The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-14
NEW POLITICAL CAPITAL.

The country will of course watch with respectful interest the progress of the movement to induce the ap- preaching Democratic national con- vention to nominate Judge Gray or Delaware for President. Judge Gray is citizen of integrity, a wise and im- partial judge and a distinctly human person Those are attributes not alone of sufficient charm to warrant the se- lection of their possessor for the high | est office within the gift of the people but of sutfi cient impressiveness to give substantial character to the movement in his behalf.
 What is of particular interest in this connection is one of the reasons his Pennsylvania supporters give why he should be the nominee of his par ty: That he is comparatively poor and that, all his life, he has placed the duty of public service above private enrich ment are guarantees that. if elected, he will be the servant of the whole people" The fallacy of this kind of a certificate of character Is that it calls an excessive attention to something which in itself Eliminates not at all the eligibility or capacity of any man on the face of the earth to bear the i burdens of the presidency There Is absolutely nothing convincing. either from the point of view of intellectual strength or moral power, in the pos session of riches or the lack of them. One of the serious developments of the controversy which has ragged over the conduct of "malefactors' is that t has made man suspicious of his fellow man if his fellow man happens to have
 more money in his purse than he has
 It is conceivable that an equally se-
 rious development might result from
 tho exploitation of no riches or com parative poverty" as q guarantee of efficient public service.
 The only rational method of judging
 ton is to study the integrity of his conduct. A man who amasses by hon.
 est means fortune and whose con
 science is in consequence clear shows exactly the same worthy qualities of
 head and heart that the man shows
 who, preferring pf professional life, is held apart from the opportunity to
 gain wealth and keeps his conscience
 clean. George Washington was a rich
 man. Abraham Lincoln was poor Imam There are rich men in thls coun-
 land who are concerned with acts both
 of charity and philanthropy There are
 poor men who set in motion influences
 which affect society for its advantage
 There are rich men who do not hesi.
 tate to cheat their neiehbors There
 are poor men who rob Nc man will
 ever he elected. nor should he be elect.
 cd President of the United states be.
 cause he is either rich or poor N
 better illustration could be given o
 the truth of this than the career o
 Mir. Bryan gives He has gone from 2
 state of comparative poverty to one o affluence, but it has had no effect noi should it have had upon his poltica fortunes. Only the unfair or dishones
 accumulation of his wealth would
 have warranted an opposition to hi political ambition on money grounds. Judge Gray, too, is quite unusua enough in his possession of extraor dinary virtues to justify the elimina ton of all reference to his tinancia condition, He belongs to that class Q men N1p, 1pNlng the uel1gntS ana tn collaboration of a profession, make distinction in it his goal. Having vol that, as he has, it does not count tuppenny whether he has accumulat : ed money on the side or not Tn most offensive thing in the world Is l man who estimates his own wort : from what he has, unless 1t may DOS sibly be the man who, having nothin but his good intent, lacks the wit t : realize that he may not on that ac count be unappreciated