Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-02
A Demand for Parker.

The Cincinnati Enquirer takes up the
cudgels for Judge Parker. In reply to The
Stars suggestion. that if the democratic
party believes the election of 1894 was
bought it should renominate Judge Parker
on platform declaring much and take
the sense of the country on the subject, it
says:
why not, truly? Something much more
ridiculous than the nomination of Judge
Parker is likely to occur in either of or
both the parties. according to the present
outlook. Who can tell what the voters might
have done had they known of the great
taxation of corporations for campaign
funds? What might have policy holders in
the insurance companies done had they
known that they were going to be scaled
down on account of funds in which they
had an interest, going 10 pay political ex
penses? Is the Information that has been
brought out since 1904 by searching inves-
tgation To go for nothing? The judge made
the charge that some of the great corpora
lions were playing politics with their
money. and had a customer for their liber-
ality. Governor Hughes of New York is
now one of the most prominent men in the
country, of either party. for having verified
what Judge Parker said. The proof was
not available when Parker spoke but il has
been since: and may be yet. If the people do
not forget. Anyhow, il would be an inter-
esting Spectacle. and not at all an inconsist-
ent one. To see the campaign of 1908 have
about the same personnel the campaign of
1904 had There would be fur in the atmos-
sphere every moment
No. Nothing more ridiculous than the
nomination Of Judge Parker could possibly
take place. 1t is appointed unto all men
once to die. And u seems to be appointed
hnto all parties in their performances once
TO reach the limit of absurdity Until
three years ago the democratic party was
thought to have made its record of that
character in the nomination of Mr.. Greeley.
But when 1t accepted at the hands of a
coterie of New York millionaires Judge
Parker its presidential candidate. at
time when the cry was open and resonant
against the highhandedness of plutocracy-
New York plutocracy In particularly threw
over the Greeley episode the mantle al
most of wisdom and justification Judge
Parker again? Not while the sun shines or
the winds blow.
The facts brought out by Charles E
Hughes in the investigation that made him
famous applied in but small degree to the
republican campaign fund of 1904 Not a
dollar of corporation money SO contributed
can be defended. The action was against
good morals and against public policy. But
the gravity of the revelation was in the fact
that the evil of contributing corporation
money for political purposes had existed for
years; that yellow dog fund" of enor-
NOUS proportions had been used to influ-
ence both elections and the securing of leg
islation. and that The money had found it's
way to a number of state capitals, and had
been applied, In a non-partisan spirit,
wherever 1t would do the most good.
The details of Judge Parker's campaign
fund have never been published. But they
must be interesting, and in a campaign with
that subject the paramount issue they
would have to be brought to the light of
day. And what would be left of the Judge
then poor thing?