Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-04-27
an OPEN LETTER 10 ROOSEVELT.


--
Nv Dear Sir; You arc fond OF talking
about, politicians and retormsrs,
You have long coquettnu Wlth po.,
but have not yet conquered the hearts
rf either. for you still indulge In
srasmodic dispIragement OF both.
some time since you solemnly warned
the Republican administration not to
intrust the Philippines TO roiitl-
cians:" lately you revealed your soy
terplexity to the students at Ann arbor
in the confession that after many years
Of painful experience yoI really DID not
know which you dreaded most, the
machine politician or the fool re-
former.
Who is the fool reformer?
Mere Won fool reforiner when you
bay,n yorr legislative career and dia
yo1- sworn duty 10 the fool public
sin the direction Of common honesty,
to quote your own words! When you
sco:ned to count the cost or to weigh
the political influences OF common
honestly"
Were YOU fool reformer when you
devoted six years of your life to purglng
tho civil service from political IN
fuences without regard to the result on
yon- nwn political advancement:
We're you fool reformer when you
labored against political pulls IN the
Police Department Of New York and
enforced unpopular liquor laws, because
your oath Of Office bound you to com
mon honesty, even though common
honesty was not the road 70 political
preferment:
Were you fool reformor when even
at the cast Of the favored Secretary $
enmity. you signed the round robin at
Santiago to save your men from Alger-
ism:
We're you climbing from fool re-
| former 10 machine politician when
YOU fell into the arms OF your party
| organization and nasquerading your
uniform on the hustings. forgetting
what il had suffered at the hands ol
Alger? This silence in reference to the
| most heartless scandal of our history
was not because you considered the wal
| irrelevant to the election, for you made
your campaign on no other issue. Was
| il the silence of common honestly
| Or was il the silence Of the nenDhyts
in machine politics? Was the Santiago
protest the voice Of DR.. Jekyl and this
silence that followed the silence Of Mt
Hyde:
Was YOUR recent futile effort for ;
single headed police commission th'
move of fool reformer, and is YOU
grasp at partisan power through Re
publican State constabulary for ever.
Democratic city the wisdom OF tn
machine politician"
You complain that the Goo Coos
men. you add, of culture and sincerity
hurt you by their aid. Relieve you
mind Of that fear. You will neva
suffer that hurt again.
You separate the sheer and the goat
after this fashion:
"On one side We have people VIII
mean well aud don't do anything, Will
on the other We have practical people
who accomplish great deal, and d
not mean well at all. :"
Have you deliberately chosen to cas-
your lot with those who do not mea
we'll at all, rather than help tn
inability of those who do mean well?
But. perhaps. the street cry at Chi
cago for "0ur Candidate in 1900" ha
so turned your head that you cannc
distinguish between machine poll
tician" or .'fool reformer?n And thi
may explain why you dread them both
You have reason to dread them both
All successful reformers have been I
the multitude fool reformers. Th
precursors Of the emancipation pre-
clamation were fool reformers, an
when the machine politicians" Z
Alton murdered Loveioy, machir
politicians at Boston proclaimed wit
boldness equal to your own, that "h
died the FOOLS DEATH" Lincoln wa
"the fool reformer' when he thre
away the senatorship in his deba
with Douglas. Waring was fo
reformer' when, without hope
reward, he rescued New York fro
foul streets and perished in savir
Havana from the plague. Among sue
reformers you can never hope to ranl
from such reformers you can new
have aid nor command respect.
The machine politicians you may al!
well dread-for you are new to 20,
slavery, and your submission to the
sway is still hindered by your ha.
remembrance Of the Decalogue. Yo,
prostration will never be compile
enough to win their constancy. "Fo
reformer and machine politician. fC
have tried both fields. The healthy u
lands Of tho one you have abandone,
in the quicksands of tho other you a
| strt1uolinu Paul Enllar