Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-02
Mccall and His Fate.

The Chattanooga News compliments The
Star with a column and half Of double
leads on the subject of the late John A.
Mccall. Its editorial, bristling with parti-
sanship, begins in this wise:
1T Is all right and proper, as general
thing. to say nothing but good of the dead.
Time was when such a policy held sway.
and the grave was allowed to cover every
fault of the corpse. In those days. however.
men had not learned how to rob widows and
orphans to steal trust funds or prostitute
public office for the sake of personal profit.
Men were honest.
This thought is suggested by an edito-
rial In The Washington Star mildly assert
ing that the mantle of charity should be
thrown over the grave of John A. Mccall,
the disgraced president of the New York
Life, who died a few days ago. But for the
fact that The Star attempts to mitigate Nc
Calls offense by slandering and blackening
the democratic party its suggestion woui
have passed. SO far as We are concerned,
without notice. But when that newspaper
proposes to defend and excuse McCalrs
stealings. for that Is what 1t was. by shak-
ing the remains of what it terms Bryan
ISM in the faces of Its readers, a demo-
crat will be pardoned IL he INDUCES in a
few remarks that naturally spring to the
point of his pen."
Now this is too excited by half The es-
teemed News read The Stars observations
too hastily, or did not read the closing
paragraph of the article at ALL The Star
did not defend or excuse Mr.. McCalps per-
formances, but, after giving the Mccall
side. distinctly declared that they were still
inexcusable and subversive of every prin-
ciple that should govern a fduciary trust.
But that Mr.. Mccall acted according to
his lights and as many of his business as
sociates were doing admits of no doubt 1t
seems equally plain too that, personally, he
did not profit red cent by the transactions
which at the close of his career over
whelmed him with bitterness and distress
Speaking of Mr.. McCalls fear Of Bryan
ism, and his contributions toward defeat
ing that. the News says:
''The election of Mr. Bryan would have
hastened the day of acknowledgements
the robbers to the end OF their rope eight
or ten years earlier and saved honest
men, widows and orphans millions of doll
lars. That is what Mr.. Bryans election
would have done"
The News seems to have read the insur-
ance investigation quite as carelessly as 1t
did The Stars editorial. A trifing episode
the smallest imaginable. and wholly nom
political-uncovered the whole nasty and
discreditable mess. James Hazen Hyde,
lah-de-dah young man, with a passion for
violets and social swagger and fancy dress
balls, drew upon himself the envy of some
Of his business associates, and out of that
the racket grew. Things were in such
shape that politics would probably not
have reached the real trouble at any time.
For. as a matter of fact, both democrats
and republicans were involved. not, of
course. as partisans. but as business men
and strikers "out for the stuff
It should not be forgotten, however, that
a republican Legislature ordered the investi-
cation that was made, and that q republi-
can lawyer. Charles e. Hughes. fearlessly
and thoroughly. handled the probe. Mr..
Bryan himseB could have done no better.