The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-20
CUT AND DRIED.


 The Republican platform has been agreed on. Senator Lodge has 1t in his pocket. Doubtless as an accompanying memorandum he carries the full ticket to be nominated at Chicago. The Republi- cans pretend to be proud of this situation. that their National Convention will abdi- cate it's functions as deliberative body and meet merely to record decisions ar rived at by Roosevelt and his personal clique at Washington. They are welcome to ail the comfort they can derive in pre- senting a spectacle of the most boss-rid- den organization ever seen in this coun- try outside Q single State Platt once ruled New York in this way; Quay now rules Pennsylvania in like manner. It has remained for Roosevelt 50 to donai- nnte a great party in the United States that it tamely permits him from a back room of the white House to name him. self. to name his companion on the ticket, to announce the platform and select the chairman of the Campaign Committee. Piatt. Quay, the old Congressional cau- GUS of our early history, all men. all sys- tems. will henceforth appear mediocre af- fairs when Roosevelt and his machine are mentioned.
 There is really deep significance in this result as 1t has been worked out. It throws strong light upon the personality of Roosevelt himself We'll may consery- ative men shrink from entrusting him with the great power of the Presidency, when with all the perils that surround him now with a contest impending. he is yer willing to coerce and drive his party like herd of sheep. What would he do If elected? Unquestionabiy his lawless character will be one of the issues of the campaign. He recognizes this and so do his factotems. They open their dec- iarstion-now in Lodges vest pocket representing the highest ideals of Amer iean manhood. They cannot get away from him if they would in the canvass. He has kept them humping for three years to back him up. explain and de- fend his cratic conduct. Willy. nilly, they must keep this up until November and So they will pretend in the platform he has written for them that they re- gard him as representing the highest ideals of American manhood.
 Roosevelt's achievements as they will be recounted at Chicago will relate to do- nestle and foreign affairs. The achieve ment at home upon which most stress will be laid. will be his forced settlement of the anthracite coal strike. No one de- nies he used his power most arbitrarily in that matter. His individual achieve ment in the field of foreign affairs was the instant recognition of Panama as free and independent. preluding this by pal pablo and disgracefui connivance with few petty adventurers. He was acting in his truest role in this matter. He was alert. headstrong, determined to have his way if every consideration of national pride and honor was trampled under fcot. No one objects to the prospect of completed Isthmian canal. No one is proud that in securing 1t we have black ened and besmirched our good name. In the other particulars detailed in the in- strument now carried in Lodges vest pocket that relate to our dealings with rope has used Roosevelt's vanity as a tool with which to accomplish their own par ticular purposes. The whole Venezuela business was preconcerted with England and Germany. The European powers were quick to see the importance of dispatch ing Roosevelt's personal friends to be present at Roosevelt's court. These close personal friends honeyfuggle him when- ever they need him. Lodges vest-pocket document lauds his glorious career in China. Palpably and by the undisputed pretension of the German Government. he was put up to do what he did there through the agency of Berlin Things done on his own initiative. as in the strike. as in the pension order, as in the Panama affair. were plainly, if not avow- edly violations of law. In Venezuela and in China he took Europe as his prompter We ought not to forget, however, he did dispatch war vessel to Beirut on a foolish errand. This was done on his own initiative. The piece de resistance of the vest pocket document Is it's discussion of the tariff. Lodge in this copied his Mas sachusetts utteranoe. We shall recur to this again. It must poster a good pro- tectionist some to be called on to cheer and hurrah for protectionist candidate who was a member of the Golden Club of England and of the American Free Trade League; who So far from ever hav- ing recounted his opinions, is reported by his friend and biographer Leupp to en- certain the same views, but as keeping them in abeyance in order to get and retain office at the hands of the Repub- lieans.
 PERTINENT QUESTIONS.
 The Kansas City Journal is putting to