New-York tribune., 1904-10-13
P4RKER'S PROTOTYPE.

That is a most Impressive parallel which Mr..
Cleveland suggests between Buchanan and Lin
coin on the one side and Parker and Roosevelt
on the other. The ex-President cast his first
vote for the mature. undramatic, experienced
Buchanan" Therefore he advises young men
who would follow in his august footsteps to
cast their votes for the mature, undramatic.
experienced Parker; and we must confess that
students Of history who find in the cautious
and well meaning Buchanan an admirable type
of the American statesman, and feel that he IS
the sort of man we want for President VIII
have good reason for supporting the cautious
and well meaning Parker
They have much in common The same party
supports them. and takes much the same atti-
tude respecting the Constitution now that 1t
did in 1881. Buchanan was, indeed much more
experienced than Judge Parker in national af-
fairs. He had been in Congress. in the diplo-
matte service, in the Cabinet not merely
State Judge. whose sole political experience
was with the management, while Judge, Of
State campaign for a peculiarly unsavory poll
tcian whose campaign expenses were after
ward drawn from the taxpayers through cor
rupt favOrs to contractors. He had been d fol-
lower Of Andrew Jackson. that great Democrat
who set pace OF "lawlessness'' in official ac-
ton quite unapproa ched in later times But
still he was cautious Undramatic, mature, lust
like Judge Parker. He was the Old-man-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. He was according TO
his lights, a patriot, but he was so much a prev
to Democratic notions of what was constitu-
tional that he could not defend the Constitution
for fear Of breaking It, He was like the court
ters Of the Spanish King who had such rever-
ence Tor the royal person that they could not
lay hands upon him TO pull him out of the fire
That is the example of safety ard SANITY"
maturity, caution and experience rightly held
up by Mr.. Cleveland for Endorsement nv n vote
for Judge Parker. Not even Judge Parker has
more respect for law than had Buchanan, and
Judge Parker's programme OF shrinking the
executive functions and walking on eggs. with
care TO steer away from everything dangerous
both in politics and administration, is thorough.
ly Buchananesque. Mr.. Cleveland is lifelong
Democrat and bis instinct may be relied upon
when he picks Judge Parker as the tenDera-
mental heir OF Buchanan among Democratic
statesmen.
Following Buchanan in the Presidency came
man whom the Democrats called Iawless
despot as earnestly, and no doubt as conscien
tiously, as they now cal President Roosevelt
one. He, too, thought he had power to do,
things, instead Of discovering constitutional
bugbears TO excuse indecision. He held the
view expressed by Theodore Roosevelt in his
letter Of acceptance: "I should be derelict IN
ny uhts II uSeA q AdiSe CONSTRUCTION or the
Constitution as a shield for weakness or
"timidity or as an excuse for governmental i'm
''potence." There were probably critics in
those days. too who misrepresented his views
and falsiied his utterances, just as "The New
York Evening POST did this remark Of Presi-
dent ROosevelts, saying that he announced that
he would ''pay no attention to any constitu-
'uonal provision which in his opinion, would
reduce him to impotence" And, doubtless
also with the greatest pretence of superior
virtue. they were too cowardly and too ma
licious 70 make correction. II sometimes seems
as il President Roosevelt was subjected 10 an
undue share OF Misrepresentation. hut when we
think OF President Lincoln's suffering from the
same sort of criticism from the same quarter,
we realize that he has no right TO expect any
thing else. Even the cartoonists. with their
stock Of 'store teeth and bloodthirsty grins
have not approached Lincoln, the gorilla.
While Lincoln was at work accomplishing the
things that the nation wanted the Democratic
Constitution clubs We're proving to their own
satisfaction that be was violating the Consti-
tuition, and organized TO oppose his reelection,