The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-01-17


Mr.. Bryan should be defeated for the
nomination. 1t seems to be anxious
not for the nomination Of any other
man, but merely for the defeat of Bry-
an. After long and careful study of
the Suns editorial page l cannot point
out any suggestion on its part of SIN
gle candidate for the Democratic party.
The Sun goes on to say that Texas
might give its thirty votes to Senator
Charles A. Culberson, and the votes
could be cast for no more able repre-
sentative of the people. But Senator
Culberson has declared himself not a
candidate and is today for the candi-
date Of the Democratic masses. AS
for the candidacy 'of Governor john
son of Minnesota, no true Democrat
would question its propriety. Gov
ernor Johnson is Democrat from start
to finish He suffers, Of course. from
the fact that his prominence in the
Democratic party has been very much
advanced by such papers as the New
York Sun This is not his fault, and
the time will come when he may be
able to live down this sort Of journal
istic support and get as close to the
people Of the nation IS he is today
close to; the. people Of his own state.
Every real Democrat will be glad to
see in the convention at Denver a
strong contest for the nomination.
The Ii: ,r the fight the greater the
interest and in the end the larger the
vote. Whoever may be nominated this
time will go before the members of his
party as fair winner in fair fight.
In the 1904 convention the gentlemen
who pressed the candidacy Of Judge
Parker saw no better way to do it
than to wantonly insult every man
who stood for another candidate or for
a man who was not candidate, but
who had host of friends. This year
the situation j is different. Whether
Mr.. Bryan or Mr.. Johnson should be
the candidate. there are going to be
Democratic unity and Democratic de-
termination for success.
"OfficehoIders lnPoIitics.
The friends Of Theodore Roosevelt in
his early days. when his whole political
activity was based upon devotion to
civil service reform. must wonder some
whit at his present attitude toward
that doctrine. In q Washington news
paper of recent date was an interview
with New Yorker who had known the
present president when he was a hoy
Of ten years Of age. This New Yorker
tells that evenaat that tender age the
young Roosevelt had stirred the emo
tions Of family gathering by declar-
ing after overhearing conversation
about the sinfulness Of politics that
when he grew up he was going to be
political reformer: The reminiscence
appeared at a somewhat unfortunate
moment. In the same paper which
published it appeared the news that
the secretary of the interior, James
Rudolph Garfield, had presided over a
county convention in Ohio which was
Intended to advance a presidential fa:-
yorite and to injure the prospects OF
Senator Foraker It is q matter Of his
tory that for the last twenty years no
cabinet officer has taken so open and
avowed interest; In partisan or faction
al politics. On the same day attention
was called to the fact that. First AS
sistant Postmaster General Hitchcock
had been invited to undertake the
management Of the Taft campaign
and was seriously considering it. More
over the United States commissioner
of internal revenue, John 6. Capcrs.
hau also been summoned to the aid Of
the Taft forces. Mr.. Hitchcock has
throughout the south an army of ap-
pointees in the persons Of the presi-
dental postmasters. Mr.. Capers has
the internal revenue collectors, the
gaugers, the secret service men and all
the hanyers-on of the great bureau OF
which he is the head.
At this moment .of writing no news
has come that the Civil service reform
ser in the White House has rebnked
these federal officials for what used to
be called in the days ,of Cleveland -'of-'
fensive partisanship::"
Why should one, however, expect
that the ideals Of youth should still he
cherished by the practical politician
now in the White House? Let us not
forget that it was he who invited Mr..
Hartman to call upon him and discuss
the New York situation as between
practical men. One can hardly over
look the fact that no word OF rebuke
has ever been uttered by the president
to either Treasurer Bliss or Secretary
Cortelyou for the part they took in col
lectinS and expending in the Roosevelt
behalf more than 100000 collected
from trusts, life insurance companies
and fnanciers doing business with the
government. While the public memory
is notoriously short, yet people proba-
bly, remember that Mr.. Cortelyou held
the position of postmaster general,
with it's colossal patronage, while still
chairman of the Republican national
committee, and that today he would
still be holding that Craftsmanship If
the scandal of the secretary Of the
treasury acting in such capacity had
not been too much for the caseharden-
cd consciences of United States sena-
tors who refused to confirm him rs Sec
retary unless he resigned as chairman.