Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-11
AVOIDED THE ISSUES
Significant Feature of Demo-
cratic Rally at Baltimore.
DIRECT DENUNCIATION
PRESIDENT AND CoRTELYoU SUB
JECTS FOR ABUSE.
Former Senator Hills Bitter Arraign-
ment-Candidate Davis on Booker
Washington and Imperialism.

BALTIMORE, Md, October 11.-Ihe Sig
nifcant feature of the grand democratic
rally in this city last evening was an entire
abandonment of any effort to put forward
well-defned issues for the consideration OF
the thousands of people who left their
homes within the city and travelled many
miles from the suburbs to hear what their
political leaders had to advance as reasons
why they should vote for Parker and Davis
next month.
Judge Parker. in a personal letter to the
editor of the democratic campaign book,
expressed wish that nothing be permitted
to enter that book that in the slightest de-
gree reflected upon the honor or integrity
of President Roosevelt. At the time this
sentiment was applauded as being that of
a magnanimous man who wished the cam
paign fought upon the great issues that
have for so many years divided the demo-
cratic and republican parties.
Not only were there such issues put
forward last night, but the integrity of the
President and the honor of his former Sec
retary of Commerce and Labor were i'm
pugned by Judge Parker's closest friend.
former Senator David Bennett Hill. who
declared that never before in the story of
the United States had a cabinet officer been
placed in a position to know the secrets of
the great corporations of the country and
then gone cut as chairman of national
government to hold up those same cor
porations for campaign contributions.
Denunciation Called Forth Acclaim.
This direct denunciation of Chairman
Cortelyou, and. by inference, denuncia-
ton of President Roosevelt called forth
great applause, and Mr.. Hill proceeded
to hammer the accusation home with
further vigorous language. Some repub
licans who heard this accusation last
evening are wondering whether Judge
Parker will take occasion to publicly an
nounce his disapproval of such campaign
methods.
If Mr.. Hills words meant anything they
meant that President Roosevelt had
placed Mr.. Cortelyou at the head of the
Department of Commerce and Labor in
order that he might acquaint himself
with the secrets of the great corporations
of the country and then, with a tacit
threat that he would make trouble for
them, go to those corpora tions for con-
tributions. 1t is well understood that the
department over which Mr.. Cortelyou did
preside is empowered by Congress to call
to the attention of the Attorney General
the case of any corporation that is vio-
lating the Sherman antitrust law in Or
der that 1t might be prosecuted by the
Attorney General.
The fact is, the bureau of corporations,
which is included in the department for
merly presided over by Mr.. Cortelyou, has
within its possession only such informa-
tarily sent to 1t. That bureau possesses
no secrets of any corporations. The great
mass of its information is in the nature
of testimony that has been taken by vari-
Gus legislative committees both of Con-
greSS and of the states and in court pro-
ceedings.
Hills Speech Mainly Abuse
Not only was Mr.. Hills speech made up
largely of this personal accusation, but
when he finally departed from 1t and
undertook to discuss the tariff question
he wholly abandoned the old democratic
principle of enforcing a tariff for reve-
nue. only. He particularly stated that he
wanted 1t understood that the proposition
TO revise the tariff was not equivalent to
a proposition to destroy the tariff.
Whatever may have been the faults of
the wilson tariff bill" declared Mr.. Hill,
while Senator German, who sat at his right
smiled knowingly, that bill provided a
protection TO American industries fully
equal to the difference between the prices
OF labor in this country and abroad"
In making this announcement Mr. Hill,
with sweep of his hand, said he wanted
working men to understand what the VIII
son bill had proposed. His entire discus
sion of the tariff, which followed this state
ment. continued essentially on lines that
favored protection, but which were against
what he termed excessive tariff rates.
There were republicans who heard these
declarations who were ready to say amen"
to much that he said, and who believed
that he enunciated to a large extent the
principles of a protective tariff that have
been advocated by the great masses of the
republican party, tarin providing rates
merely sufficient to place American manu-
facturers on a plane OF equal advantage
with foreigners, who have cheap labor with
which to compete in the markets of the
world.
Davis Chief Hit.
ha {af do h,yN Nv
away Davis, democratic candidate for the
vice presidency, in the form OF the
statement that If Alton Il. Parker should
be elected President of the United States,
and he expressed his confidence that that
would be the result OF the campaign, he
would never invite a Booker Washington
to the White House.
That sentiment brought forth tremendous
applause, whch made II necessary for Mr..
Davis to smile his acknowledgements for a
few minutes before he could resume
Mr.. Davis announced that he was ''op-
posed to all wrong-especially imperialism,
He spoke of the increase of expenditure of
the government during the years of the
countrys development and increase of pop
ulation, but did not refer to any proposition
which he may have had in mind for cutting
down these expenditures. He told what it
cost to run the government under President
Madison, requesting newspaper men not to
msQuote him as he was dealing in round
figures" and then, by an inadvertence
vastly overstated the expenditure that was
made under President Madison. This figure
he placed at s2T0. 0.00o,oO0, which, in fact was
not attained as the annual expenditure OF
the government until after many admins
trations had passed since the retirement OF
Madison.
German Refers to White Mans Party
Senator German in his opening speech as
presiding officer did not undertake TO dis
cuss at any length issues of the campaign.
He was in his home. surrounded on all