La Junta tribune., 1904-11-05
PARKER AND BUCHANAN.
0r. Cisvsisad's Cssesrisos Csasss Q
Nation Wide eoiIe.


Nation Wide soiIs.
When q ponderous person plants his
feet in . shallow puddle there is likely
TO be q mighty splash This is precisely
what has happened the result OF
President Cleyelsnd's discovery Of the
slight resemblance h-t~een the candi-
dates in 1856 and 1904
The comparison OF Roosevelt with FIR
mont because of their fanciei resem-
blsncs appealing 10 romantic s<nu-
meat and popular love for the spectacu-
lar. scarcely produced a ripple on the
surface of political thought But the
hkening of Judge Parker TO James Buch-
snan the model OF what mature,
undramatic and experiences" candidate
for the Presidency should be. has pro-
rok-d -cornful laughter clear across the
continent.
sr-President Cleveland had searched
the roll of prominent Americans for
name less likely TO arouse popular En-
thusIasm than tha; OF James buchanan
he would have had 30 look among those
whose records were positively odious 60
find IT, There was nothing actively vict-
Gus or. what Mr. Cleveland would cali.
.'perniciously active" about President
buchanan. He was not what, accord
ink 10 the sage Of Buzzsrd's Bay, would
be called an offensive partisan"
But in the vital emergency that low
cred above the Repuhlic during his ad-
minls;ration he was tried In the balance
and found wanting Where a man
worthy 10 be President would have
Srasp-d the nettle of secession with the
firm hand Of American patriotism and
crushed II in its inciptency, Mr.. Buch-
snsn dallied with the question. He held
that Congress was not competent to deal
with the aBti-sIsv.ry agitation. that IL
WAS a question for the individual States,
and that IL was better for all parties.
Including the slaves themselves, that II
should remnin 40.
As President he deferred to proslav-
cry leaders and quail-d before their
| threats Of secession. While he tefnpor-
lied the sec-dsrs perfected their plans.
Instead of meeting their threats with
| the words and measures Of an Andrew
Jackson he took the illogical and impo-
| tent position that. while the States had
| a right TO seceie tn. nation, with
| little n. had no power to prevent them
doing 80.
And this is the man Of mature. un-
| dramatic experience" who. In Mr.. Clere-
lands judgment, is the prototype OF
Judge Parker. Irresolute and Ineffective
| as Mr.. buchanan was. we are no, 10 sure
| but injustice is done him in comparing
him with Judge Parker. He was certain
ly a man Of greater maturity than the
man from Esopus. not only In years but
In experience. with affairs and in knowl-
edge OF men. Everything that expert
ence could teach of politics and state
craft buchanan knew-only the intrinsic
capacity 10 master them was lacking
Judge Parker has had absolutely none
| of the experience and training that seem
ell 90 fit Mr. buchanan for the Presi-
| dency. In 1877, at the age of twcnty-
five. he was elected surrogate of Ulster
County, New York. and under the shell
tering wing OF David -. Hin he has
y-getatei in some judicial position ever
since. That there IL q certain parallel
ism between his weak, undramatic and
vncillatins utterances and those Of Mr..
buchanan cannot be denied Their views
upon the unconstiJutionality OF the pow
er OF self p.rpetustion In the Union and
of the folly of an army and navy com
mensuTate TO the dignity and necessities
of great nation, are strikingly similar
and equally false, barren and reaction
AIRY.
Buchanan lived to repent the "undra-
matte" moderation that warmed seces-
SION into life. lie supported Lincoln's
administration and lent all his influence
To- the prosecution of the war. But 1t
does not appear that either Judge Parker
or Henry Gassaway Davis, who also
harks back 10 the days OF Buchanan.
follow his precept and example when,
in the fierce fame of civil war. he saw
a bright light that taught him that the
Union must be saved At all hazards.
When he came TO the conclusion that his
country was more to him than his own
Interpretation OF It's constitution. Judge
Parker and Mr.. Davis quit his company
aud continue TO steer their courses by the
chs ri that ran his administration on the
breakers.
The American people will never elect a
counterfeit replica Of James Buchanan
to the Presidency. IL they are warned in
time; and, thanks to en-President Cleve-
land, they recognize that Judge Parker
has all OF the failinss and none of the
rodecming qualities of President Buch-
snan.