The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-04
Parker as a Stumper.

u
Judge Parker saw fit to devote the
last week of the campaign to daily
speaking, which has been really a stun
ming success so far, as revealing his
large ability to perpetrate many serl-
Gus blunders in mathematics, govern
mental science and American history.
He has taken pains to reveal himself
as a back-number, his sympathies en-
tirely with a bygone age. From Can
didate Parker's repeated expressions
one might be excused from concluding
that he would welcome a return OF
this nation to the days and ways of the
. "Fathers,' the period when we were
practically a nation Of farmers, and
our largest city had only $4,000 in
habitants; when farm labor was done
by hand and the aid Of oxen, and grain
was cut with sickle and was threshed
with a fail and manufacturing was in
an elementary and tentative condition,
and railways, telegraphs and telephones
were unknown; newspapers were few
in number and stage coaches offered
very slow transit.
In his speech yesterday at New
Haven, Candidate Parker, having few
days previously, with great delibera-
ton, charged the president with placing
Cortelyou at the head of the department
of commerce and labor to learn the
secrets Of the big corporations and then,
as chairman of the national committee,
levy blackmail on the corporations, saw
L l
paragement and reckless assertion by
an onslaught on the "strenuous life
recommended to young men by the
president, foolishly declaring that the
president wishes to reimpose medieval
conditions-knight errantry and crusad
i ing-on this country. It seems to be
too much to expect Candidate Parker tc
comprehend the meaning of the expires
sion strenuous iife,' and he, with his
weak powers Of observation, may not
have observed that the term is favored
by the vast majority Of the American
people, as embodying all that is com
mendably manly, courageous and patri
otto. But the judge has never delivered
set speech in this campaign withou
81
blunders make him ridiculous and hi
party organs have become weary tryiny
to mitigate their absurdity, but tn
candidates charge of presidential com
plicity in a matchmaking operation cast
in the shade the efforts of all previou
makers of fakes and roorbacks in tn
various political campaigns, for MI
Parker makes himself liable to prosecr
ton for criminal libel, as he did NO
pretend to offer any proof Of his Out
rageous charge.
During this campaign the democrat
introduced roorback in the shape c
a forged letter signed by the presiden
u purporting to make him an enemy {
labor unions, but the exposure of tn
forgery followed quickly. The san
kind Of fake was tried against Ga
field in 1880, in the Morey letter,
forgery which was intended to mai
Il Garfield appear as champion Of Oh
nese immigration in behalf of corpor
tions employing labor. Among form
fakes was the forgery which appeare
in WING newspaper in Ithaca, N. Y
as an alleged extract from book
travels in this country by one Bare
Roorbach, relating how he found
one point a large lot Of slaves, eat
branded on the shoulder with the il
tials ~. K. p standing for Jam
X. Polk, who had bought them. TIL
was, done to injure Polk, who was tn,
(1844) the democratic candidate f
the presidency. The fake had wi
circulation and was soon evaporate
the only thing left Of it being t
word "roorback,' which has stuck
the language to the present day to
dictate any political fake.
It is safe to say that there cam
be found another instance Of can,
date for the presidency openly brin
ing "a charge of completely in a blac
mailing conspiracy against his OPT
/ nent, without offering a single atom
proof A candidate who refuses
prove what he charges and reiterat
absurd blunders and takes pains to a
to their grotesqueness, as he does
the case of his false figures Of Phil
pine expenses, taking the statemel
of that monumental fakir, Edward /
kinson, naturally comes to the tail-e
of the campaign in a very fabby ct
dition and shorn Of any reputation