Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-09-29

tODers IL, 1913. at the poStOffice Ottun-
wa Iowa. under the Act of Congress OF
March 3. 1879.
JUDGE PARkER's LETTER.
If democrats had hoped to draw any
Inspiration in hopeless campaign
from the letter in which Judge Park
er formally accepts the nomination fol
the presidency. they are disappointed
The fact thai he delayed the publice
ton OF his acceptance until after that
OF President Roosevelt had been pub
lshed and commented upon gave rist
TO some expectation that it would al
least attempt to answer some of the
statements made by the opposition
candidate. Blu! no. True to the
phlegmatic appearance he has given
himself throughout The campaign, be
fore and after the convention. he goes
about the writing of his formal letter
Of acceptance N the old fashioned
slow way that seems to be his chiel
and ruling characteristic.
In most men the powerful letter OF
President Roosevelt would have
aroused determination to act in an
original manner. thou~h only for once
Grover Cleveland would have prepar
ed an answer that would at least have
sent thrill down the spinal column
of loyal democrats. William ]. Bryan
would have seized upon the occasion
to utter TRADE against the author
and renew his protestations of indy
ing devotion for the God given ratio
Lesser lights. like Tillman and
Williams, could have been depended
upon to prepare letter that would
have furnished ammunition for dem
ocratic address or two. But not so
Parker. Working within the prescrib
ed limits of democratic bogyism he
wrote letter which shows, when most
closely scanned. only re-hash of the
old cries of danger to which the demo
cratic party has resorted in its fight
against Roosevelt and the party he SC
ably represents.
In the first paragraph the candidate
the democratic national convention
J, after nominating him accepted his
views upon the money question
Though there was nothing else to be
Ndone the judge seems to think the &C
ton was compliment to him and II
his letter he delays mention of the is
sues to reassert his allegiance to the
gold standard and to thank the con
vention for it's action after the receipt
of his telegram. ag
He defines the issues of the present
Scampaign as tariff reform, Imperialism
economical administration and hon,
esty in public service. First of all he
sets up Imperialism, that bogy man OF
which the democrats have tried for
years to make capital, that same imag.
mary ISSUE on which they tried to
win votes in 1900, but tried in vain
The fact that it has been tried and
found wanting would mean to most
men that either it must be neglected
altogether or some new argument
must be brought to bear upon it to
resurrect it. Again this is wrong,
With the same old time worn talk
with which Bryan and his followers
cried imperialism" in 1900, Parker
now tries to instill into the minds of
the voters fear that the republican
policies are unsafe" and unwise
Without even getting to the heart of
the question he stops with general.
ization and resorts to Webster's
words: Liberty is only to be preserv.
ed by maintaining constitutional re,
straints and Just divisions of political
powers"
Judge Parker's discussion of his
first issue is indicative of his argu-
ment throughout the letter. Without
offering single suggestion for bet
nrir 1o ~ ,ryhi oh ho
complains, he asks the voters of the
country to change administrations.
Without admitting that the republi-
cans have discovered and prosecuted
dishonest government employees he
cries out that the government offices
harbor rogues. Without stopping to
reflect that the expenditures of the
government have been large because
of such great measures as the pur-
chase of the Panama canal strip, he
condemns the Roosevelt administra-
ton as extravagant. In short, his en-
tire letter is an attempt to prejudice
the minds of the voters against
Roosevelt veritable bogy man cam
paign. He offers nothing new, prom
Uses no betterment of conditions. for
gets that the country is prosperous,
but asks simply that Roosevelt lie
turned out of the White House and
that he be allowed to enter it as pres
ident of the United States.
The condition Of the nation under
republican administration is SD uni
versally satisfactory to the people of
the whole country that it is useless
and impossible to pick flaws in the
policy of the republican party. AT
fairs of both national and international
interest have been handled with tact
and diplomacy, trade has been increas-
ed, money is plentiful, prosperity is
upon us. Matters which have arisen
in the past few years and which could
not have been foreseen at the time
when Mckinley and Roosevelt were
elected have been handled wisely and
with an eye always to the best inter.
ests Of the country. 1t is useless for
Judge Parker to cry unsafe He
knows better, the people know better,
and they know, too, the results of dem
ocratic misrIlle under a more able