The daily sentinel., 1907-11-21

II Upon any normal exhibit of par
| ties taking into account the divisions
| among the Democrats, 1t must be CON
ceded that the Republicans have
much the better of the outlook. II
they encounter no mishaps in con-
gress, and get together in hational
convention to put their best foot fore
| most, revising their cast-iron, stand
pat platform to meet the changed
conditions and nominating their
strongest man for President. we do
Lot see how they could lose the
country.
1t may be that the people are not
especially in love with the Republi-
cans. We rather think they are not.
But, unfortunately for themselves,
the Democrats are too split into fac
tions to put up much of fight in
the debatable States. Mr.. Bryan and
his friends are overinsistent. Party
discipline says and party issues hang
at loose ends. The trumpet note is
wanting. Inspiring personalities are
absent from the front. The machine
is too much il evidence and in ma
chine politics, the Republican ma
chine has many advantages over the
Democratic machine. Yet is there
one ray of hope for the Democrats,
and, curiously enough, this arises
out of the single menace to the
country which shows itself across
the National horizon, that is, the
much-heralded, much-denied candi-
dacy of Theodore Roosevelt for a
third term.
Never in the history of the United
States were the people so homogen-
eous and prosperous. Without any
serious wrenching of our Constitu
tional moorings we have become
world power. All the old sectional
issues have passed from the scene.
The geography no longer cuts any
figure in our politics. At home and
abroad we enjoy immense prestige
and profound peace. The public
calm is SO pervasive indeed that it
Is hard to awaken the average man
ard the mass of men, so busy and
so happy, to any realization of dan
ger.
Yet, within the strength of the
Republican organization and the
weakness of the Democratic organiza-
ton, turks most insidious perill, en-
bodied by the personality of Theodore
Roosevelt. In the event that he is
not the upright and honest man the
people have taken him for, but an
ambitious, unprincipled man, who has
all along been playing deep game
for the succession. His enemies at
Washington say this. His friends
are not as indignant as they should
be. 1t begins to look as though he,
himself, and no one else will have
to decide the question. Meanwhile,
everywhere the buccaneers of
sheer partyism. all the daring oppor-
tunists and the intrepit adveLturers.
the hangers-on and the incense
burners, are lining up in favor of
"oLe trem more for Theodore" which
means, and can only mean, life
tenure and the complete Mexican
ization of the republic.
Let us hasten to say that the
Courier-Journal cannot believe the
President party to any such con
spiracy. Nor shall we believe it un-
til 1t becomes a fact accomplished
in which event we should be inclined
to regard him as man bereft of his
senses, a. man demented, a mad
man, whom body of retainers and
1annisaries were seeking to use fol
their own wicked and detestable pur-
poses.
1t can hardly fall to be recalled
by the readers of the Courier Journal
that when, in 1905, we took a look
into the future and sketched the
exact conditions that now confront
us, our forecast was met with alter.
nate ridicule and detraction. Its
only purpose was to familiarize tn,
people with the idea and to get tn,
Republicans to thinking. Nothine