Milford chronicle., 1904-10-14
MODEST JUDGE PARKER.
His Letter OF Acceptance Assumes a
Monopoly of Honesty.


His Letter OF Acceptance Assumes q
Monopoly Of Honesty.
No one can read Judge Alton B. Park
er's letter of acceptance without being
struck with its temerity and self-sunl
cheney in making an issue Of administra'
tive honesty between the Republican and
Democratic parties. Evidently this
progeny Of David B. Hill and Tammany
Hall is one Of those rare men "whO can
hear the Decalogue and feel no self-re-
proaeh." Written primarily for Demo
cratic consumption this letter presumes
that members Of his party possess a mon
Opoly of the qualities Of honesty, sinceri-
ty and economy necessary to run gov
ernment without corruption, crOokedness
and extravaganza.
So far as Judge Parker is willing to
admit the Republican party Of this gen
Grafton included but one honest politi-
clan, and he is dead. With ostentatiOus
recognition of the axiom de mortuis nil
nisi bonum, It recalls and garOles a pass
age from the last address Of our mar
tyred President, William Mckinley,
who had won the affection Of his coun-
| trymen,n in order to convey the impress
/ sion that with his demise all that was
honest and trustworthy had passed out
of the Republican party. This from the
candidate who was discovered and
groomed for the presidential race by Da-
yid B. Hill, William F. Sheehan and Pat
rick H. McCarren, argues colossal i'm
pndence or an ignorance Of the situation
so dense as to be almost beyond belief. |
How Judge Parker harps upon this is
sue Of honesty may be judged from such |
passages as these:
Among these Gssues) are tariff re-
form. imperialism, economical admins
tration and HONESTY in the public ser
vice
Whether the purpose Of the bill Ito
reclaim arid lands win be fully accom-
plished must depend in large measure
upon the ability, sobriety Of judgment,
and HONESTY of the Off
GERS of the Interior Department having
this great work in charge. The
magnitude of the conception and the
enormous expense its carrying out in
wolves makes US realize the overwhelming
Importance of a broad, capable and
HONEST administration of the work
by the statute.
Both (the army and navyl however.
have suffered from persistent injection Of
personal and political influence. Promo
tions and appointments have been fre-
Quently based on favOritism instead of
merit Trials and courts-martial have
been set aside under circumstances indi-
eating political interference.
A return to the constitutional princi-
pies, frugal expenses and administrative
PURITY Of the founders Of the republic
Is the first and most imperious duty OF
the times-the commanding issue now
before the people Of the Union QUOTED
from a Democratic platform Of 1876 as
expressing the demand Of the people in
1000"
The postal frauds, in which the guilty
raseals We're exposed, tried and convict
ed are made the excuse for the unsup-
ported assertion that "a widespread i'm
preston exists that a thorough investiga-
ton may discover other cases of misfeas-
lnce.' It would be interesting TO know
whether Judge Parker conjured this un-
founded impression up out Of the "yasty
ieep" OF his own unfamiliarity with pub
lie affairs or had it thrust upon him by
he unscrupulous cock of Wolfet's
Roost
He charges a Violation of national
good faith" in the methods by which "the =
executive acquired the Panama canal
cute and rights" without one iota of evil
ienee to support the assertion, which IS F.,
IN Indictment not only of the executive
lut of the American people, as the votes }
the treaty and appropriating b,
he money TO clinch the violation of ma I
ional good faith" were practically unani-
nous.
The entire letter invites a comparison !;
f the honesty. courage and administra-
i've capacity Of its author and his party :
With President Roosevelt and his party. h
Game has already taken the measure Of i
'heodore Roosevelt's qualities No one n
as ever questioned Judge Parker's hon
sty, but whether he possesses high civic n
ourage and administrative capacity no n
ne knows.
As between the two parties such a 4
omparison would be odious to the party i
hich to-day rests its entire hopes Of n
uccess upon the favor of Tammany 4
Ian. Investigation and punishment Of n
rime has been the position Of the Repub- =
can party; the attitude Of the Demoe-
lcy TO crimes committed under its rule 81
as too often been illustrated in the in ii
1lent and brutal question Of Boss Il
weed, What are you going to do about II
2" = =