The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-07-12
The Personality of Judge Parker.

tions, aside from his having always voted the
Democratic ticket, practically nothing is known.
Declaring that a judge should not NEEDLE with
politics, he has maintained an unbroken silence
throughout the campaign and not until his letter
of acceptance is read will his personal views on
the great political issues be known. Even during
the convention last week, he stayed on his farm
at Esopus and appeared to be as much interested
in the crops as in politics.
What is really known of the Democratic can
didate may be summed up in this fashion: He
is a man of unblemished character and so trusted
that at times the Republicans have refused to
nominate a candidate in opposition to him. Born
near Cortland, N. Y, in 1852, he worked on his
fathers farm until he was sixteen years old, when
he began teaching. He intended going to college
but the financial condition of the family would
not permit it, and he obtained only a legal edu-
cation at Albany Law School. In 1884 he was
chairman of the Democratic State Executive
Committee when David B. Hill was elected Gov
ernor. A Supreme Court judge dying, Hill ap-
pointed Parker to fill the vacancy, and he has been
on the bench ever since, having nothing to do with
politics.
Judge Parker is a real farmer. Says James
Creelman: cat the end of every week and during
the summer vacation Judge Parker is to be found
on his picturesque farm at Esopus, which over
looks the Hudson River. He has three farms in
New York State-one of $50 acres at Cortland,
| another of $50 acres at Accord and still another
of 80 acres at Esopus. He manages these three
farms and makes them, on the whole, pay. He
is no dilettante stranger to the country, playing
with agriculture as with a toy, but a real farmer,
| who directs the work, superintends the blowing
and, in harvest time, goes out in his shirt sleeves
to work with his men in the hay and sorghum"
At St. Louis a few weeks ago, we asked a dis
| tinguished New York editor-not a Democrat
as to the general impression in New York as to
Judge Parker's character. Parker" he replied,
lis a man whose integrity nobody doubts, and who
is also regarded as a man of real strength of char
acter. I do not think that his silence is due to
timidity or that he will be under the domination
of Hill. While he will be governed by his party's
platform of principles, he will have no personal
boss if he is elected President. In fact, the law
yers tell me that so far from being a tool, he meas
ures more nearly up to Samuel j. Tilden's re-
mark about Cleveland when Cleveland was just
beginning to rise-Fa man who had rather do a
thing his way, even if the wrong way, than do it
the other fellows way, even if the right way"
Thomas z. Watson the Populist Candidate.
As reported in our news columns, the Populist
National Convention nominated Thomas E. Wat
son, of Georgia, for President, and Thomas H.
Tribbles, of Nebraska, for Vice-President. The
platform as adopted reafirms former platforms
and demands the. issue of money by the govern
ment in such quantities as shall maintain stabil-
ity in prices; the establishment of postal savings
banks; abolition of child labor; the eight-hour
day, and the initiative and referendum. Govern
ment by injunction is denounced. The monopoly
planks reads: "To prevent unjust discrimination
and monopoly the government should own and