The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-03
.SCHURZSENDSOUT STRONG LETTER Tells Why Judge Parker Should
 be Elected SHOWS ROOSEVELT'S FAULTS Cites Strong Case to Show the Evils of High Tariff-Plsads for Strict
 Construction of the
 Constitution.
SHOWS ROOSEVELT'S FAULTS

New York, October 2-Carl schurz has addressed an open letter to the Parker Independent clubs of the United States which is in part as follows.
 Bolton Landing, September, 1904 To James w. Pryor, Esq, General Secre- tary Parker Independent Clubs.
 Dear Sir-I have received many invita- tions to address public meetings in the present election campaign with which, 1 regret to say l am unable to comply. But have put on paper an expression of my views on some of the subjects at present under public discussion, and this submit to you for such use as you may see fit to make of IL.
 Fifty years of political study and ex perence in this country have convinced me that If the American people mean to preserve the blessings of their free in- stitutions, they must always keep in view certain truths.
 The government of this republic must be a government of law, not a govern ment of adventure.
 l It must be government for the general l benefit, not a government of favor for tho promotion of special interests. 1t must be government not permanent i ly controlled by one political party, but by | different parties alternating in the pos session of power.
 Time corrupts Party. | There never was political party in a democracy, however virtuous it may have been at the start. that was not by long possession of power more or less corrupt ed and made arrogant and arbitrary.
 The things most dangerous to this re- public are excessive party spirit, cor ruption, and false patriotism, which is | another name for national vanity, or greed under the gnise of national pride
 The party spirit which regards party success not merely as a means to a higher end, but the end itself. and which puts abiect obedience to party be- hest above the moral law and the dictates of conscience, will. if 1t prevails. fnevi- tably destroy the vitality of free insti- tut4nns.
 Whatever Induces people to look to the government for fayors to advance their material fortunes instead of relying upon their own independent energies will tend to deteriorate the popular charac- ter.
 Of all the agencies of corruption the farthest reaching and the most demoral- king is a system of policy by which the government deals out benefits of pesn- niary value to special interests, those fa-, vored interests then to support by pecu- nlary aid the party controlling the goy- ernment. This Is corruption organized on q national scale.
 Conservative Influence.
 A democracy working through univer- sal suffrage cannot have too many con servative influences of high authority to guide popular sentiments and to protect it against misleading seductlons. In this republic the highest conservative influ- ence consists in the traditional venera- tlon by the people of the principles which justified our existence as an independent nation, and of the Ideals for the grad ual realization of which the republic was founded In the same measure that we lost this conservative influence of that tradition. the republic will become q prey to disorderly passions. unprncipled greed and reckless demagogy.
 The idea that a nation in its dealings with other nations is not bound hy the moral code recognized between man and man. is in the highest degree dangerous to democracy, because it insidiously confuses the popular conscience as to moral standards or obligations In all things
 Worship of wealth, of force, of power. or of mere success whether right or : wrong is in a democracy one of the most malignant dlstempers of the popa- lar mind-one of the most prolific sources of anti-democratic tendencies. l Observe the Constitution. | In n democracy not only constitutional , principles but also constitutional forms , should be observed with particular con seientiousness; for laxity in the respect . for constitutional forms will soon lead . to disregard of constitutional principles . and then to arbitrary rule Nothing can be more seductive, demor- - alizing and perilous in a democracy than |. | inc adoption of the idea that the end o iustihes the means
 | The degree of economy In public ex- f nendItures may be taken the barom- s eter of honesty in the public service. A
 lavish administration will always run
 Into corruption
 These truisms-trite commonplaces you
 may cali then-will be accepted by ai- ' most everybody in theory They are but foo recklessly overlooked in political practice, and can therefore not 100 eI ten be recalled to popular attention. l. to keep them clearly in view when choos-
 Ing between parties and candidates In casting my vote
 Tariff and Prosperity.
 Having started out in public activity with the republican party in the earliest days of its youth l remained us en- thusiastic coherent so long as lt was lhs party of liberty and human rishts-as if proudlv called itself ''the party of moral ideas" II is now something very different lt is more and more becoming a party owned by rich men who want To hecome through 1t, still richer. While many of it's leading men treat the pfln- ciples of the Declaration 3l Independence once it's Magma Charta-with. super cilious contempt as anticipated nursery rhymes the party speaks with rapture about our material prosperity and our growing wealth. boasts of them as the product of it's policies, and parades them as its main title 10 eontinuaG popular con- fdence and support
 The boast that the great advances of this country in wealth ana prosperity : | ffa high protection s simply slander on the American people. Our natural re- sources are so immense and the energy and ingenuity of American labor so ex- eeptionaIy productive tha, owing to the combination of these two tremendous fac tors the American people were bound to prosper md to grow Fap.dly in wealth l