Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-09-02
Il II II il il il i
Especial washington Lstter.1

whistling in graveyard to keep their
courage up. Their plan Of campaign
shows in what sore straits they find
themselves in this blessed year of our
Lord and Master 1904. Abandoning
the tariff, trusts, Imperialism and eco
nomy in the public service as questions
on which they feel that they are al
ready beaten, after the manner Of
drowning man grabbing at straw,
they are now making the age Of the
Democratic vice presidential candidate
the principal issue in the campaign.
When ex-Secretary Of War Elihu Root,
with indelicacy rare among public men
Of the first rank, made his notorious
fling at ex-senator Davis in his speech
notifying Senator Charles Warren
Fairbanks, 1t made the judicious
grieve, but was regarded merely as an
exhibition Of bad taste, spoken without
due deliberation, but the unanimity
with which Republican editors are
using the fact that Mr.. Davis is past
the psalmist's extreme allotment Of
fourscore years as their chief argu-
ment against the election Of the Demo-
cratic candidates is persuasive evil
dence at least that there was method
in Elihu's madness, and that his verbal
assault at Indianapolis on West Vir-
ginia's grand old man was prearrang-
ed. So it turns out that instead of
Mr.. Roots Chicago speech, or Mr..
Speaker Cannon's Chicago speech, or
his speech notifying President Roose-
welt, or the presidents speech in &C.
cepting the nomination, being the Re
publican keynote speech, it is Mr..
Roots speech of notification to Senator
Fairbanks that must be so considered.
It is certainly most pitiful attitude
in which the G. o. II. places itself
before the country and the world.
The Chicago Tribune is great news
paper but the readers Of its issue Of
Saturday, Aug. 20, must have been
amazed to find its leading editorial de-
voted to Mr.. Davis age and urging
that seriously as a reason why Judge
Parker should be defeated for the pres
idency. With prophetic ken it Axes
the very day-Feb. Is. 1909-on which
the venerable statesman must die, &C.
cording to the life tables, unless Judge
Parker should die prior to that date,
thereby devolving the presidential du-
ties, labors and responsibilities on Mr..
Davis, in which event the latter will
die sooner.
In order that my readers may peruse
the aforesaid astounding editorial and
to the end that I may do no injustice
to the Tribune quote 1t in full, head
line and all:
DAVIS AS AN INSURANCE RISK.
Should the voters Of the country be ask
ed to take a risk which the insurance
companies would depline7 And should
they take risk which the tables Of NOR
tally condemn?
From the insurance standpoint Henry
g. Davis, the Democratic nominee for vice
president, Is a bad risk-in fact so bad O
risk that no standard company would in
sure him. Sixty-ive years Is the age be-
You'd which most companies refuse to In
sure. The best that the insurance COM
panies could do for Mr.. Davis. II he APP
piled to them, would be to tell him his
Expectation Of life." based upon their
On the 18th of next March 1t would be 3.s5
years. That is, II he were in good health
at that time and were elected vice pres
ident, the probabilities are that he would
live 1855 years longer. Or, in other words,
he probably would die eighteen days be-
fore he finished his term OF Office.
But when the insurance companies and
tina 1,nfuoroo1 pP
that MI. Davis probably will live s.s5
years from the 4th OF next March they do
not understand that he is to engage in the
strenuous activities Of the presidency.
They assume that he will live as men Of
his age are accustomed to live and deport
themselves The normal conditions of the
age OF eighty-one years are not the con-
ditions which surround the presidency.
Consequently If Mr.. Davis were called to
the presidency through the death Of Judge
Parker 1t could not be assumed that he
would live to see the light Of Feb Is. 1903,
the day on which he probably would die
as vice president. His probable death as
activities Of the presidency are more
strenuous than those in which the average
man Of eighty-bne engages
Surely II Isaac Disraeli should return
to earth and get out new and en-
larged edition of his celebrated book
entitled 1.-THE Curiosities of Litera-
ture" he would give the foregoing edi-
forial conspicuous place in it.
About century and half ago the
, elder Pitt, ''the terrible cornet Of
horse" subsequently Earl of Chatham,
established the proposition that it is
not crime to be young man in a
speech castigating Sir Robert Wal
pole, which will be read with delight
by millions so long as the English
language is spoken by the children Of
men.
| At the polls in November such a vast
majority will be rolled up for Parker
and Davis as to establish for oil time
the proposition that it Is not a crime
to be an old man.
! OF course, everybody whose good
opinion is worth possessing, without
regard to political affiliations, hopes
not only that Mr.. Davis will be living
at the end Of Judge Parker's term in
the White House, but much beyond,
and that during the entire period Of
his earthly sojourn he will be blessed
with the mental and physical health
and vigor which he now enjoys.
Nevertheless beg to suggest to the
Tribune and to all others who are wor-
ried by his great age that should death
come to him prior to March 4, 1909,
there will be seven cabinet officers in
the line of succession. In fact, have a
bill now pending in congress to increase
the number to nine by placing the
secretaries of agriculture and of COM