Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-10-28
Masterful Address
Of Secretary Hay


and morally. " fortune favored them
they would 70 In and build the canal.
10 pursuance Of President Roosevelt.
with no load on their souls. with Goa
sciences void Of offense-e1cept that
Of having Iibeled and slandered their
own government and their coun-
try.
This constitution OF ours must pos
sess a marvellous vitality to have sur
vived all the attempts To save H.
They began In the time Of Washlng-
ton. He was a tyrant, too. In his
day. The constittion was constant
ly In danger OF violation at his handf.
Next. jefferson was accused OF the
same crime; In fact. he rather sus-
( pected himself at the time Of the
Louisiana Purchase-bu the people
forgaye and ~appiauded, and that fact
IA nov the brightest jewel In his
I coronal Of fame, But the most
dangerous enemy OF the constitution.
the one Whole supposed violations Of
that sacred instrument excited the
frenzied cries Of rage and terror was
Abraham Lincoln, that nisI prius Law
ser that old Clay Wing, gho Q
shipped the constitution scarcely less
than hlg Maker Even the democrats
| have now grown ashamed Of theSe
attacks. and II has become faehion-
ahle for them 10 praise and 10 quote
him. That eminent constitutional
furist Senator Tiilman the other day
Joined The ranks Of bis admirers and
r~eproaehed the republican party for
having forsaken his teachings. In the
evolution Of Lincoln'g fame We have
seen some strange happenings. but
We were not prepared TO see him de-
Tended by a pitchfork.
Patriotism was once pe,ulantly cali
ed the last refuge OF a s%couDdrel
The constituiion, which We ought all
TO cherish and revere az something
sacred. IL coming TO be considered
az a missile 10 be thrown at the head
Of our opponents whenever We fall
short OF other ammunition. The sim
Pile fact Nv that no President has
evef violated the constitution, and ]
risk nothing In saying that no presi-
dent will violate IL In the next four
years.
The republicans can ayow their adj.
} herance to the constitution without
hypocrisy and without the labored
emphasis Of remorse. The first great
work OF the party was performed In
1861. when. with toll and struggle
such as we pray may never be nee.
e6sary again, they saved the consti-
tuition from the assaults ~ the pred
ecessors OF the men who now claim
exclusive charge OF IL. and who ever
today not only acguiesce in It's viola.
iion IN certain states OF the Union.
but shamelessly profit by II. II all
the citizens Of the southern states
were allowed their constitutional
rights, the democratic party, as at
present organized. would cease to
exist, and the politics OF the country
no longer chained to dead issus Of
the past, could arrange themselves
on lines OF dispassionate discussion
and patriotic development.
This extraordinary campaign is
drawing TO a close. On the Sth OF
November the pickering and confus-
Ion OF tongues will cease. The peo-
pie who have ben filling the air with
SANDER of the man who has 80 we'll
aud so nobls served the country will
recognize With gratitude his excellent
WORK. and win he glad they are still
10 enjoy the benefits Of Il. without
referring TO what might be the re.
suits OF a democratic success. we
shall see as plain IA day what we have
gained by a republican victory; no
new or untried courses, but a con.
t~innance NJ the policies which have
proved 70 fruitful in advantage for
81