Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-10-05
THE ISSUE is ROOSEVELT.
Republican Leaders Letter of Accept
ance Reiterates His Contempt
for the Constitution.

AS painted by Mr.. Roosevelt, the re-
publican party almost discounts Provi-
dence. 1t is all-wise and all-benefcent.
1t is perfection, full-rOunded, beautiful.
According to Mr.. Roosevelt the time has
come when those in charge of the gov
eminent are omniscient and societys
ills are at an end. The republican party
is the answer to the sum total of man
kinds efforts throughout the ages. 1t
possesses exclusively all of the super
lative excellencies hitherto known and
few newly invented ones.
If it were as good as Mr.. Roosevelt
processes to think it is, there would be
no further need of politics and We could
even get along without the constitution.
Mr.. RoOsevelt's letter of acceptance Is
in many respects an interesting docu-
ment.
Almost anybody can put questions TO
tit answers favorable to himself, which
is way Of conducting the other fellows
case; and this is what Mr. Roosevelt has
done. Having selected what he con-
ceives to be the virtues of his admins
tration, he frames an indictment on be-
half Of the people against these special
virtues, thus giving the selected virtues
an excellent opportunity to reply-and
they reply for all they are worth
There can be no other issues save the
enumerated ones involving these sup
posed virtues, Mr.. Roosevelt contends
II these are not the issues. he says. there
can be no issues.
AS usual, says the ST. Louis Republic,
Mr.. Roosevelt overlooks the constitu-
ton. When he declares that he is I'M
able to conceive what issues the demo-
| Gratis could possibly have. he forgets that
they have had Mr.. Roosevelt in one of
the three great constitutional divisions
OF government for the last three years
and that the incumbent has wrought a.
great strain and damage upon the office
AS matter of fact a president too big
for the constitution is very large. real.
| live and threatening issue and one suf-
dcient to arouse most OF the people in the
| country which suffers that condition.
A lawmaking and lawbreaking execu-
| tive is an anomaly calculated to impress
the majority of Americans with the ne
| cessity for it's removable awaken in
| them fear for the safety of their insti-
| tutions.
Mr. Roosevelt is enough of an issue.
were there no others. He represents
nticonstitutionalism, the constitution
| subordinated to executive whim: and
not all his enumeration of party vir-
tues, real or pretended, can hide the
fact of his dangerous personality.
In electing president, the people
are bound to consider the man. The
| people choose between men : This cam
paign is peculiarly one in which char
acter and temperament must be
weighed between the candidates. Ii
is admitted on all sides that Judge
Alton B. Parker is a safe man. of
sound and conservative judgment, who
If elected. would not endanger the in
ternational and internal affairs of the
country. His temperament and judi
cial training qualify him for the con-
stitutional duty and responsibility. II
is impossible not to contrast against
these eminent qualifications the rash
impulses, big militant ambitions and
headlong proc!ivities of Mr. Roosevelt
In the very nature of things, the con-
trast is inevitable. The one man is
amenable to the constitution, laws
principles and traditions Of his coun.