New-York tribune., 1906-08-23
THE POLITICAL LIBERTY ISSUE.

Mr.. Jerome is back in that year of grace and
verbiage 1905. Time leads him nowhither. He
speaks, and live over again our yesterdays
II seems last fall The Joys and sorrows OF
a twelvemonth may be forgotten in the ne
penthe OF his ineXhaustible vocabulary. "Polit-
ical panhandler' is new, but IL belongs TO last
October II is posthumous 1t comes thought
or a year. which is it?-too late. Where are
the fights of that haIcyon and vociferous eraY
Right here. right on earth The same armored
champions of right clatter valianty in their
panoply. The dead are sitting up and taxing
notice of the new thumps that are coming their
way. The same pair of heroes defend the en-
shaved people The same villain gets what is
coming TO him in the way of vituperaton ana
contracts. Mr.. Jerome and Mr.. Hearst shout
to him sypchronous and homOlogOus denance.
1t is yesteryear. Then bartender OF GOod
Ground" and Where did he get it, were the
common language of these two champions with
Jerome gas the Hearst balloon was inflated
Both baited the bosses. Both were, are and ever
more will be going TO put Mr. Murphy down.
The Tammany leader has his preference, TO
be sure. betwixt his immOlators but that is
his affair. Both are independents. both are
lighting for political liberty" 1t was last
years issue with MIR. Jerome, and by IL MT
Hearst profited as much as anybody. Gan uhe
unfathomed resources Of the District Attorneys
auas-iudiciaI officer TO whom the bosses re-
fused denomination because of his politi-
cal righteousness He went before the peo-
ple and told them they could choose their
own District Attorney not restricted to the cam
aidates offered TO them by parties I'D convention
assembled There was then public desire for
his continuance in Office He appealed TO tne
popular imagination as solitary hgure pitted
against powerful organization. There was gen.
IsNdf1 f1F a
had served creditably should be punished for his
ipdependence To-day who is Furnishing him for
his faithfulness to his trust I'D TO the people
nv refusing him a nomination for Governor!
What boss shall he fOut If he falls of the Bur
faIo nomination? What boss shall he eXcorlate
If he gets it? Shall he run alone and cry out
that both parties should have named him Tor
Governor and will he find the voters ready TO
believe him, as they were when he said he
should have received nOn-partisan nomination
for District Attorney last November?
Who is the Charlie Murphy OF the Democracy
OF the state who holds the fate Of the ambitious
in the hollow of his hand, and TO revolt against
whom is TO give magnificent demonstration OF
the great issue Of personal liberty In politics!
Neither brains nor brute force leads the state
Democracy; it neither follows the persuasion of
shrewd political sense nor troops to the cracking
Of whip. II does not know where II is at
whether mOnID QeQce IL Will De rdOlcdi OF re-
dictionary whether it will then believe in follow
ing the ancient traditions OF the Republic or in
migrating upon our government the untried de-
vices of experimental socialism. No Tilden leads
il by his intellectual predOmina ce. no Hill by his
political craft, no Croker by his brute energy.
1t is a chaos Of party, held together only by
common name, containing the makings of two
minor parties. Who in this cOnglOmAratiOn of
discOrdant elements restrains Mr.. JerOmes pOlit-
ical liberty? We should like 10 see that bad man
in the stocks We should like TO see him before
the pointed finger OF scOrn. We should like to
see him wither under Mr.. JerOmes scathing de-
nunciatiOn. But unless the monster can be pro-
duced what outlet is there for years accumu-
latiOn OF invective?
Mr. Jerome has taken the preliminary steps in
his demonstration. Like brave man he issues
forth into the open. No one on this green earth,
boss or newspaper satrap shall deny him his in-
born right, his political lberty-guaranteed to
him by the Constitution and the blood of the
martyrs-tO hustle for the delegates. An ancient
political right 70 curtail which is TO Subvert
free institutions TO make us something less than
men, is thus grandly vindicated by Mr.. Jerome.
But he has monopoly of this knightly enter
prise. Mr.. Hearst, his deadly rival in the
hatred of Mr.. Murphy is several counties ahead
Of him in the exhibition of inherent political
rights Since Monday, however, no nsOlent
boss. grown great upon the meat of honest
graft will have the hardihOOd to deny that
ancient political liberty, the right to hustle
for delegates. To this end, then, the solemn
''salvOS, pOstulatums and pFeparativeS"