The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-12
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WHAT IS THE oBJECTs
 | It is totally inexplicabIe to our mind to find Democrats suggesting Roose- welt as the proper man for our party to nominate in 1908. Whether some of them do 1t to curry favor with the President. or whether 1t is intended as sarcasm, or whatever may be the req sons for such . suggestion. we look on 1t as a serious reflection on Democracy and on Democratic principles. and ht- tie less than an insult to genuine Dem- ocrats throughout the country.
 Granting that Roosevelt has in some ways advocated Democratic principles. what of 1t? It would be almost impos- sible for President to fulfin the du- ties of his ofice without advocating and upholding some of the tenets of the op- posite party. but this does not make | him one of that party or fit him for it's leadership.
 Democracy has wandered long way from its basic principles if it can look on Theodore Roosevelt as its leader and exponent. We have no reason to believe that he will change his views and accept a nomination from party which Is in most vital points the direct antithesis of the one with which he has acted and which elected him to the Presidency If he should thus reverse himself merely with the hope of again being elected he would be totally un- worthy of confidence. If our party should nominate him with his record so glaringly prominent 1t would prop erly deserve the contempt of all good | men.
 | Democracy Is something more than an occasional act or expression of opin- ion on the part of public man. There has not been a Republican President of them all who has not at some time and in some of his official acts sus- tained and carried out Democratic principles. but our party has not for that reason seen proper to take one of them up and install him as its leader and candidate with all the partys sins of omission and commission 1t has not thought it necessary or proper to commit grand larceny against our ene- mics and take one of their leaders as its own Moses.
 The Republicans themselves do not regard Roosevelt as a Democrat. The bitterest partisans among them regard him as maA and a politician of their own kind. They do not look 6n him as Democrat, else they would not stand by him as they do, nor would so many of them be advocating another term for him. They, as a party, are satis- fled with his politics and do not charge him with being Democrat or an expo nent of Democracy. '
 The cratic politicians who are pro- posing Roosevelt do not go quite far enough. If we are to take him as our candidate the proper thing to do is to hold our convention in advance of the Republicans. adopt a straight Repub- lican platform and nominate Roosevelt and some other Republican--Cortelyou for example--and go at it consistently. We don't know what the. other side would do when they found their man and their principles thus absorbed but that would be none of Democracys business. Let them retaliate if 1t pleases them.
 From whatever point we view 1t we look on the suggestion of Roosevelt as tho Democratic candidate as direct insult to all Democrats who still hold to the cardinal tenets of Democracy. It is enough to disgust them with the party and its self-constituted leaders. and to cause them to sulk in their tents | and refuse to have anything to do with a party that has abandoned prin- ciple and turned its back on its his- tory. We have sound and principle loving Democrats who are qualified to hold any position In the gift of the people, and shall we show our utter contempt for them and Democratic prin ciples by thrusting them aside and taking up a man who in all vital re- spects is the anithesis of Democracy? Do these eccentric advocates of Roosevelt thinks that by nominating him they would secure the support Of Republicans all over the country and thus elect their man? If they do they should study history little and see what follows when a political party discards principles and friends and goes into the enemy's camp for can didate. Democrats tried that in 1872. and though the nomination of Greeley may have been the best thing to do the result was little better than a farce. | The same reasons do not now exist for nominating one who is not a Demo- crat. but the same results would be bound to follow, in our judgment And to conclude if we have no Democrat to nominate let us give up the fight in advance. That would save time and expense, and the result would be the same
 TRYING TO BRING IT BACK.
 As The Brooklyn Eagle looks at the