Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-04-11
Why Help Hartmann
(Richmond News-Leader.)

NANASilillOilu NeWS-LeaQer.
1t is hard for US to understand why
Democratic newspapers join in the Har-
rlman attack on the president. Certainly
hartman cannot command the sympa-
thy OF any Democrat on the plea of be-
ing political brother. He has been
one of the hidden powers and wire pull
ers OF the Republican party these many
years. He allows his bitter accusations
against Mr.. Roosevelt to leak out, three
years after the commission of the alleg-
ed wrongs, after Mr. Roosevelt has re-
FUSED to obey the orders of the great
railroad corporations, has shown the
nerve to defy them and force them to
obey the laws and to give the public
proper service and safety. 1t would be
worth untold millions of dollars to Har-
rIman and his crew to break down Mr..
Roosevelt's influence, to DESTROY the
hold he has on the affection and conf
dence of the public and to have his sue
cessor Republican or Democrat who
would reverse the Roosevelt policy and
methods and fall into line as a servile
friend of the corporations.
A great hullabaloo is being howled
over the gathering of a campaign fund
by the Republicans in 1904. Campaipn
FUNDS are not new, are not startling in
novatlons. Both parties have taken all
the money they could get at every pres
ldentiai election and have used it as
freely as the amounts permitted. Ev-
erybody knows about that. The crv at
each election by each party that the op-
position IS pouring out money for cor
rupt use is familiar. 1t is part of the
accustomed routine of campaigning and
nobody pays special attention to it.
Inc specific charge against the Re-
puollcans in 1904 was that Mr.. Cortel-
you had been made treasurer of the
party because as secretary of commerce
and labor he had learned the inside Sc
crets OF the trusts and was in position
10 squeeze contributions from them.
Mr.. Roosevelt Indignantly denounced
TINS accusation as false. Nobody in the
three years since has proved that it was
true, although we have had many start
ing revelations and great variety of
things has boiled up from the very bot
tom. Putting this aside, however, if
Mr.. Roosevelt was a liar or had been
detected in moral perjuries, as Mr.. Har-
rlman has, or had betrayed his friends |
and his trusts, as Mr.. Hartman has-in
other words, if the two men were equal
" bad morally and ethically-we could
see no reason for any Democratic news
paper, or any other newspaper not in
me pay of the railroad corporations, to
lelp Hartman against Roosevelt.
Whatever else Roosevelt may have
lone wrong or whatever his motives
nay be, he is on the right track in his
'oiicy and dealings regarding the rail-
DAD corporations. He is fighting the
'attle OF the people and representing
public sentiment and interests. There
ore, however ready we may be to con-
Iemn him on other accounts, however
ager we may be to fight him on other
ssues, it is unwise, blind folly, to ham,
'er or weaken or hinder him or try to !
rlp him in his work of bringing the
abroad corporations to proper behavior
nd making them the servants and fell
ow workers instead of the masters and
ppressors of the people.
We cannot comprehend how newspa-
ers or political leaders can assert one s
ay that they are with the people in the ]
truggle between people and corpora I
ons and the next day turn to do their
eeble or potent utmost to smite and
'ound and strike down the man who is t
aiding the people, who is fighting for !
heir cause, however heinous his offenses 5
other respects may be. Admitting O