The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-01

anu STANDARDS for our guidance as "a
people. Our return to old fashioned
Ways cannot, in my opinion. be too
| preclptate, unless we are prepared to
smut our eyes to the conseuuences that
VIII follow If we proceed further along
/ pain that is full of danger to our
luture' we need what patriotism, de-
sotlon 10 principle and high moral
lueals nave until of late given us-a
| government of law and constitutional
! restraint and not of caprice or reckless
| adventure.
In an earlier utterance I have refer
req IN detail to what is notoriously
| going on IN the matter of the collec-
olon OF FUNDS by the Republican party
! LOT the campaign. Now, l know. as
you Know, that money is required in
order to defray the expenses of a cam
palgn' Under right conditions it's col
| lectlon and expenditure are equally
| legitimate. But the spectacle of de-
mandlng campaign funds now present.
| ed 10 this country is, when rightly re-
| garded, of character to shock the
moral sense.
We shall do well to pause for a mo-
ment to ask whittier we are drifting,
IN our indifference to right standards
| ana to our old fashioned sense of pro
prlety in such matters
The Use of CorteIyou.
COhSieSS creates d new department
or commerce and labor Of that de-
| partment the President of the United
states appoints a secretary. That Sec
retary was his private secretary. With
IN the department provision is made
for the collection from large CORPORA
tons, including the so-called trusts. of
information which, it is to be borne in
mind, is to be submitted to the Pres-
dent for public or private use as he
EQxye af ~
ecutive this secretary, through whose
department this information is collect
ed, becomes the chairman of the Ma
tional Republican Committee. His
chief duty it has been and still is to
collect funds for the purpose of Sc
curing the election of the President.
And 1t is now notorious that there has
resulted from this organized impor-
tunity-whatever may be the precise
way in which it is made effective-an
overfiowing treasury to the committee,
of which boast is openly and contin-
ually made.
Although this may be satisfactory to
the conscience of Republican leaders,
it must, 1 firmly believe, be condemn
ed as nothing short of scandalous, not
alone by myself or the Democratic
party, but by the American people as
we'll.
1t is said by Mr.. Hay that the
character of Mr.. Lincoln furnishes the
standard for Mr.. Roosevelt in his con-
duct as President. 1 do not have to
pause to hear your laundering mo-"
when l ask would Lincoln have done
or permitted this to be done?
Shameless Exhibition.
The whole performance is a shame
less exhibition of a willingness to
make compromise with decency in or
dar. hot c-rr,,a .1f
cred together sufficiently vast to justi-
fly the insolent boasts even now that
there is no question as to the success
which by such a course the Republi-
can managers so confidently predict
The performance is entitled only to
the credit that it in no sense partakes
of hypocrisy. It is as bold as. it is
improper and indefensible.
1t has been my fortune to take an
active part in three presidential cam
paigns. The first of these resulted in
the election in 1876 of Samuel J. Til
den. The younger generation, which
has come upon the scene since that
time, can scarcely understand the
forces which this great man had to
meet and combat. He, himself, felt
how unequal was the contest which he
waged. He knew that he was devoted
to the interests of his countrymen
and that they sympathized with the
aims which he so we'll represented,
but he was disposed to admit that
he always felt how strong the odds
were against him and how almost
hopeless it was for him to combat the
combined forces of greed and official
power.
The 1880 campaign found the party
seriously handicapped because circum-
stances compelled the putting aside of
the issue of fraud, an issue that could
only be made effective in the support
of Tilden and Hendricks, who were
deprived of the office to which they
had been elected in 1876. A gallant
struggle was made, however, by the
party in the face of claims most in
sistently made from every platform
throughout the country that the Dem
ocratic party could not be trusted.
Those foremost in the struggle fur
nishing the sinews for the political bat
tie against us We're the men who were
enjoying special privileges.
when Cleveland Went In.
The other presidential campaign in
which / took an active part was that
which, in 1884. resulted in the nomi
nation, the election and Inauguration
of Grover Cleveland. AS 1 look back
now upon this campaign, l recall that
it's one dominating feature was the cry
be trusted to deal with the business in
terests of the country. From every Re-
publican newspaper in the land went
forth that foul stream of personal abuse
which made that canvass a disgrace to
the party that resorted to this meth
cd.
The only excuse for these falsehoods
was the fear that the gains of greedy
monopolists would, in some way, be
interfered with, and an attempt was
made at every turn TO represent to
the country that these represented its
great business interests. In spite Of
this indecency and bitterness; i'm spite
of the unlimited expenditure of money
in every quarter, the Democrats car
ried the election.
1t would scarcely become me in
speaking before an audience of busi-
ness men, more than to ask the ques-
tion whether or not. in their own opin-
ion, every legitimate business interest
in the country was not promoted and
enlarged by the election and the sub
sequent administration OF this man?
He enforced econmony he settled great
disputed questions and he administer
ed the government with an honesty
and a courage than which nothing in
all our history could be more positive
or distinctive.
same old Cry Again.
We now hear again the same old
parrot cry, that the business interests
OF the country cannot be entrusted to
the keeping of one-half of It's people
and that their chosen representative.
whoever he may be, Is the enemy OF
thrift and industry.