Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-07-07

John Sharp Williams, temporary
chairman Of the national democratic
convention in his keynote speech yes
terday afternoon spoke in part as fol
lows:
There have always been two great
parties which. since the first national
political conventions. have elected dele
gates to conventions for the purpose Of
selecting a candidate and promulgating
a platform. One OF these parties has
gone through its party election OF
delegates, has selected a candidate
and announced a platform. II was one
OF the quietest and most unanimous"
occasions that the muses. of history
have recorded. Everything seemed to
have been fixed beforehand.
The address OF the temporary chair
man Of the republican national con-
vention was. in one sense. historical
1t dealt much in history at any rate
most of it ancient history and a
great deal of it bad history. There
was a labored argument to prove
that the party Of Roosevelt must, by
something like revolutionary process,
act as the party of Lincoln and Nc
Kinlcy. This was necessary in order
to disguise the palpable fact that il
is not 50 acting. Not without reason
then this Iaborcl argument by this
great and ingenious lawyer. II was
10 draw away attention from Roose-
veltism and It's volcanic, eruptive and
reckless character. by dwelling upon
the fact that. at some period Of its
history. the republican party has been
"a party which did things" and did
them safely. The orator hoped to have
the country lose sight of the fact that
it is now in both of its legislative
branches a party OF passiyity, of non
action. of obstruction TO reform and
progress. N q word party whose only
sacred precept is the shibboleth which
makcth them known. one of them TO
the other. a sa.bbolcth drawn from
the gamblers Understand pat"
preccpt born Of cOwardice and fear to
move.
have heard that in October 1902,
Mr. Root made a political speech in
Cooper Union. New York. in which he
used this language:
IF n tariff law has on the whole
worked well and il business has pros
pered under it and if still prospecting.
il is better to endure some slight in
couvcnioncos and inequalities for Il
time. than to incur the uncertainty
and disturbance of business which
necessarily results from the process Of
making changes"
And | have heard that the president
in his political tour through the west
in the spring of 1903 made n speech
in which he used this language:
"If tariff law has on the whole
worked well. and if business has pros
pered under il and is prospecting. il
may be better 90 endure some incon-
veuicnccs and inequalities for time
than to make changes to risk causing
Il disturbance and perhaps paralysis
in the industries and business of the
country
Verify! Two souls with but single
thought. Two speeches that read like
one.
And that single thought SO har-
moniously expressed is not to force
single special interest to take its lips
from the public breast for fear the pub
lie. finding them unnecessary. might
shake them eli on.
Expresses Moral Sentiment.
The temporary chairman said. speak
ing of the republican party. through it
more than any other party the moral
sentiment of the American people finds
expression" Going back To ancien:
history. in the Credit Mobiller. in the
De Golyer-Ames scandal. in the whisky
IL.
reconstruction or where?
Or in recent history? In the post
Office department? In the public lands
bureau? In the full sway of bosses,
formerly cursed so bitterly and now
taken so fondiy to his bosom by the
president? In the celebrated order of
Hell Roaring Jake" Smith. prescrib
ing ten as the age above which chill
drcn were to he killed in one of the
islands of the Philippines? In the uni
yorsal honeyCombing Of our national
life with the corruption of the legisla-
ton bought special privileges? What
has ancient history to DO with present
iniquitics anyhow?
Air Root says: Offenders have been
lentiessly prosecuted and sternly
punished" Isn't this remarkable "thun-
dering in the index" for you, when
compared with actual republican &c
complishments? II there ever was de
termination fully entertained api fin
ally carried out. il was the determine
tion OF the republican administration
and the republican legislative body To
see to it that nobody should investi-
gate the alleged culprits IN the post
office department except their col
leagues in the executive branch Of the
government.
There follows something. however.
which viii be taken seriously. The
secretary boasts thai the per capita
of circulation of money among the
How to Get Rid of Mice.
A IL 4, 81,