The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-31
A REAL DANGER.

| the BUSINESS WOTld IN the great cities OF
the North say it is in the air that there
will be change in the occupant of the
White House. The rashness of Mr.. Roose-
welt scares prudent business men. His
usUrpation of power in the Panama in
cident, the blacklist page of our inter
national history, shows that he at any
moment may plunge this country into
war. He seems to think that he is a
Napoleon, able to act without awaiting
or seeking the concurrence of Congress.
| In other matters his usurpation of power
and his recklessness have alarmed conser-
vative men who would prefer a safer man
at the helm. If the Democrats are wise
they will get the bulk of this vote
The real danger to Democracy is that,
seeing some hostility toward Roosevelt
because of his opposition to the Northern
Securities conspiracy to make a railroad
trust, they will seek to obtain the sup
port Of the Morgans and other trust in
terests now said to be personally hostile
to Mr Roosevelt for the chief good thing
he has done. He is a courageous man
and nobody owns him. That is an offense
to the Morgan crowd. They would like
TO see him defeated if the Democratic
nominee would wear their yoke. In the
intense desire to win, the real danger to
Democracy is that it's leaders will in
cline to cater to this class of support. If
they do, the defeat of the party will oe
ten fold more crushing than in 1894 when
the Democratic party lost every North
err state and four or five Southern states.
Writing Of the character of that support,
the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot says;
''The objection of the Republican party
to Roosevelt is that he is too honest
and too courageous for the crooked in
terests that fill the campaign barrel upon
the understanding that an acceptable
candidate be named upon an acceptable
platform. 1t is bare justice to Roosevelt
to say that so far these interests have
not been able to acquire ownership and
control of him. For that reason they
hate him, as they hate everybody they
cannot control, and for that reason they
are prepared to knife him. He has hal,
from the point of view, the unheard-of
effrontery to drag some of them into the
courts of law and to interfere with the
benevolent purpose of Others to starve
out their employees and to freeze out
the country. For this the whole outfit,
with the fellow feeling piracy begets.
stands ready to contribute to his defeat
in order to teach aspiring statesmen
once for all that honesty in politics
doesn't pay
While we do not accord to Mr.. Roosevelt
the place on the high pedestal given him
by our contemporary, we honor him for
instituting the suit against the Northern
Securities company and for making the
treasury department more independent of
Wall street. We could hope that those
two good acts are Indicative of his gen
eral policy but it is evident that he viii
not carry the war into Africa and enforce
the laws against other giant trusts. Their
is some doubt whether he will use all
mis- power to prevent the transportation
monopoly. 1t is predicted that while he
will not capitulate, he will not be siren
uous in carrying out the policy commenced
In the Northern Securities company case.
It is certain that. while two or three great
trust magnates do not like him, he h..
made friends of most of the "mammon
Of unrighteousness.' In the campaign,
who will say that the very trust mag
mates now publicly antagonistic will not
support him earnestly? With Hanna, Al
drich, Quay and the other trust senator's
guaranteeing to give them all they want,
VIII not these powerful senators be able
to keep the trusts in line for Roosevelt
who has never prosecuted single trust
that is doing business, combining his OPP
position to a suit to prevent q perfect
monopoly of transportation? If Morgan
and the others could get Democrat nom
mated as acceptable to them as Cleveland
was, they would contribute to both cam
paign funds, 90 to Europe and divide
their vassals among the two. not caring
greatly which party came out on top.
Isn't their game of abusing Roosevelt
aud counting Democrats too apparent to
fool anybody? They know that, while
Roosevelt may trouble them now and
then, they own the Republican party,
body, soul and breeches. They now wish
to hold out the temptation OF big cam
paign fund before the Democrats and Sc
duce them. If they can do this, then the
trust magnates can keep on robbing the
people, no matter which party wins.
II the Democracy should listen to the
Pierpont Morgan siren song and be 81
lent when it is the only hope of the
country, it would deserve to be defeated
It's duty is to stand against robbery un-
der the form of law as well as robbery
by illegal trusts, and to voice the demands
of the great American people for a fair
chance which the trusts have throttlcd.
1t can win in no other way. 1t will de-
serve to win along no other line. It's