The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-24
..HE HAS STRENGTHENED HIS
PARTY AND INJURED HIS
COUNTRY"

Benjamin Harvey Hill, the great
orator and statesman who took rank
in his first term with Conkling.
Blaine, Thurman and Bayard in the
Senate, declared that he who served
his party best served his country best.
He was speaking upon that high plane
OF partisan contest that would scorn
to secure party success by bringing
about or perpetuating evils that in
jure ones country.
1t has remained for Theodore
Roosevelt, of all the Chief Execu-
tives, TO deliberately injure his coun-
try by an unworthy attempt to
strengthen his party The severest
Indictment yet made of the President
is contained in single sentence in
an editorial in the last issue of Col
lier's Weekly. Discussing the political
situation and the Democratic National
Convention, Golfers Weekly says:
Political luminosity, as shown at
the convention, can not be eradicated
as long as the South is solid. 1t must,
for it's cure, await an issue that will
make both parties Wooers. Mr.. Roose-
welt has done much, by lack of tact
or for personal and party reasons, to
postpone the day when Mason anu
DiXon's Line shall be ancient history.
BY so doing he has strengthened the
party and injured his country, and
we hope that he will let the negro
question alone if he serves a second
term. 1t is not great craftsmanship
to solidify one section of the country
by the injury of another, and the
South was undoubtedly progressing
with it's negro problem before the
President took a hand, with series
of episodes which eliminated in the
Republican plank in favor OF cutting
down of representation. Senator Lodge
is a very poor adviser Tor MI. hoose-
Welt. He is a bigoted partisan. and he
represents a State and region which
are least in sympathy with the South
and least understand it's difficulties
and their solution. The President OF
the whole people should learn about
each section of the country from the
wisest and best representatives OF that
section To view Mississippi from the
standpoint of Massachusetts is to be
nillst by failing in that universal
sympathy which we have Just de-
scribed as part of Lincoln's greatness.
We recommend to the President spe-
ciaI study of Lincoln's view OF South
ern difficulties
Golfers Weekly evidently thinks
that by the unpatriotic and sectional
course of the President he has
strengthened his party ana injured
his country His treatment OF South
ern men, his defiance of Southern con-
victions, and his threat of further
wronging the South because 1T does
not vote the Republican ticket shows
that he has placed sectionalism in pol
itics above the good of his country,
and subordinated that spirit of justice
and fairness that guided Lincoln, TO
selfish political preferment. But we
had hoped that his willingness thus to
injure his country in order to adj
vance his political prospects would not
serve to strengthen his party. We had
hoped-we. still hope-that the Amer
lean people will not permit the spirit
that would injure ones country to
help his party to be successful, and
that in November they Will rebuke
the first President who has sought to
advance his party interest by policy
that has brought injury too his coun"
try.