The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-10-09

MORAL ISSUE Is
PARAMOUNT ONE"
LYMAN ABBOTT
Lands Roosevelt for His Fight
on Graft and Shows Taf,'s
Aid.
Why Bryan Would Interfere
With Its Progress.
GREAT DIVINE AND WRITER

In this weeks issue of the out
look" the Rev. Lyman Abbott de
clares the Moral Issue" n paramount
In the present national campaign, and
says:
The Outlook has asked Mr.. Edward
NJ. Shepard TO tell its readers why. in
his Judgment. they should vote for
Mr.. BRYAN, the Democratic candidate:
and Il asked Mr. James Graham
Phelps Stokes to tell them why. In bis
opinion. they should vote for MIR
Debs. the Socialist candidate, and Il
hopes to print these articles IN follow
ing issues. propose IN four articles
TO tell the readers why. IN my opinion.
they should vote for Mr.. Tart. the Re
publican candidate. In there articles
| shall consider successfully;
The Paramount Issue.
The Fundamental Issue.
The Constitutional Issue
The Personal Issue.
The moral issue Is the paramount
issue. The first question for the voter
70 ask himself Il, What can I do "a
promote honesty in public aud private
life? This Is more important than
railway rate regulation. control OF the
trusts. tariff revision. currency re
form. colonial administration. or pub
liciiy OF campaign finances. Thes,
political questions are chiefly import
ant AZ their solution involves the pro-
motion OF public and private honesty
Law cannot make people honest
But law can. as Mr. Gladstone has
pointed out. make virtue easier and
vice more difficult Because ! believe
the election Of Mr.. Taft viii give an
added strength TO the partially awak-
ened American conscience. because
believe 4 Will promote pubic and
private honesty and make public and
private dishonesty more dlnicult
hope to see Mr.. Taft elected.
The latter half of the nineteenth
century Was one OF appalling and APP
parently Increasing corruption. both
at home aud abroad In Russia II
was. almost as pestllential MS IN the
era Of Rome's pronigacy or In that OF
the Ancient Regime In France II
was not 10 gross IN other European
countries: but IN England alone was
u brought under control and made n
diminishing vice. Local causes. 81
peradded to world conditions. contrib.
uted 90 Increase corruption In Amer
lea. The era following a great war.
always characterized by lowered
conscience: the influx OF great
army OF immigrants unframed either
intellectually or morally for self gov
ernment. the sudden acknowledgements
OF millions Of ex-slayes. who had
never learned In slavery. Thou shalt
not steal; the unprecedented growth
In population and In wealth. lncitlng
to gambling in all rs forms; the eN-
pertinent OF partnerships between the
government and the railways. entered
into for motives sometimes for patrl-
ot!sm, sometimes OF pelf; the discov-
cries of gold. oil aud copper and the
Intense struggle for possession which
the discoveries melted in unscrupu
lous men: and the inheritance from
n previous half-century of the political
motto. ITO the yictors belong the
spolls"-all tended 10 intensity the
forces of greed and TO lower the
standards Of integrity. Public cor
ruption reached rs apparent climax
during the second administration OF
President Grant. but the house-clean-
ing which followed was spasmodic
and superficial What President Gar
field might have done but for his
tragic death we can only surm.se.
President Cleveland rdised the stand
ard OF public morals. but he was bet
ter fitted to oppose the eneroachments
of new dlshoncsties than TO ferret out
the old ones. President Mckinley
was as honest a man as ever sat IN
the presidents chair; but President
Mckinley time and energy were all
absorbed. FIRST Ia vain EFFORT to se'
cure International blmetallism, next
to keep, the nation from lapsing into
a disastrous aud dishonest silver mon
omt tallIsm. aud lastly 10 carry TO o
successful issue the Spanish war.
when. therefore, Mr.. Roosevelt sue
cecded Mr.. Mckinley In the presiden'
tlal Office, he inherited with that Office
the results of half a century OF growth
IN commercial and political corrup-
ton. partly due TO world conditions
partly to local conditions. His ex-