The Washington times., 1904-09-12
The Letter of Acceptance.


President Roosevelts letter of &C
ceptance has been eagerly awaited
by Republicans and Democrats alike,
and will be as eagerly read, the Re
publicans desiring to be assured of the
Presidents views on certain matters
OF Importance. the Democrats seek
ing to discover flaws in his policy.
They are likely to agree on at least
one point, and that is, that after this
letter nobody can nave the ghost of
an excuse for not knowing what Mr..
Roosevelts attitude is.
BY those who have followed the
course of the campaign it cannot fail
TO be noted that in the letter are eX-
pressed many of the views already
expressed by Secretary Hay and ex-
Secretary Root, and other aclInowl-
edged leaders of the party, although
the mode of expression in each case
is distinctly individual, and there
could not be three men more different
IN personality than Roosevelt, Hay
and Root. To those who know Mr.
Hay and Mr.. Root it will seem suffi-
GENTLY absurd that the President
should be supposed to dominate" his
party. reducing men of this stamp to
sheep-like submission, and it may,
indeed, seem that some of the argu-
ments he uses in this letter are due
to their counseIs\as well as to his
own thought and experience. But,
after ali the letter is a Roosevelt let
ter from start 10 finish, full Of vim.
energy and clear-cut phrases, and II
is not the less characteristic for being
a good Republican letter, with which
the veterans of the party will agree
Nothing is more certain than that
the party this year is welded into a
harmonious whole as it has not been
for some years past.
The main point made in this dOcu-
ment, the point which makes it char
acteristic and will make it effective
is that it is a challenge. It is a de-
mand for definite arguments-whict
are just what the Democratic leaders
for good and sufficient reasons, have
been disinclined to supply The in,
dedniteness of the Democratic partl
this year is its weakness, and it il
this weakness which is shrewdly al
in the sentence,
I'VE do not have TO guess at Oul
own convictions. and then correct TIT
guess if it seems unpopular"
That, or something very like it, wa
done at the St. Louis convention.
does not appear that ten per cent o
the delegates knew, until the Parke
telegram came out. whether they wer
nominating a gold standard man o
not.
Again. the two Democratic argu
ments which have approached mos
nearly to definite charges are, briefly
that the Roosevelt administration he
been imperialistic and sutocratic, il
the past, and that hereafter it is like
~ TO be dangerously dictatOrial Bot
these charges Mr.. Roosevelt meet
squarely and without subterfuge. II
says that he intends. If elected to d
just as he has done in the past Tha
disposes Of the charge that when IN
restrained by the desire for electiO
he VIII run riot and turn the countr
into a military camp. He furthe
takes up the various events of hi
administration, and challenges hi
critics to bring proof and say wha
they would have done differently ]
is easy. enough TO criticise. but. t
make the criticism effective, the crit
must be able 10 put his finger eithe
on harm done or on a better pla
which could have been adopted.
He makes a telling point when b
says that whatever may be done b
any President against illegal comb
nations Of capital, there is sure {
BE complaint because he has done to
much or too little. He makes sever,
more when ne recounts the warrior
acts Of the Administration in its rel;
tions with Panama, with China, wit
Morocco. and asks mis- ODponen
whether they would wish these &C
nullified In short, his attitude T
garding the record of the Administer
ton is that of a man who has doI
the best he can and is not afraid
stand by it, and who has conhden
in the rectitude. ability and discr
ton of his colleagues as well as h
Own