The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-06

stump and in newspaper minimizing
the study and discussion of great
questions, sneering at men who put
devotion to principle above devotion to
the dollar, and calling upon the South
to initiate Pennsylvania and New
Jersey--to quit talking sentiment and
constitutional questions and think
more of getting our share of what is
going. These men believe Thomas
Jefferson a "sentimentalist" and their
teaching would take him off the pedes-
tai and put up in his place some New
York merchant (too busy to help
Washington in the Revolutionary
War;, who was SO practical that he
made money on government contracts
and buying up paper, while Washing
ton, Jefferson and Madison were lay
ing deep and broad the foundations
of this great republic. They worship
ped Mark Hanna as the ideal polite
ian, in secret if not in public, ana
thought William j. Bryan an idealist
who couldn't run the government,
though some of them publicly sup
ported him to preserve their regular
ity and others went in for getting
our share of what is going by bolt
ing his nomination. Nne-tenths of
this sort of talk comes from subsidized
newspapers and politicians who are
always standing for railroad and trust
control of legislation, and the other
tenth from thoughtless public men or
callow college men who think Il
sounds profound to advocate cutting
away from what they call "the too
logged adherence to the traditions and
sentiments of the past" Such teach
ing would destroy character and faith.
would turn our legislative halls into
market places, would put up great Of
fees to the highest bidder, and de-
stroy the independence of Jefferson
and the victories of Washington. The
natural love of money will of itself
tend to lower mems ideals and the de-
sire for wealth will make men "prac-
teal" enough without men of educa-
ton and leadership sneering at states
manship and sentiment.
Last week two influential men in the
Senate from the South-one represent
ing the State of Washington and JET
ferson, and the other the State of
John c. Calhoun-made declarations,
as published in reputable papers, to
the effect that they had made up their
minds to get their States "share of
what is going and one of them was
represented to have put such service
as above craftsmanship and to have
sneered at sentiment. 1t seemed to
this paper that such lowering senti-
ments were unworthy of South Caro-
lima and Virginia, and in an editorial
pointed out. If this paper has any
high mission, it is to stand against the
commercial spirit that permits desire
for dollars to influence mans politi-
cal action and to fight the encroach-
ments of graft and the leadership OF
machine rather than to an appeal &c
the people upon great questions affect
ing the highest welfare of the Statt
and the republic.
"Quit talking sentiment and talk
business" is usually followed by a
disbelief in the doctrine of equal
rights to all and special privilege to
none" the structure upon which this
country must build or find that it has
foundation of sand. The next steI
- a4 tr1lC re n
charge prices on transportation that
will permit stock manipuiators TO pay
money on watered stock and to decry
as a demagogue every man who sum-
mons the people to bark back to fun
damental principles. The men who
sheer at sentiment and the discussion
of fundamental constitutional ques-
tions, in their worship of the new IN
dustrial expansion, will if followed
teach that it is better to sell ones
birthright for a mess of pottage.
served a la carte at DelmonicoS OF
some other swell place, than to eat
honest corn bread and bacon, with
little turnip salad thrown in, in log
cabin home. Such teachings, which
have dominated New Jersey, Pennsyl.
vania and Rhode Island for half
century have given us the low concep-
tons of public life seen in trust-domi-
mated New Jersey. boodler control in
Philadelphia, and the dominance of
Aldrich and Standard Oil in Rhode
Island and the United States Senate
1t is the father of graft, big and lit
tie, seen in the conviction of tive
United States Senators, the robbery OF
cotton farmers by the manipulation OF
crop reports, the revolution in Phila-
delphia, and the miasma of graft that
has blighted good government in
many portions of this fair republic.
Why has the South SO largely es-
capped the corruption and the graft
that curses most other States? Be-
cause it has stood true to old-time
principles, has elected men to office
who believe in high craftsmanship,
and has turned a deaf ear to the
chorus of voices calling out "Quit
talking sentiment and get your share