Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1904-09-09
HILL ON ROOSEVELT.
The New Yorker Aban Ions Principles
TO Witty the President.


Evidence multiplies that the Demo-
cratic party will decline to discuss poll
tics or principles in the present cam
paign, but, so far as local conditions
permit, will confne itself TO criticiz-
ing President Roosevelt. Ex-senator
David b. Hill, who poses as the dis
coverer and wet nurse of the Democratic
nominee, in opening the campaign in
New York State last week deliberately
abandoned one of the chief planks of the
St. Louis platform when he said.
Il do not care to say much about the
tariff question, because it is one on
which very few of us agree"
So the denunciation Of protection as a
robbery" is to be relegated TO the scrap
heap Of irrevocably exploded campaign
nostrums. along with the heayen-sent
ratio of 10 to / and the "crime of '73."
Senator Hill also concurred with the
silent crytogram Of Esopus that. the
coinage question is settled" not as he
explains, through Republican legisla-
ton, not by the edict of the American
people twice expressed at National cleo
tions, but by the act Of Almighty God"
in increasing the output of gold during
the last few years. From which it is
A'Stbhhhit W iEltI mat lit loDSF war
that for two years stopped the gold
production of South Area. and the Dor
war in Colorado that has partially par
alyzed the gold yield of that State, would
be classed Ivy Senator Hill as acts OF
Almighty Cod to limit the supply Of
gold or TO reha bilitate an irreyocably
settled issue.
|, Having cleared the decks of the trou-
los to
protection of American industry, Sena-
tor Hill unlimbered the batteries of VOL
fert's Roost upon Theodore Roosevelt.
He told his audience that the President
was "a fraud" but shrewGly withheld
any specifications. He asserted that he
had had experience with the Republican
candidate when he (HilD was lieutenant
governor and Roosevelt was in the Legis-
lature. where he was constantly trim
ming"
AS matter of fact, Mr. Roosevelt
was a member of the New York Assem-
bly,, and Lieutenant Governor I'LL. as
presiding officer Of the State Senate had
no opportunity to gavel the troublesome
Republican reformer off the floor
But waving the baseless assumption
of knowledge on Mr. Hills part he
should have specified the nature of the
trimming in which Assemblyman Roose-
welt was constantly engaged. There are
trimmers and trimmers. There are
thimble-rigging politicians like David b.
Hill. for instance. whose entire public
life has been spent trimming his 50 .
to catch the Tammany gales that rot
around New York City. And there are
other trimmers whose work is done with
honest shears cutting off official excres-
cences here, clipping the claws of danger
Gus beasts there, and everywhere per-
forming the highest service to the people
and to the State
Assemblyman Roosevelt's service to
New York was of the latter description.
The work he did for the reform Of the
public service in the State and county of
New York in 1881 1884 was an earnest
of what he was to achieve in broader
fields as he grew in years and experience.
No claim of infallibility has ever been
urged for him. But his motives and
methods have always been so honest,
above board and straight forward that
they naturally aroused the antagonism
and censure of David b. Hill who has
never pursued a straight course if a
crooked, underground passage was avail
able.
Ex-senator Hill says he prefers the
silent judicial Parker to the aggressive
Roosevelt. 1t would be strange if he did
not.
President Roosevelt has nothing TO
fear from David B. Hnl, except his eulo-
gies Should he WIN these he might
well begin to suspect himself.