The river press., 1904-09-28
HILL ON ROOSEVELT.

HILL ON ROOSEVELT.
The New Yorker Abandons Principleo
to Vilify the President.
Evidence multiplies that the Demo-
cratic party will decline to discuss poll
ties or principles in the present CAM
paign. but, so far as local conditions
permit, will conhne itself to criticiz-
ing President Roosevelt. Ex-senator
David 3. Hill, who poses as the dis
coverer and wet nurse of the Democratic
nominee, in opening the campaign in
New York State last week deliberately
abandoned one of the chief planks Of the
st. Louis platform when he said:
II do not care to say much about the
tariff question, because it is one on
which very few Of us agree"
So the denunciation of protection as a
robbery is to be relegated to the scrap
heap of irrevocably exploded campaign
nostrums, along with the heayen-sent
ratio Of 16 to / and the "crime Of '73.''
Senator Hill also concurred with the
silent crytogram Of Esopns that, "the
coinage question is settled" not as he
| explains, through Republican .legisla-
| ton, not by the edict OF the American
people twice expressed ut National cleo
| tions, but by the act Of Almighty God"
in increasing the output of gold during
the last few years. From which it is
legitimate to infer that the Boer war
that for two years stopped the gold
production of South Africa, and the labor
war in Colorado that has partially par
alyzed the gold yield Of that State would
be classed by Senator Hill az acts Of
almighty God" to limit the supply OF
gold or to rshabilitate an .irrevocably
settled issue.
Having cleared the decks Of the trou.
blesome questions Of sound currency and
protection Of American industry Sena-
tor Hill unlimbered the batteries of VOL
fert's Roost upon Theodore Roosevelt.
He told his audience that the President
was "a fraud" but shrewdly withheld
any specifications. He asserted that he
had had experience with the Republican
candidate when he (HilD was lieutsnant
governor and Roosevelt was in the Legis-
lature. where he was constantly trim
ming"
| As matter Of fact, Mr. Roosevelt
was a member of the New York Assem-
bly,. and Lieutenant Governor Hill. as
presiding officer of the State Senate, had
no opportunity to gavel the troublesome
Republican reformer OF the floor.
But, waving the baseless assumption
of knowledge on Mr.. Hills part, he
should have specified the nature Of the
trimming in which tAssemblyman Roose-
welt was constantly engaged. There arc
trimmers and trimmers. There are
thimble-rigging politicians like David B.
Hill, for instance, whose entire public
life has been spent trimming his sails
to catch the Tammany gales that riot
| md a.
other trmmers whose work is done with
honest shears cutting off official excres-
cences here, clipping the claws Of danger
GUS beasts there, and everywhere per-
t ! forming the highest service to the people
and to the State.
l Assemblyman Roosevelt's service to
e New York was of the latter description.
The work he did for the reform Of the
: public service in the State and county OF
0 New York in 1SS2-1S84 was an earnest
: OF what he was to achieve in broader
Z fields as he grew III years and experiences.
S No claim Of infallihility has ever been
: urged for him. But his motives and
c methods have always been so honest,
e above board and straight forward tina t
o they naturally aroused the antagonist,
,. and censure Of David +. Hill. who has
# never pursued a straight course if 4
crooked, under ground passage was avail
n able.
IS Tx x-Senator Hill says he prefers the
e silent judicial Parker to the aggressive
o Roosevelt. 1t would be strange it he did
l. not.
J. President Roosevelt has nothing to
s. fear from David Il. HILL except his euo
e ges. Should he win these he Nigh,
i Well begin to suspect himself.
The Way 1t Works.
Prior to the establishment Of protec
tive duty on tin plate the annual impor
tation Of the article into the Uutet
States ranged in the vicinity of G5O.0 900,
900 pounds. for which we paid over $40.
WO.WOO a year. When the Mckinley tai:
if law took effect. Oct. l. 1880. ther
was not tin plate factory in the United
States. and Democrats declared ther
l ho Nv In ct;n