The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-11
JUDGE PARKER's ACCEPTANCE
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Judge Parker's acceptance speech Is ing questions involved in the campaign are dealt with in it in a frank, lucid and manly manner, without the least evasion or circumlocution. He first informed the Committee that he had resigned the office of Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals in order that he might accept the responsibility that the great Convention they represented had put upon him without possible preju- | dice to the court to which he had the | honor to belong, or to the eminent | members of the judiciary of the State, of which he was justly proud"
 At the very threshold of his re- l sponse and before dealing with other subjects, Judge Parker said he must. in justice to himself and to relieve his sense of gratitude. express his pro- | found appreciation of the confidence reposed in him by the Convention. He l said:
 After nominating me and subsequent ! ly receiving a communication declar- I ing that I regarded the gold standard as firmly and irrevocably established. | incumbent upon me to make known my attitude so that hereafter no man could justly say that his support had been secured through indirection or | mistake. the Convention reiterated its | determination that I should be the ! standard bearer of the Party in the | present contest. This mark of trust and confidence I shall ever esteem as | honor hal ha | ferred upon mean honor that. what | ever may be the fate of the campaign, the future can in no degree lessen or | impair.
 Judge Parker, discussing the ques- tion of usurpation. said that "occa- sionally, by reason of unnecessary or impatient agitation for reforms. or be- cause the limitations placed upon the departments of government by the Constitution are disregarded by om. cials desiring to accomplish that which to them seems good, whether the power exists in them or not, 1t becomes de- sirable to call attention to the fact that the people In whom all power re- sides, have seen fit through the me dium of the Constitution. to limit the governmental powers conferred, and to say to departments created by 1t: Thus far shalt thou go and no far ther'"
 The admirable platform upon which the Party appeals to the country for its confidence and support, Judge Par ker said. clearly states the principles which were so we'll condensed in the first inaugural address of President Jefferson, and points out with force and directness the course to be pur- sued through their proper application in order to secure needed reforms in both the legislative and administrative departments of the Government.
 Judge Parker, after recapitula ting these principles as stated In the plat form. said:
 The foregoing suggestions but em- phasize the distinction which exists between our own and many other forms of Government. It has been we'll said. in substance, that there are but two powers in Government, one the power | of the sword, sustained by the hand that wields it, and the other the power | of the law. sustained by an enlight- l eHeO puDflC sentiment. The dtnerenCe | in these powers Is the difference be- l tween republic-such as ours, based | on law and a written Constitution sup ported by intelligence. virtue and pa :. triotism-and 2 monarchy-sustained by force exerted by an individual, un- | controlled by laws. other than those l made or sanctioned by him; one repre- sents Constitutionalism. the other Im- perialism.
 Upon the question of the tariff. Judge Parker said the present tariff law Is unjust in its operation, excessive in many of It's rates. and so framed n particular instances as to exact inordi- nate profits from the people. So we'll understood has this view become Judge bers of the Republican Party, and at least two of it's State Conventions. have dared to voice the general senti~ ment on that subject. That Party seems, however. Judge Parker said. "to be collectively able to harmonize only on a plank that admits that revision may, from time to time. be necessary, but 1t Is so phrased that 1t Is expected | to be satisfactory to those in favor of any increase of duty. to those who favor a reduction thereof, and to those opposed to any reduction"
 With respect to combinations. or trusts. Judge Parker said these have been encouraged and stimulated by excessive tariff duties. He said that "all men must agree that the net re- suit of enacting laws that foster such inequitable conditions. as that of prac- tically excluding competition, is most unfortunate for the people as d whole and it would seem that all ought to agree that the effective remedy would be to appropriately modify the offend ing law"
 What Is needed, Judge Parker said in addition to the passage of a statute revising the tariff duties to a reason able basis, is not so much other and different laws. officials having the disposition and the courage to enforce existing law. There were other i'm portant and leading questions discussed by Judge Parker in his very able and interesting speech, which The Adver- tiser will have occasion to comment upon hereafter.
 It may be said that more compre- hensive, lucid and statesmanlikt speech has rarely fell from the lips oi an American statesman than this one