Arizona republican., 1904-07-27
Some Queer Issues.

MT. Sheehan informed Judge Parker the other day that 'only campaign is sues were mentioned" in the platform adopted at St. Louis. Yet nobody has discovered what those issues are. Judge Parker took exceptions to the absence of any mention of gold, and then MT Sheehan told him that gold was omit ted because it was not regarded as a possible issue" during the campaign. That satisfied Judge Parker as we now know.
 If there was no necessity for hay ing a gold plank in the platform there was no necessity at least for three fourths of the rest of the platform-or, for that matter, for any of 1t. Certain ly the election of United States sena- tors direct by the people-wiIile it would be a good thing-is not a ration al issue in the sense that any general concern OH that point is revealed. And we do not believe anybody has consid- cred the Monroe doctrine an issue this year. It is fixed like the gold stand ard. Then we had no idea that the right of a trial by jury, or the matter of separation of church and state, was agitating anybody especially at this time. Certainly there is no discussion of the freedom of the press or the "open door in China" The Panama canal and irrigation are not exactly is sues, and so the platform runs.
 Judge Parker would never have miss ed the gold plank, and even with the other blanks he would have had noth- ing to tie to. He stands upon a plat form that stands for nothing save what is established and for which al- most everybody stands.
 For the life of Us We cannot find any thing In the St. Louis declaration that is to strike the keynote of the demo- cratic campaign. Of course the allu- sions to President Roosevelt are left, but Judge Parker is not the sort of a man who would wage a campaign of personal attacks upon the man holding the office he wants to secure. If his friends make the mistake of running a campaign based upon the presidents personality and the Justification of his official work then Judge Parker would be standing as endorsing that sort Of a campaign.
 No man can hold the office of president and escape criti- cism for acts that have been dis pleasing to the opposite party, and to some members of his own party. Ev- en Judge Parker--estimable man that he is declared to be-would, at the end of four years as president, discover that he was not as popular as when he started in. It is the way of politics, and yet it does not mean that good and useful men always go astray when they become president.
 No man can serve in a public office without being compelled to face criti- cism. Such a man has never occupied the office of president. Even Abraham Lincoln was villified without stint, and by men who are now lauding him to the skies. Theodore Roosevelt, being a man of action, and quick to think and to act, has proved so startling to the moss-b back democrats that they can not understand sucn activity. What President Roosevelt has dore well far outbalances what he may have done unwell. He does not claim, and his friends do not claim that he is per lection; but his friends do maintain that he is clean, honest, capable and thoroughly familiar with the needs of the country. He stands as the repre- sentative of the party of achievements, and thus it is that he is entitled to an election to succeed himself His work is before the world, and in every capa- city in which he has served the people he has brought about something Of lasting benefit In that respect he is typical of his party. That is enough for the voters of the country to know.