The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-26
JUDGE PARKERs LETTER OF AC-
CEPTANCE.

Those who have been critlclsing
Judge Parker for what they are
pleased to call his silence on public
questions no longer have an excuse
for doing so. In his letter OF accept
ance. which We publish this morning,
he states clearly and strongly his po-
sition on all the questions involved in
the presidential campaign. And he
does not use more than half as many
words as Mr.. Roosevelt's voluminous
letter of acceptance contains.
The keynote of Judge Parker's letter
is constitutionalsm versus imperial
ism. He shows how, under Republic
can rule, the republic is drifting away
from the constitution and towards an
imperial system of government. cal
ready" he says, "the national govern
ment has become centralized beyond
any point contemplated or imagined
by the founders of the constitution"
1t is a fact that will not be denied
by thoughtful and conservative men
that the power of the President has in
creased tremendously since the Repub-
lican party came into existence. 1t is
now about as great as that of some
of the monarchs of Europe. With the
power the President now has what
might not an ambitious and unscrupu-
lous occupant of the White House do
in the direction of usurpatlon of au-
thority!
And the Republican party fatty re-
fuses to encourage any movement to
bring the government back to a safe
mooring. To all suggestions in behalf
of such a movement it says 1t will
stand pat" by which it means 1t will
adhere to the policies that are forcing
the republic towards Imperialism.
Even to suggestions coming from
conscientious men in its own ranks,
that the tariff schedules shall be re-
duced, it turns deaf ear, notwith-
standing the fact that it knows that
the tariff, as it is at present constitut-
ed, is intended to protect vast COM
bnations of wealth and to yield but
little revenue. 1t pretends to be
against the trusts which the tariff
breeds and shelters, but, as a matter
of fact, it is their friend and pro-
tector; otherwise it would deprive
them of this shelter. These trusts are
becoming stronger all the time, and,
eventually, will be, if they are not
now, strong enough to name the man
who shall be President. The control
lers of the wealth of the country are
in sympathy with them because they
are participants in their gains The
Republican party believes that the
money power and not the people will
determine the political complexion of
the government. Therefore it stands
in with the trusts and stands pat"
on the tariff because the tariff shell
tiers trusts. 1t matters not to it that
such a policy is full of the danger of
imperialism.
And what about the Philippines? In
his letter Judge Parker says he fav-
ors giving the Filipinos their indie
pendence just as soon as they are pre-
pared for it, and of telling them at
once that such is the purpose of the
American people. In other words, he
wants the United States to treat the
Filipinos just as they treated the Gu
bans, and he favors this policy not
more in justice to the Fillpinos than
for the good of our own people. For"
he says, and truly, "a free people can
not withhold freedom from another
people and remain free" The Repub-
lican party, however, is on the road to
the danger to which its Philippine pol
icy exposes American institutions.
The advance towards imperialism is
marked by usurpation of power, by
extravagant expenditures and by cor
ruptton. All these we have under Re-
publican rule. The President disre-
CARDS his constitutional limitations.
Did he not do so when he invaded the
legislative field and gave an order to
pension every Union veteran when he
reached the age of sixty-two years,
an order which Judge Parker says
he will revoke if elected? And is
there not extravaganza in public ex-
penditures? The expenses of the gov
eminent when Mr.. Cleveland was
President were about $3.50. 100000 a
year, while last year, under Mr..
Roosevelt, they were $3.50, 900, 900, ex-
elusive of the cost of the Panama ca
nal. And are not the departments of
the government honeycombed with
corruption? The friendly investiga-
tion of the postal scandal and the re-
fusal of the Republicans to let Con-
gress investigate that scandal Justify
the conclusion that they are.
Judge Parker's letter deals in a
mastery manner with all of these mat
ters. 1t contains many things calcu-
lated to set the people thinking and
gives good and sufficient reasons why
the Democratic party should be given
control of the government.
AN EDUCATED, ADVANCED PEOPLE.
Japan's war has focused the atten-