the public from watered stock, and to prohibit the control by such corporation of more than 50 per cent of the total quantity of any product consumed in the United States; and, third, a law compelling such licensed corporations to 6ell to all purchasers in all parts of the country on tho same terms, after makinp due allowance for cost of transportation. »»♦»** Finally, both great parties declare for the improvement of inland wat, *r ways and the maintenance of an efficient navy. The Democrats also demand an income tax as part of the revenue system and the popular election ot Senators. The party is also pledged to preventing any corporation or individual from coritributing towards political campaign funds any sum a bov( ?, *** given maximum, and to publishing the details of such sums before election day. The Bryan platform, in addition to'the Democrat Convention platform, contains a "plank" f avouring full protection by both National and State Government", within their respective I coheres, of all foreigners residing in the United States under treaty, but opposing the admission of swh Asiatic immigrants as cannot- be assimilated by the American ration. i — JL: