The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1904-09-23

passionate personality, your versatile anu
surprising genius.
This issue was framed by the World
in its first letter. July 30. 80 But as
that document did not seem to brighten
ANYBODY to Parker. the hot blood Of
strong desire denied mounted 10 the
brain of Mir. Pulitzer. and his emotions
raviShed his Judgment. His second let
ter-the one two pages long, printed on
August 23-is addressed TO Theodore
Roosevelt. Candidate for President Of the
United States and the Western Hem
isphere," The headlines ask if the Pres
ident is a military megalomaniac.' He
is accused of a "~monomania' TO be the
grand lord protector" of the two Amer
icas.
Gibbet of Folly.
This letter is interesting-frst. be-
cause the World is generally recognized
as the chief Parker spokesman; second,
as an exhibition of that gihbet of folly
to which partisan zeal, untenpered by
common sense, can on occasions. elevate
a man ordinarily so level headed as Jo-
seph Pulitzer.
Rooseyelt's record. contends the World.
clearly indicates that his return TO pow
er would be vested with the rnin of
cur free institutions. it proceeds to
examine all his despotic procedures and
unconstitutional usurpations, serlatlm.
But ii lnQuestionably omitS much that
would make its case stronger. For IN
stance. ii does not show how the fresl-
dent has increased the standing army
so that it has become a menace to the
liberties of the citizens. lFor. in faet.
during President Rooseyelt's administra-
ton the arm has been diminished, not
increase1.)
II does not prove how the ambitious.
!, COSTLY. and bloody wars conducted during
the present administration were begun,
not as he constitution provides. by an
act Of Congress, but at the imperial due
I tation q the ruler. (For, in factx there
has been no war of any sort during
President Roosevelt's administration.)
) A1ways for Peace.
z 1t does not even show how the Presi-
, dent has brought the country to the
! verge of a desperate war, which was
j prevented only by the retreat Of the
country which he threatened. as il might
{ have proved against its favored Presl-
. dent Cleveland. Cor. in fact. the Pres
idenf has at no time brought the country
neara war. His efforts and those Of his
Secretary Of State have been consist
r entlr directed toward the peace of the
word. and the circumscribing of the area
of aostilities once wars have begun
/, 1t does not show how President Roose-
, welt had used either corruption or force
to influence elections in any State, SO
+ abasing the principle Of local self-gov-
: eminent, nor how he has deposed a re-
I calcitrant governor. or dissolved a hos
, tie State assembly after the fashion
+, of certain reconstruction Presidents.
!. Cor he has done none of these things
/, 1t does not show how he influenced
I judicial decisions. reversed a decree of
r court, or suspended a judge who had
striven to limit the presidential usurpa-
{ ton. This is always the first symptom
Of the dissolution Of constitutional gov
I eminent. (But President Roosevelt has
: not been guilty Of it,
1t does not show how, when the leg
!, i%slature, maintaining it's independence.
refused to divest itself Of its authority
and humbly accept the advice of the
man on horseback. he filed the halls of
) the lawmakers with bayonets. overawed
1.-THE tribunes Of the people. dissolved the
) sitting. imprisoned the ringleaders. AS
is well known. the terrorizing of the
: legislature is the twin forerunner with
the control Of the judiciary in the down
fall Of free institutions.
Has Done None of The.
1t does not show how the President
; annulled the right of free speech and i'm
posed a vexatious censorship upon the
press. The Worlds own articles are hv-
, ing proof that he has done none Of this.
! 1t does not show how, like the great
4 | A~$ o& o,n~ -.~-A~ ~ hos y,ndnP thu
r plea Of national duress, suspended the
of civil liberty. (For President Roose-
5 welt has not suspended the writ OF habeas
corpus.)
Thus the record shows President
Roosevelt has. in no single way, even
e~mbryonically exceeded his constitutional
7 functions. He has not turned his face
in the direction of a single one OF that
set of actions whereby the usurpers OF
history have established themselves an
. power on the ruins Of freedom. New
ertheless, the World reiterates that, by
. his record, it can prove Theodore Roose-
, Welt to be a man dangerous to the lib
, critics OF his country. How can TINS
a proof be wrought?
. In a simple way. BY passing over
s in silent contempt his record as a tnor-
oughly constitutional and patriotic Pres
ident: by picking out Of their contexts
some of the things he has said-taking
one paragraph from one speech, another
$ paragraph from a different speech; by
taking one sentence from q paragraph
here, another sentence from \ paragraph
$ there; even by taking a phrase from q
sentence here, another phrase from
sentence there; by then weaving these
different contextless paragraphs, sen
n fences, and phrases into a single fabric
n which fabric, charges the World, is
s truly indicative of the whole character
d of the man Roosevelt!
In pursuance of this plan the Worlc