Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-19
DIVIDED ON ISSUES
Democratic Campaign Book
Makes Tariff Paramount.
THE PARKER LETTER
SOME LEADERS FAVOR PERSONAL
CRITICISM OF THE PRESIDENT.
Developments Expected as Political
.Spellbinders Talk to the
Voters.
THE PARKER LETTER

democratic campaign book have been made
public their contents point to the tariH as
the chief issue on which the democrats
will depend during the next six weeks OF
the political struggle that is to be brought
to a close in November.
Judge Parker's personal letter to the edi-
tor of the campaign book asking that he be
sure that there is nothing in that publica-
ton rejecting on the character or integrity
of President Roosevelt has been interpreted
as meaning that far as the democratic
candidate is concerned there will be an
effort to keep out all personal abuse from
the campaign.
Judge Parker's Letter.
This letter of Judge Parker has been
heralded as an evidence of magnanimous
character on the part of the democratic
candidate, but it has come very far from
pleasing republicans. They declare that II
Judge Parker or any one else wishes TO IN
ject any allegations relating to the honor or
integrity of President Roosevelt they would
be pleased to have him do SO. The very
fact of writing such letter seems to in
dicate that the democrats might have made
political capital out of some revelations
respecting the personal integrity of the
republican candidate, and that is what re-
pubicanS resent.
1t is stated that from the beginning of
have carefully avoided introducing what
they regard personal abuse Of the
democratic candidate, and that their COM
ments on him have been confined to his
political career and to his attitude on po-
litical questions of the day SO far as they
are known. Republicans are inclined to
take the view that If the democratic man
ayers have anything up their sleeves
in relation to the integrity of the Presi-
dent they would like to have them bring
1t out.
Quoting Roosevelt's Books.
While the personal letter of Judge
Parker and the advance sheets of the
democratic campaign book indicate that
the campaign is to be fought on national
policies and on non-personal lines, demo-
Gratis who are taking leading part In
the campaign still insist that by attack
more to strengthen Judge Parker than by
any other method. In order to carry out
their policy of personal criticism of the
President they are to make a very ex-
tended attack on his views of public men
of past generations, given in his his
tor1cal works, written many years ago.
This line of attack on President Roose-
velt will be gone into very extensively in
the near future in documents to be issued
in New York by lne national committee
These documents will contain extensive
quotations from the works of Mr.. Roose-
Welt. and it is declared that the harshness
OF criticism he makes will have an infu-
ence on the voters of the country who
have opinions different from those ex-
pressed by the President on public men
of the past.
Two Lines of Campaign Work
In view of the course that is being taken,
good many republicans are inclined to
| think that the issues to be urged by demo-
| cratic leaders are to be different in differ
ent places-that those of the campaign
book are to be in sense official, while
| others Will be urged in documents issued
| by the committee to be put forward with
| out dragging them into the official text
book In other words, officially the tariff
ana great national questions are to be made
prominent with the personal letter of Judge
Parker, asking that personalities be kept
| out OF the campaign, while at the same
time the committee will issue documents
| of the President
Some OF the documents that are being
circulated by the congressional committee
| are entirely personal and violently abusive
OF president Roosevelt, such as the speeches
| delivered in the House of Representa- tives
by Kitchen of North Carolina Patterson
OF Tennessee and Fitzgerald of New York.
Inc TACT is the democratic leaders are now
ana nave been since the campaipn onened
divided as to whether it should be fought
on political principles or on personal
grounds.
issues Of Greatest Importance.
| Many democrats have thought the most
| capital could be made by working on the
| sentiment of disapproval of President
| Roosevelt that has been shown in some
| quarters or wall street, and they have ad-
| vocated that he might be constantly set be-
| ioie 'he voters as an unsafe man who
| might bring the country into trouble at
| any time. They have believed that by
! adopting this course they could overshadow
| every other issue, and especially secure
| many votes in New York state These
leaders have feared that if the tariff is put
| forward too prominently as the issue of the
| with the enemies of Roosevelt WHO are in
| many instances adherents to the policy OF
| protective tariff.
! These opposing elements in the partv have
| been struggling with the campaign book
| which it is well known has been under the
! inspection of many democratic leaders and
| for several days received the personal con-
! sideration of Judge Parker himself AS
| Judge Parker had himself approved what
| was to go into the campaign book, and as
no one was inclined to change it after il
| had received his approval, some surprise is
| expressed among republicans who know the
| facts in the case that the democratic candi-
| date should find it necessary to send a let.
| ter to the editor of the campaign book al
| the last moment asking that any persona
| reflection on President Roosevelt be KEPT
| out of it, IL the purpose was to prevent sucf
| personal reflection rather than to advertise
| to the people at large the fact that Judge
| Parker had sent such a letter.
| --1