New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-06
THE PERSONAL ISSUE.

Never in the whole history of Presidential
campaigns until now has one candidate for
the Presidency attacked the personal honor and
integrity CT his competitor. We have had cam
paigns of bitter personalities. The rivalries
of Adams Jackson. Crawford and Clay drew
forth torrents of abuse of the vilest kind. but
the candidates maintained relations of mutual
respect. Later we have seen campaigns where
private lives were subjected TO the attacks of
jackals. through no fault of the candidates
themselves. but it is reserved for the judicial,
high minded Mr.. Parker. who few weeks ago
was ostentatiousy enjoining on his subordi-
mates avoidance Of any reflections upon Mr..
Roosevelt's personal honor. to come forward
and charge the President Of the United States
with being a backmailer Of corporations.
That is what under the cover of his shifty
phrases he did charge His words could have
no other meaning than that the President, by
use of official secrets. was extorting money for
his campaign, and that he was selling him.
self as President if reelected, to those who
contributed to his funds. Day after day Judge
Parker rang fhe changes on these charges with
out producing a scintilla of evidence. They
were charges mOnstrous that, if true. they
would, as Mr. Roosevelt says, brand both him
and Mr. Cortelyou forever with infamy. Yet
Judge Parker uttered them lightly, without
offering evidence, and with nothing 10 back
them up but tissue Of suggestions such as
might equally have been applied TO his own
case for if contributions gave the contribu-
tor an enforceable claim on one candidate, they
did on the other and Mr.. Parker President
could corruptly serve the interests Of Belmont
and Baer and McCarren, and therefore must
be intending to do so, If his reasoning was
sound.
President Roosevelt's letter speaks the natu-
raj Indignation Of an honest man. Its uncon-
ventionality is the natural result of an I'M
precedented situation. No other President ever
spoke so In his campaign. No other President
was ever subjected to such outrageous attacks
upon his personal honesty, persistenty repeat
ed. with defiant refusals of evidence to sus-
tain them II has been perfectly apparent that
there was no evidence to sustain them, or it
would long ago have been produced. The fran
tic efforts Of those who originally brought the
charges to get away from the issue and dis
cuss general collateral questions concerning
campaign contributions prove that there Is no
evidence.
Judge Parker's statement stands against MI
ROosevelt's. One is the shifty accusation or q
dishonest mind trying to insinuate charges OF
the basest corruption into the minds Of his hear
ers without boldly standing for them. The
other is the frank and manly denial of a person
conscious of his own integrity. The issue Is
sauarely Joined. Either Judge Parker or the
President of the United States has spoken false
IL. There is no middle ground
After boasts of answers and afldavits at the
Democratic headquarters yesterday. and frantic
efforts which evidently failed, TO fabricate some
thing TO sustain the accusation OF extortion and
corruption. Judge Parker last evening adopted
the cowardly tactics Of his newspaper support
ers and tried to run away from what he had
said ''slanderer by infeTences' Mr.. Root
called him, he confessed himself falsif1er by
avOidances. He pretended that he had not crit
cised tie President, but had merely called at
tention to an evil tendency, and complained that
the President had attacked him for venturing
ITO criticise the attempt of the trusts TO control
the election" Yet his own words with refer
ence TO the President and Mr.. COrteyOu were
''extortiOn" and blood money" In the face OF
the making of such infamous charges against
the personal honor Of the President and the
declaration that those charges were true" such
skulking and evasion OF the personal issue of
his own raising settles beyond dispute the ire
pressible question of personal honor between
the TWO candidates.