The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-10-11

Candidate Roosevelt is getting pur.
pie in the face denying imaginary
roorbaci1s OF the political enemy. From
h way he has started In thus early
he Is in danger Of bursting a blood
vessel before he meets his pohtica;
finish in November. A little story in
The New York World which duplicates
the strenuous candidate I'm a pact with
j. Pierpont Morgan to keep hands of
the trusts II the trusts come across
TO the financial satisfaction OF Manager
Cortelyou in the present campaign. is
denounced by word of mouth through
the presidential muZzle as "a lie. This
Is emphatic enough. whatever may be
said Of h expression on the score of
dignity.-AGanta Constitution
The earnestness with which Senator
Knox of Pennsylvania has undertaken
to dispel the shadow that Judge Parker
threw upon Mr.. RooSeyelts fiippant de-
NAL of the efficacy of the common law
in dealing with combinations in re-
strainJ of trade seems TO mark the
former attorney general as the presi-
dents authority for the error into
which he so lightly fell. Senator Knox
makes a fine bit of technical pleading
but he fails to carry conviction howev>
er he may be able to tighten in trou-
bled partisan minds the ~obscurity into
which the presidents dictum was cast.
Those who want to think Roosevelt
right will be persuaded 10y the words
of Knox; those who are looking for the
truth will turn from his special plead
ing to the categorical citation of Sec
ton and paragraph made by Judge
Parker upon which they can not do
otherwise than stand pat."-Charles-
ton Post.
Several times of late the managers Of
the iron and. steel industries in the
United states have come together in
conference to discuss matters pertain
ing to their welfare. Although trade in
other departments of industry has been
brisk, there has been dulneSs in iron
and steel and buyers have been very
slow to place their orders. In order to
stimulate trade, prices on some products
nave been arbitrarily reduced as they
had been arbitrarily held UP. But there
has been little or no reduction in the
price of steel rails. Rails are selling
in the United States at from S2S to $50,
while the American producers are SELL
ing the same rails abroad at from $19
to 81. This power to control prices in
the United States is derived from the
tariff. If our American concerns were
mad to compete with foreign concerns,
competition and not the dictum of the
American manufacturer would regulate
observation-disclosures.
The letter of acceptance of Hon.
Henry G.. Davis is brief and to the
point. 1t deals directly and firmly with
the issues Of the campaign, meeting
every one squarely; and stripping from
them the covering of equivocal phrases
in which his republican opponents have
sought to obscure the living issues of
the campaign. There IS nothing new
laid down, nothing that mas not been
touched upon by democratic writer's ano
speakers before, but in compact, clear,
forceful expression of democratic prin-
ciples, the letter of the candidate for
vice president excells. 1t is distinctly a
most important and helpful contribu-
ton to democratic strength in the cam
paign- 1t has the supreme merit of be-
ing SO short that it will obtain a careful
raading.-Atlanta journal.
The arrest of the officers Of the Non
pareil cork works at Camden, N. J.,
for selling for use as life preServ-
ers compressed blocks of cork, each
of which had a piece Of iron in it,
proves conelusively how widely the in
efficiency n corruption of the steam
boat inspectors were known. Had they
been in the habit of doing their duty,
Az ASSNo ~
swindle, would have dared to undertake
SO obvious a fraud. They knew full
well that lifeJboatS, in this harbor al
least, were never properly examined or
ever put overheard to test their buoy
ancy, and that If anything did leak out
a five-dollar bill would certainly fix
matters. Doubtless Mr.. Dumont will see
in this discovery a fresh argument for
his proposal to station an inspector
in every life-preserver factory. But the
public now understands that this would
mean nothing beyond an extra expendi-
ture to take care Of the official, if he
should be one of the prevalent type. AS
to the guilty manufacturers. we hope
that they will get the full penalty OF
the law. We are quite aware that
/ swindling of this kind is all too CON
mon in the business world, but mer
who would make a few dollars by risk
ing the lives of steamboat passengers
are criminals quite as deserving Of Sc
we're punishment Is any footpad, high.
wayman, or garroter.-New York Post.