Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1907-06-07
THE POINTING OF a MORAL.

The most extraordinary morals are
now and then drawn from episodes
which at first blush are supposed To
be productive only of some other hu-
man lesson.
There for instance. was the follow
ing paragraph from President Roose-
velts last letter to former Governor
Hagerman of New Mexico:
Charges of a very grave character
were made to me against your father
himself. in connection with land trans
actions Whether they were true, /
cannot say. but preliminary investi-
cation showed that action upon them
would be barred by the statute of linn
itations."
Considering the fact that the senior
Mr.. Hagerman was entirely foreign to
the controversy between his son and
the president, the average moralist
would find something irrelevantly cru
81 and unjust in the foregoing allusion
to charges concerning whose truth
there was an admitted absence of
proof. Charges which mad never been
Investigated and which were beyond
the possibility Of investigation.
The Rochester N. y Democrat
Chronicle, the foremost of the advo-
Gates Of the presidents infallibility,
finds IAN apparent hardship" to the
elder Hagerman in this episode. The
hardship however, does not lie in Mr..
Roosevelts reference to the unsub-
Stimulated charge against him,
but in the statute Of limi-
tation. which we believe never before
was accounted a hardship to a man,
guilty or innocent. accused Of a crime.
No fault is imputed to the president;
the statute of limitations alone is to
blame for any injury which Mr.. Hag-
erman may have received in the cor
respondence of the president to his
son.
Says the Democrat Chronicle:
In cases where the alleged misdo-
ings Of a mans father are cited against
the man himself and are accompanied
with the statement that prosecution Of
those charges would be barred by the
statute of limitations. a dead issue
which cannot be tried out is revived.
and no adequate means are provided
by which in case of innocence. the
record can be purged. Thus, in the
case Of the elder Hagerman. a charge
barred from prosecution by the stat
ute is revived with damaging effect
upon a mans son. when a trial Of
those charges might have shown that
they were unfounded. It is Of course.
true that a trial might have established
guilt; but under the statute, such trial
cannot now be had.
Courts Of Justice should ever be
open TO a man., in the effort to clear
himself of improved charges. regard
less of the running Of the statute Of
limitations"
Wnereat We are reminded of the
story Of a liquor sodden topper whom
fate directed one night to a temper
ance lecture. The argument against
the use Of alcoholic liquor which par
ticularly impressed the drunkard was
contained in a story of the frightful
end Of another inebriate. The flame
Of a candle which he was trying to
blow out ignited the fumes Of the alco-
hol borne on his breath, causing an
internal explosion which distributed
the unhappy man into countless frag-
ments.
The drunkard left the lecture fright
ened and determined to lead n differ
ent life He swore a mighty and a
solemn oath pledging himself with the
help Of God, never to try to blow out
a lighted candle.