The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-03

!
| ideas as he entered the hall and dur
was frequent.
composites no good purpose. While
this is true, a candidate is expected to
: truthfully discuss such public ques-
! tions as seem of moment to him, al
! though in the final analysis he may
have no right to enforce his views.
Such is the form of our government
| that national and state campaigns are
! held at the same time, and the cleo
| tiOns occur upon the same day. SO,
although it is true that they have but
! little to do with each other in theory,
/ in practice they seem to be so interWO-
ven as to require at the hands Of can
didates the discussion of both state
and national issues | recognize the
truthfulness of those who keep close
watch upon political affairs, in max
! ing the statement that, after all, party
platforms in the past have had little to
do with the result of elections. | am
sorry that this has been SO; that the
platform has been used only as a place
from which to address the citizen and
appeal to his pride, his passion and his
prejudice, instead of being used for the
purpose for which such party machin-
cry was intended. | am sorry also that
platforms have been used like those of
railroad trains-nOt to stand on, but
just to get in on. 1t is not, however,
true that what has been must inevita-
/ bly, always be. A lawyer brought
from the privacy of his law office into
the political arena, | am to be pardon
ed if | say that from my personal
standpoint, | trust and believe that the
democracy of Indiana not only said
in convention what it meant, but also
meant what it said. In the hopes and
with the belief that this year is to wit
ness the presentation Of certain queS-
tons squarely to the people, and with
an abiding confidence that the people
will settle these questions upon prin-
ciple, l desire to address myself to
the reasons which appeal to me for
return of democracy to power.
Criticises Measures.
In what I shall have to say in the
way of criticism, it must be under
stood, that l am criticising measures,
not men. AS a man may say, Il have
been" and Il am but God alone can
say, Il will be-" so a man may say Il
have not done certain things" Il am
not now doing them" but God alone
can tell whether | will do them. Fair
! ness to a political opponent demands
that you take into consideration his
point of view. The lawyer knows that
most all men are all right from the
neck down. The difficulty is that men
use their intellects for the purposes of
persuading themselves that certain
courses of conduct are right. Look
ing at those things through their own
particular spectacles, they deem GER
tain courses of conduct. both in the
legislative and administrative affairs.
TO be entirely fit and proper. They
are not therefore, to be criticised or
blamed An effort shouid be made
instead of criticising them, to get the
voters of the state to not put on the
spectacles through which these men
look at public affairs. And from mere
environment there is also a difference
in the mental makeup of men. From
the beginning. while all men have de-
sired liberty, some have desired it for
the entire race. while others have de-
sired liberty for themselves and slav-
cry for those who did not agree with
them. The line of demarkation is not
now necessarily party line.
The man who believes inherently in
his fellow-man, who thinks with Abra-
ham Lincoln, that God never made a
man good enough to be another man S
master without that mans consent.
who puts his trust not in the passion,
ate opinion Of the public, but rather in
the calm and deliberate judgment of
his fellow citizens, who believes in To-
cal self government. who thinks that
as little should be ceded away from the
individual citizen as is necessary for
the public good. who thinks that what
the township can look after. it should
look after. what the county can look
after. it should look after, what the
state can look after, ii should look aft
er. who believes that we are a people
living under a written constitution
that this constitution has provided for
three coordinate branches Of govern
ment-the executive. the legislative
and the judicial, who thinks that the
business of the executive is to admins
ter the laws. and from time TO time TO
give the legislative his views upon
public questions. who thinks that it is
the business of the legislative to enact
the laws for the people and who recog-
} nizes the duty of the court to construe
those laws, although such construction
may work injury. leaving to the iniure