The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-08
EDITORS AT
 FESTAL BOARD Democratic Newspaper
 Men Gather. MANY TOASTS REPLIED TO WatterSon Talks of ''The Issue and The Outlook" Howell Refers to Mob violence and Is Heartily Cheered-Herman Rid-
 der Speaks for Independents
 Who Are for Parker.

New York, Sept. 7.-Nearly 500 Democratic editors from all parts of the United States met at the banquet at Waldorf Astoria tonight. the occasion being a national conference called at the instance of the Democratic National Committee.
 The toast list included several of the best known editors in the country. All of the toasts were on political sub jects.
 Colonel Sylvanus E. Johnson, Wash ington correspondent of The Cincinnati Enquirer and former president of the Gridiron Club, was the toastmaster
 A large orchestra furnished music during the dinner. When Dixie" was played the diners. many of whom were from the South. jumped to their feet and the rebel yell was given several times. Enthusiasm was at the highest pitch when the selection was encored.
 Colonel Johnson in a brief speech in- troduced Colonel Henry Watterson who responded to the toast, The Issue and the Outlook" He said:
 Speech of Watterson.
 In order to allay curiosity and sup press conjecture--or words to that ef- fect-Iet me say in the beginning that I believe we can win this Presidential battle. I will go even further. and say that, with anything like an even be our own fault if we lose 1t. The two parties will go to the finish fairly united. Each will poll very nearly, if not quite. Its normal strength. The in depent vote, therefore, will decide the result.
 In the five debatable States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, in the East; Indiana and Wisconsin. in the West, there are, on a rough estimate. a million of these independent voters Half a million of them are Germans The other half are mugwumps and fioaters. For the life of me, I cannot see how any self respecting mugwumr can vote for Roosevelt, the recrean. civil service reformer. nor how any in telligent German, much as the -Presi- dent resembles the Kaiser. can be will ing to take even lottery chance in a war with the mother country, precipi' tated upon the drop of hat. to glorify the administration.
 Parker. the jurist, means peace with all nations, entangling alliance with none Roosevelt. the war lord. means complications abroad and corruptions al home, designed to prolong single favorites and agents in power. Every economic question must pause before an issue so transcendant.
 In venturing to discuss 1t tonight
 
 my own party and profession. may I not take a suppositious standpoint, ana declare that. If l were Republican and. over about the headwaters of Bit. ter Creek, there are Democrats who in- sist that I am not much better-I would vote for Parker and Davis and agains Roosevelt and Fairbanks. Being only plain American. who loves his country and clings to its institutions. I mear to do this anyhow. I shall do it be. cause 1t seems to me the upright thing to do. the enlightened thing to do, the prudent and honest thing to do.
 Heart Beats True.
 In spite of some excesses of feel Democratic heart beats true to the es. sential principles of the Republic as fl was created by the sublime Declaration and ordained by our incomparable Con stitution. In spite of their intelligence and energy. the Republican leaders arc losing sight of their fidelity to both Even the errors of the Democrats lear to virtues side, whilst the very virtues of the Republicans are beginning tc be sickled OCT with the pale cast oi corruption and absolutism. This Ii! not because the Democrats are Deino crats. or the Republicans are Rcpubli- cans. The label has little to do witt it. It is because the nature of long dominancy tends first to corruption, anC then. threatened with exposure, to ty- ranny.
 The old Democratic party came into being, like the Republican party, as the friend of man; 1t grew so strong. by prolonged domination. that 1t was able to make It's exit from power. the sigma for a long, bloody and senseless war would take no chance Of a repetition change of parties. though only for tn sake of the change. Little as the twt administrations of Grover Cleveland ef, fected, either in the statutory laws ol In the general policy, they were bene ficient interludes to the unbridled ambi ton and the grasping inclination of thu Republicans. The did bring the Re publican leaders to realizing sense o their public obligation. They diC serve notice even upon the saints tha they do not possess the earth. Sucl will be the effect If none other. of th' election of Parker and Davis, and th' defeat of Roosevelt and Fairbanks. The issue before us, therefore, l. whether the people will allow the Re publican party to grow so potent, so I' intrench itself sin power, as that noth ing short of some dire convulsion shal be able to uproot 1t, or whether the! welt and Fairbanks by the hand, anC bid them stand aside, whilst in thu persons of Parker and Davis they re cover into their own hands the los balance of power; of power which Il now lodged In the Executive Mansion a | Washington. flanked on one side by thu Speaker of the House and his Commit tee on Rules. supported on the othel side by a group of Senators who seel only to know the Presidents will 1T order to obey 1t.
 The Personality Issue. Inevitably the personality, the char acter and performances of Theodor, Roosevelt. occupy the foremost place in the public mind. They will con stitute the chief horn of the people: dilemma in the coming campaign. They are, as it were, the beginning and the end of the chapter. Yet, because wC propose 10 discuss the President. ant to hold him to a just measure of ac- countability. we are accused of abus ing him. I would not, for my part. ut ter an unkind or dlscourteous word. admit that he Is as sweet a gentleman as ever scuttled a ship or cut a throat Indeed. very much that kind of a gen tieman; for. hoisting the black flag ovel the South, has he not scuttled the shlI l of civil service reform and cut thu throat of reciprocity? Has he eve obeyed the law in case 1t stood in tn way of his humor. from the time when over the acquitting report of his owl commission, he removed a States at | torney from the office to which the peo ple had elected him, here in the cit, 1 and county of New York, to the tim ! when, by a scratch of his pen, he usurp | ed the power of Congress and addei | many millions of outlay to the pensiol