The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1908-09-30
IN NATIONAL POLITICS.


campaign was an altogether unintercst-
ing and tame affair, without special feat
ure and without sensation. But it seems
that our dear friend, William Randolph
Hearst, has thrown bomb into the
democratic camps, the explosion Of
which has caused sensation after sensa-
tion, producing CONSERVATION among
democrats and republicans alike.
Hearst, while not himself candidate
for president, is the real power of the
Independence party, and is managing
the campaign of his man Higsen. The
energetic Hearst got busy and looked
up some records regarding the career
of Governor C. N. Haskell treasurer
of the democratic campaign committees
Finding at least a semblance of culpa-
bic conduct in the governors dealings
with the Standard Oil Co., Hearst pro
ceeded to charge Governor Haskell
with having shown favors to Standard
Oil Co., corporation, a representative
of predatory wealth" the very thing
the Democratic party so opposed. In
other words Hearst charged that Gov
ernor Haskell had allowed the Standard
Oil Co. to construct pipe line through
the State of Oklahoma, thereby giving
it the monopoly sought for.
Just about this time President Roose-
welt "butted in" and said Hearst was
right, endorsing the accusations and
accusing Governor Haskell. Then Can
didate Bryan tells President Roosevelt
he must prove the charges, whcreupon
the man in the white house issues very
lame, evasive statement, completely
lodging the issue, thereby condemning
himself
But that is not all; Governor Has
kell's "dander" is up aud he proves by
the records of Secretary Hitchcock that
the strenuous one" is guilty of the
very thing Hearst accused Haskell Of
and which Roosevelt endorsed. 1t seems
that the Standard Oil Co. applied for
the franchise in question before Okla
homa had been made a State; hence the
application was made to Secretary
Hitchcock, who refused it. Thematter
was then carried to President Roosevelt
and he granted the franchise, thus fa-
voring the Standard Oil Co. Governor
Haskell had nothing to do with it.
Since the recent stir Governor Haskell
has resigned as treasurer, and Editor
Hermann Ridder of the New York
Stats Zetung has been appointed to
succeed him. This action was taken
doubtless for the good of the party at
large, namely: that no officer in the
campaign, about whom there existed
the least suspicion, should be retained.
Unless there are other charges against
Haskell which have not been disprovcd
it looks hard that he should be a martyr
in this manner.
That is the situation In some re-
spects it is unique case; the president
of the United States has entered con
troversy on the political record of a man
who holds an office in the democratic
party and in this controversy he has been
proved guilty of acts which he has SO
often condemned. The great issues Of
the presidential campaign have for the
time been submerged in the flood Of
pCioOHal dIICtShS, Ilc ISSUES are merely
secondary. But this, it seems, is the
way of politics, state and national.
On Tuesday, September fifteenth, an
article signed cold Line Democrat
was brought into The Advertiser Office
with the request that it be published
According to newspaper rules, namely,
that all communications must be signed
by the author, or at least that the au-
thor's name be given the editor the
above mentioned card was refused pub
ication. A great many people are un-
acquainted with this law among news
papers and this mention is to call attcn-
tion to the fact. The Advertiser will
not publish any article, no matter of
what nature, unless the editor is i'm pos
session Of the authors rame; the name
need not appear in print, nomd
plume being permissible, but upon the
publication of any card the editor must
be in position to reveal the author or
else take responsibility for the author
ship upon himself.
The article signed by cold Line Dem
ocrat" was submitted to us and was re-
fused because we did not know the au-
thor's name; we are not yet in posses
sion of it and are, of course, not now
concerned.