Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-27

ers saw such menace in That OF 1897.
when Mccall didn't. and they pointed
TO the panic of 1893 in support of their
judgment Thousands of good folks
saw ruin in the threatened election OF
Cleveland in 1883 on the tariff reform
issue. According TO the Mccall idea.
any one of them who happened TO be IN
charge of trust funds. would have been
justified in diverting money therefrom
for the republicans. The same was
true of the campaign of 1884. when
thousands of our most substantial citi-
zens honestly believed that Cleveland's
election would bring untold disasters.
And this has been true in many preyi-
Gus campaigns.
Put the boot on the other leg Thou
sands of good citizens believed that
/ Cleveland's election in 1884 was neces-
sary to save the government from a
corrupting and subverting oligarchy.
Would anyone of them in charge of
trust funds. therefore. have been justi-
fled in diverting money therefrom to
the democratic campaign fund? In
| 1888 nearly as many men thought dem
| ocratic success and tariff reform es-
sential TO broad industrial progress.
as thought the other way. Even in the
campaign of 1896 there were many citi-
zens of high intelligence who thought
| that any disturbance which might re-
suit from Bryan's success less evil
than would be the impetus given the
| plutocratic influences and tendencies
| by Mckinley's success-a result of the
| latter event which has since proven
true in so striking measure. Was a
Bryan democrat. therefore. who hap
pened to be holding a position of finan-
cial trust. entitled to use it for the as
sistance of that party?
And Mr. Mccall must choose be-
tween two answers-either that the
Bryan democrat would have been justi-
| fled in diverting trust funds. or that
John A. Mccall alone is competent and
| privileged 10 form political judgments
warranting the diversion of trust funds.
! His trouble must thus be either a dull
and narrow mind or an inordinate self
esteem. and no one will ascribe 10 him
| the former ailment.
But however it came about. the
result is that there has been a grave
abuse OF a fiduciary position and mis-
appropriation of trust funds, and the
very least thing TO be done is TO en-
force restitution of the money which
was taken or stolen. Fortunately for
the simplicity and directness of a civil
suit for restitution. Messrs. Mccall and
Perkins admit their exclusive respon
sibility, and they are the ones who
must be summoned to return the $3.50
600 with interest, To the treasury of the
New York Life Insurance company.
| If they can then make themselves whole
from the republican committee or ben
money. well and good; but a suit for
restitution lies against them in the
first instance, though it might be eX-
tended, if deemed practicable, to in
cude also the receivers of the stolen
goods"
Whether President Roosevelt APP.
proved or disapproved the receipt by
| the republican national committee of
| life insurance funds is not known. The
| inference is that he gave his approx
| al else Treasurer Bliss would not have
retained the contributions. Mr.. Roose-
| welt profited from the expenditure OF
that corruption money by campaign
| managers under his direction, and not
| by fool friends. Hence there can be
no reason why the president is not
morally bound to see that restitution
is made the policyholders.