New-York tribune., 1906-10-23
of current news would materially Increase tho
value of the new periodical
THE LINOoLN.HEARsT COMEDY.

Mr. Hearst has been freely challenging COM
parisons between himself and Abraham Lincoln.
At Carnegie Hail. accepting the nomination OF
the Independence League (incorporated) for
Governor he said the time had come to form
q new political party The Democratic party,
founded by Jefferson, and the Republican party,
carried into power by Lincoln, had both run to
seed, and the hour called for man to follow
their example and continue their work. Mr..
Hearst intimated that the hour would not call
In vain, and that he himself would set up new
standard, to which the good and wise of all
parties might repair. Subsequently he decided
that it was easier to rent an old standard,
somewhat damaged, than to manufacture q
new one and he promptly closed a bargain In
bunting with that accomplished "speculator" In
campaign neutrality-suspicious. banners in
cluded-the Hon. Charles F. Murphy But,
fighting under flag under two flags, Mr..
I, Hearst has not hesitated to bark back to Lin
coin and to quote the Great Emancpator as
one of the star props and patron saints Of the
new movement for government Of the people. by
the people and for the people through the
agency Of the Hearst newspaper trust.
Lincoln has been pursued, In fact, across the
Styx for a testimonial to the Hearst canvass.
In q speech at Elmira on October II Mr.. Hearst
attributed to Lincoln this solemn warning
against the perils Of plutocracy:
Corporations have been enthroned. and an era
of corruption In high places will follow ana
the money power of the country will endeavor to
prolong it's reign by working upon the prejudices
of the people until all wealth is aggregated In
a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. L
feel at this moment more anxiety for the SAFETY
OF my country than ever before even in the
midst Of war. God grant that my suspicious
may prove groundless!
The date of the utterance was given as
1854" But the spurious character Of the quo
tation Is evident at a glance, for in it Lincoln
is made to say that he feels cat this moment
greater anxiety for the safety Of the country
than he ever did before, "even In the midst Of
war" It will be admitted that the War Of the
Rebellion was still raging in 1864 The history
of this fabrication has been told several times
for the Hon. Adlai Stevenson, among others,
used it on the stump in the second Bryan cam
paign. It was concocted at the time OF the
Farmers Alliance movement in the South and
West and was retailed originally as a message
delivered from the shades through a spiritual
istic medium. The phrasfng "at this moment"
contrasted with "even In the midst of war"
shows that it was meant to refer to the agra
rian crisis between 1889 and 1893
Mr. Hearst appropriately boosts his sham
movement for sham reform in politics with
sham quotations. He processes to follow in
Lincoln's footsteps But as Mr.. Hughes aptly
asked the other day
If Abraham Lincoln were alive would ne or
ganize a corporation and keep the officials Of
that corporation concealed that court would
have to make order to serve by publication
Would Abraham Lincoln run a corporation or
any business SO as to dodge its taxes? Would
Abraham Lincoln hold slaves and then go out
as an anti-slavery apostle? Would Abraham
Lincoln appear champion Of political liberty
and then take a political nomination from a
boss? Would Abraham Lincoln denounce a man
as worthy of stripes and then take his hand to
get nomination
If Lincoln were alive, we might also ask: :
Would he be quoting Endorsements of his
own policy the posthumous utterances of some
statesman triczling through the arcana of a
SDiritualiStic Seance?