The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-10-27
PARKER's IRREsPoNsIBILTTY.

In this speech the Democratic candidate
has given the measure of his knowledge of
large affairs has shown his lack Of any sense
OF responsibility and has introduced another
element Of doubt and danger into the prob
Rms which would confront his administration
II he were elected
It IS a misfortune for a party. as it is for
an Individual TO have serious occupation,
fer Satan finds mischief for idle hands. Be
cause they have absolutely no facts to bring
forward they have produced a fantastic variety
Of Actions | will not occupy your time by
recounting these rather ignobe flights Of
imagination. 1 viii only refer to one class
Of charges-those which ring the changes
two words; the President is lawless and
Every act of his which they qualify as
lawless has been done after careful study OF
the law, after counsel with the best lawyers,
and every one which has been brought to
the test Of the courts has been triumphantiy
approved by our highest judicial authorities
But told he is dangerous to the
peace OF the world, he is fire eater, a
war lorrs-he wishes to embroil us in a policy
o. adventure. What does the record say? He
and his predecessor have done more In the
interest of universal peace than any other
two Presidents since our Government was
formed. They have done more for. the cause
OF arbitration than all the rest put together
They have composed more difficulties by
friendly negotiation they have settled more
questions that threatened our peace; they
have made more treaties and more mutually
advantageous ones than any other Presidents
in our history.
1t sometimes seems waste of time to meet
these wild and whirIing words of caiumny.
believe them. Each man of them knows very
well that he could wish no happier lot to his
boy in the cradle than that he might grow up
10 he such man as Theodore Roosevelt. IL
some weak-minded anarchist should take 1t
into his added brain to adopt the amiable
and chivalrous advice given the other day In
a public speech by an Alabama Congressman
and send President Roosevelt to join the equal
" loved and naligned Lincoln and GARFIELD
and Mckinley, you know now what a pail of
would spread over this country from
end to end: and not over this country alone,
FOR the shadow OF that grief would sweep like
a sudden night around the world.
THE CURSE OF PARTY SPIRIT.
1t is the curse Of party spirit especially in
times when the opposition has no great cause
a. advocate, when there is no great issue at
stake, that impels even honest men TO say
what they do not believe and to incite disor-
cered minds to deeds which I'LL with anguish
the heart Of nation
Democrats of Massachusetts, this reckless
charge against the President:
He has declared war against q sister repub-
lie without an act OF Congress, in defiance of
the well-known usages OF international law
and in the face of an adverse opinion from his
chief law adviser. II is commonly believed"
Who. I may ask believes 1t? Who is the
man gifted with the malignant credulity which
makes such belief possible7 This is model
campaign fiction, for every word in it is false
The President has not declared war on any
nation. declaration OF war is solemn Of
ncial act, impossible except by vote of Con-
Rress. No such act ever took place. It may
be presumed the platform refers to the notice
given to the hostile forces on the isthnlu~ that
they were not TO fight on the line of the rail-
road which it was our duty to keep OPEN
But this was war, and no declaration of
war; there was no defiance Of constitu-
ton, nor of international law. The action OF
the President in the interest of peace and
IL was effective. Not hostile shot has since
been fired the isthmus.
And here is the plain proof of it. In the
very breath with which -ey accuse us
OF being the isthmus the result of vio-
lence robbery and treachery, they propose
not only TO stay there, but to go right and
reap the fruit Of infamy by building the
canal. There is no talk of restitution, no sug-
gestion Of a national penance for transgres-
sion Nothing OF the kind They will enter
the house of sin which we have built-they
viii eat of the fat and drink of the sweet,
rolling up sanctimonous eyes and thanking
heaven they not those wicked Repub-
licans.
LOYAL TO CONSTITUTION.