The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-11-07
PYLE LETTER
| TO PARKER
A SKILLED ARTISAN TAKES UP
PARKER'S SPEECH
DISSECTS IT THOROUGHLY
For the Benefit of the Voters Of the
Country-A Solar Picks
Blow.
D|SSECTS IT THOROUGHLY

-
Hon. Alton B. Parker,
Dear Sir:-I am one Of that class
of skilled artisans who depend upon
the work Of their hands to earn their
livelihood. Ours Is very large
class, and it goes far to make up
that body Of independent voters con-
corning whom so much is said at ell
ection time.
Now 1t IS very necessary for us,
who have the real work of life to
do, that the administration Of ma
tional affairs should be run upon
business principles, for, if the coun-
try itself is not prosperous from a
business point of view, it is clear
that we Of the working class can not
be prosperous as individuals. SO,
when we vote for a candidate, or
when we vote for party, we are apt
to inquire, quite aside from party
lines, whether that candidate or par
~ is properly equipped to wisely adj
minister the affairs of nation or to
rule commonwealth. Above all
things, We feel that when we vote
for a president we should vote for
a well balanced man, who can sue
cessfully conduct the enormous bust
ness incident to national executive.
Now, in your speech upon the 31st
of October, before a great audience
at Madison Square Garden, in New
York City, you gave utterance to
most astonishing accusation against
the present administration. What
you said in effect, was this: that the
president Of the United States had
created IA Department of Commerce
and labor, and had appointed a pri-
vate agent as secretary of that de-
partment, so that he might possess
himself of the business secrets Of
corporate industries. You then fur
Their insinuated that the president
made the same private agent chair
man of the Republican national
committee, so that he, the agent,
might levy blackmail upon those
trusts and corporations, with the
conniyance Of the president
This, l take it, is the gist Of your
accusation, stripped of its clothing
Of rhetoric, and it is very grave
charge for any man to make against
another-far more for plain citi-
zen to make against the president of
the United States.
So far as a calm observer can see,
there does not appear to be any
ground for such charge. and I ask
you, not as a private citizen or a
presidential candidate. bat as man
to man, what would he Your judg-
ment in a legal case that was brought
before your bench in which one man
publicly accused another OF black
mail, basing his accusation only up
on the ground of malicious talk and
partisan gossip? I believe, sir, even
as a private citizen, that I have a
right to ask you that question, and
to ask it in such an open letter as
this, for the man You accuse is the
president, and he is my president as
we'll as yours.
No one will pretend to accuse you
of deliberate and malicious false
hood for every man believes You to
be an honorable gentleman But
great many plain-thinking men like
myself viii feel that your prejudice
has outrun your Judgment. and has
led Won to make a cruel and extrava-
CANT accusation against a political
opponent
This. [ believe. will not recon-
mend you to the independent voter Of
this nation as man of calm and de
liberal Judgment. Both President
Roosevelt and Mr.. Cortelyou are
honorable men and people of com
mon sense know that honorable men
in real life do not lay cunning plans
for months ahead for the purpose of
leVying hlaeSmail upon rich corpora
tons. Nor is it easy for a practical
workman like myself to believe that
the president Of the nation could be
so lost to the commonest sense of |
decency as to create department of
state for no other purpose than to
possess himself Of the business Sc
crets of industrial enterprises.
You surely must know that the |
Of Commerce and Labor |
was created, not as a secret bureau
of information but to meet certain