The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1904-07-27
''old Specs" Heard From.
Dear "Josh:"

Fearing that my old friends in
Lexington may think I have taken a
back seat and given up "keeping up
| with the band" herewith hand you
evidence of the fact that [ still have
my being and hope to join the dwell
ers in the millenum. As politics,
possums and persimmons are nearly
ripe, and having formed the habit of
@mixing up" with politics in old Lex
| ington Il just can't shake it off,"
suppose you have read the plat
forms of the Democratic and Repub-
lican parties as formulated in this
year of Republican prosperity, 1904.
Perhaps you, like the writer, regard
these declarations of principles and
pledges as empty declarations to be
wholly ignored if subsequent circum-
stances for campaign purpose will
warrant it.
The rose colored lights of the
Republican platform presents to our
enraptured vision rose goodness in
carnate adapted to the views of our
President, "a blooming warm earth
angel fair as Aurora in her rose col
ored chariot at the breath of dawn"
Bnt our President is a mortal man
with every fragment and fibre of his
soul, body and possession, every
cellular, vascular and muscular tissue
somewhat resembling cur own, alike
US in many ways, yet unlike US in
many others, maybe to our discredit,
and yet, withall as Thomas Carlyle
will have US among the ''feeblest of
bipeds" who stand upon bases at
most for the fattest soled, some half
a square foot, insecurely enough, be
has to straddle out his legs lest the
very winds supplant him. "The
steer of the meadow tosses him aioft
like waste rag" Nevertheless he
is the greatest of all created things.
Auinscruitable mystery of mysteries,
yet mindful of the Mutual admi-
ration" fraternity as outlined in
the Republican platform, we must
regard him-rightly perhaps-as
measuring up to the standard of the
great men that are and have been.
TIE platform OF the Republican
party sfiems that the party's admin
istration Of national affairs is wholly
and solely creative of the agricul-
tural, industrial and financial pros
perity of the last eight years and
boastingly asserts that I'VE have
every right to congratulate ourselves
on our wonderful achievements"
II has done everything that could be
done, and left undone nothing.
As per the platform, give par
tial inventory: Arresting the exten-
sion of human slavery; the Dingly
tariff; the gold standard which es-
tablished and raised the public credit
which had 'fallen 40 low;" the van.
gushing of Spain; liberating the
Cubans, establishing an effective
government at Port Rice; suppress
ing the insurrection in the Philip
pines; relief Of the legations at Pekln
during the Boxer insurrectior; pos
session OF the route for the Isthmian
canal; regulating ~ the trusts; con-
strucsing a world conquering ~
navy; upholding ~ the civil service
laws, etc; all good measures C) with
out any special benefit to our home
institutions and individual enter
prises. The Republicans assert in
their platform that "under the DINGHY
tariff, labor has been fully employed,
wages has risen and all industries
have revived and prospered." If SC,
how is it that the Pennsylvania
railroad has reduced tbs employees
to the number of 10000, and the
Baldwin works, G,00O? Is there any
bowling prosperity in that? But
why make further citation? No
strikes, no lockouts, none are unem-
imployed, all is elysium under Re-
publican administration, and univer-