The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-10-05
PRESIDENT RQOSEVElT'S
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE

'PlI ) lclteE Ot dCCepliu't Nupu LAS
Just been released for publication, is Il
document of nearly 12.00n words. In
its preparation a number II Republic
can leaders from various sA't!onS were
called into conference. and ken the en-
tire letter was carefully g'ac over by
Elihu Root and Senator Lodge. Of Mas
SachusettS, who suggested certain
changes, which were made.
The President deals lars"ig with the
record of the Republican party for the
last eight years, and aftec reviewing
the acts of his WI and President Nc
kinley's administrations be stands
pat
Aside from this history d The Repub-
iican achievements, the tariff. the Phil
ippines, the Panama Cana. the North
eru Pacific merger. the now famous
pension order, the money question. the
coal strike, the army ard the navy are
the chief topics discussed. The Pan
anna treaty is defended. As IS also the
age pension ruling.
The letter is, in part. rs follows:
we base our appeal upon what we
have done and are doing. Upon our rec
ord of administration and legislation
during the last seven years. in which
we have had complete control of the
government. We intend il he future
to carry on the government III the same
. way that he carried it on II the past
Referring to the new problems
which arose after the campaigns OF
1896 and 1900. the President says: I'VE
are content to rest our case before the
American people upon the fact that to
adherence to 4 lofty ideal We have
added proved governmental efficiency.
Therefore our promise may surely be
trusted as regards any issue that is
now before the people, and We may
equally be trusted to deal with any
problem which may hereafter arise"
Taking the Panama Canal question
as an instance, the President declares
the opponents of the administration
can only criticise what was done on
condition Of mis-stating it. and goes on
TO say: THE administration behaved
throughout not only with good faith,
but with extraordinary patience and
large generosity, toward those Win
whom it dealt. It vas also mindful OF
American interests. 1t acted in strict
compliance with the law passed by
Congress-" Neither in this nor in
any other matter has there been the
slightest failure to live up to the Con-
stitution in letter and in spirit. But
the Constitution must be observed pos
itively as we'll as negatively. The
Presidents duty is to serve the coun-
try in accordance with the Constltu-
ton. and 1 should be dcrelict in my
duty if I used a false construction OF
the Constitution as 4 shield for weak
ness and timidity, or as IN excuse for
governmental impotence
J The President says Of the pension Or
der, which is ordinarily referred to as
an e%ncroachment Of the Executive on
the legislative or judicial functions or
government, that it was made in the
performance of 4 duty imposed by
Congress on the President, and supple
mented the regulations OF Presidents
Cleveland and Mckinley.
The point is made that, while the OPP
ponents of the administration make eff
forts to show that the coal strike set
IleHel anu Tue tdAlLodu nCiSSh SUI
were acts for which it should be
thrown out of power. yet they dare not
openly condemn either act, the Presi-
dent saying: 1T is perhaps natural that
an attack so conducted should be made
sometimes on the ground that too
much, sometimes on the ground that
too little, has been done
Of the monetary policy Of those who
oppose the continuance of the present
administration, the President says:
On some of the vital questions that
have confronted the American people
in the last decade our opponents take
the position that silence is the best pos
sible way to convey their views"
The record of the last sever years
proves that the party now in power
ian be trusted to take the additional
action necessary TO improve ana
strengthen our monetary system, and
that our opponents cannot be so
trusted"
On the question Of the rights Of cap
ital and labor the President says: so
far as the rights Of the individual
wage worker and the individual CAPT.
talist are concerned, both lis regards
one another, as regards the public, and
as regards organized capital and labor,
the position of the administration has
been so clear that there is no excuse
for misrepreSenting it. and no ground
for opposing it unless misrepresented."
Doubt as to the Democratic meaning
in regard to the great question of the
tariff impels the President to say: "Of
course, if u opponents are not sin
cere. in their proposal to abolish the
system of protective tariff. there is no
use in arguing the matter at all, save
by pointing out again that. if on one
great issue they GO not mean what they
say it is hardly safe to trust them on
any other issue. But if they are sim
cere in this matter, then their advent
to power would mean domestic mis-
fortune and misery as widespread and
tar reaching as that which We saw ten
years ago." ITO uproot and destroy
that (the protectivel system would be
to insure the proStratlon Of business,
the closing of factories, tire impover-
ishment Of the farmer. the ruin of the
capitalist and the starvation of the
wage-worxer. Yet, IT, protection is in
deed robbery and il our opponents
really brseve what they say, then it is
precisely to the destruction and up
roofing of the tariff, anu, therefore, of
our business and industry, that they
are pledged" 1T is 4 matter of regret
that the protective tariff policy. which,