The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-03
long as the policy of high protection
More Firmly Rooted.


 firmly rooted as the protective policy more and more develops it's tendency to strengthen on the political leld the power
 of wealth as such. We all have observed
 that of late years the appearance Of
 very rich men in political positions has
 become striFlngly frequent. Nothing could | be farther from me than to object to the | participation of rich men in politics if | their wealth is coupled with strong pub | lie spirit ard ability On the contrary, l heartily welcome 1t. But what l do observe with apprehension Is the prefer enee given by political organizations to
 rich men for no other reason than that they are rich; to the money 'barrel' be-
 cause 1t gan feed machine or float a candidate; 10 the filling of places of in- fuence and authority with rich men Cor their agents) who are naturally bent up- on serving first of all their own interests l This is the way to build up a plutocraey -as it would be in our case, not a plutocracy of old and settled wealth pos sibly sharing with the true aristooraey a sense of honorable obligation to the community, but the worst sort of pluto craeies-a plutocraey sharply looking to the profitableness of its political invest ments- plutocraey Ion the make" Of this kind of plutocracy our protective tarin policy has already given us a smart beginning and may kind fate save us from the full development of iti
 Only lnstrumentaIity.
 Do l expect the democratic party if successful, promptly to repress the evils of the protective policy? 1 see at pres ent no other instrumentality by which that work can be put In practical mo- tion, and | do, indeed, expect the demo- cratic party In partial possession of the goYernment-the republican senate being In any event for a season in a position to obstruct changes in the tariff laws-to uncover to the eyes of the whole people the iniquities of the system to avail it. sen or every legal possibility to relieve its rigors, and thus to start the reform atory movement with vigor aud in an en- frightened spirit-in one word, to prepare the field for the final overthrow of that stronghold of corruption and tyrannieal fapacity oo not the republicans by im- plieation admit the wrongfulness of the system by holding out a vague promise of reform? Yes, partial reford ''by it's friends. What does that mean? Do we not Know that every revision of the tdfill py It's friends' has resulted, if In anything, not in reduction. but in a raising of tariff duties. thus increasing the eVll instead of lessening 1t? Let us not deceive ourselves. If this abuse is to he uhdone, the power must ee put into the hands Of those who mean to undo If not in the hands of it's beneficiaries ar lher agents who mean to preserve it. To | thls end tbe republican party must he | defeated. '
 President Roosevelt.
 We may now ask ourselves whether the character of the republican candi- oate Tor the presidency redeems the shaFacter or the party. I know Presi- uent Roosevelt we'll. I have known him "en slhNe, as a very young man, he entered public llfe and I have watched his career not only with the concern of m interested citizen but also with the warm sympathy of a personal friend. . HIS exuberant spirits, his bright intel ngenee, his generous impulses. his gay com mbativeness and the bubbllng vivasity ol ms contempts and his enthusiasms made him an exceedingly attractive ner and those who observed the courage and ability with which. as q young member of the New York legis- lature he plunged into the fight against eHisting abuses in the public service and m party management, might well have nopeu that he would develop into a and unselfish and at the same tlme wise. champion of the highest ldeais Of public morals and of practical whose lead every patri- otic citizen could follow with unreseryed confidence. And when, after an exam nation of his later career, conducted with the sympathetic desire to view everything in the most favorable light.
 nave now to form, for myself. the con ,lnsion that in very important respects nose nigh expectations have been dsap- oomted, and that implicit confidence would be dangerously misplaced I make hat confession with genuine sorrow.
 Two Roosevelts.
 There are two Roosevelts in the field he ideal, the legendary Roosevelt, as le once appeared and as many people imagine him still to be- and the real roosevelt, as he has since developed
 here are no doubt many good citizens pho think of voting for Roosevelt hav- ng the legendary Roosevelt in mind: ut they will do well to consider that, elected, the real Roosevelt will be resident. The legendary Roosevelt was e who not only abhorred and denounced nmoral practices in the public concerns, ut would never condone them or com romise with them: who from the bottom his heart hated and despised spells olitics and spells politicians, party ma hines and party bosses; who would ave scorned to countenance them and to ssociate his interests or endeavors with heirs for his party's advantage; who 1lner Did ue0ance to them, and would train every nerve to fight and utterly 1 nnihilate their influence upon our pub c life-a sort of second St. George, kill lg the dragon of corruption and other liquties with his mighty lance It was, y the way, the same legendary Roose- cit who in his writings rejected the pro . ective tariff system as unjust and inju- ions, and who condemned a colonial oliey involving the acquisition of dis ant lands and alien populations to be overned by arbitrary rule as incompat- ole with our Fundamental principles and n-American.
 After his election to the governorship # New York, and. later, after his as- ession to the presidency of the United 'tates' the legendary Roosevelt appeared n strong phrase in his frequent addresses 0 the public. No governor, and, cer- ainly, no President, has ever more earn 'stly admonished the people in number ess diseourses with untring iteration and Il more emphatic language that to be good and useful citizens, we must. above ], Ill things, conduct ourselves with "hon- 1, ssty, courage, and good rense'' There lever was a more demonstrative adyo- ate, In speech, of that militant honesty" which will not only carefully abstain ( rom wrongdoing, but will mercilessly lenounce and stamp out dichenesty 1t can be reached. Nobody ever with holier scorn and abhor- enee the self-seekers in politics, those mister beings who fatten on the evils f our political system" and "the cor upt politician who is the real and dam .erous foe,' and that dreadful thing