Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-30
SENATOR HENRY CABOT LODGE.
Copyright by CnedinstD

; Clinednst)
! 'simmering down to the Ten Command
ments. and later on he refers again to the
Decalogue In the same tone. There might
be worse platforms for man or party
than the Ten Commandments. The
trouble with Mr.. Olney's sheer is that
ii has rather too wide an application.
Must We never preach about righteousness
because Paul did so once? Great moral
principles are never old, nor does there
seem to be any present danger Of such
Decalogue to justify laying them aside
as needless.
Morals VS.. Economics.
Il should be the last to deny that
moral questions interested the President
more than economic, and / have thought
sometimes in recent years that an inter-
est in moral questions was not out of
place in those who fill high office. But
l cannot admit that because the Presi-
dents principal interest has been In mo-
raj questions. he is therefore totally ig-
norant of economic subjects.
MIR. Olney dismisSes the President in
line as ignorant Of finance. If he will
| take the trouble to read his messages ne
will find that they contain many sound
ctal Legislation. In the practical admin
istratiOn Of the finances. l think that the
manner in which the President and Mr.
CortelyOu handled and allayed the panic
or year ago contrasts favorably,
well as pleasantly, with the manner in
which Mr.. Cleveland and Mr.. Carlisle
precipitated the panic Of 1893 by pro-
posals to pay out silver dollars while
the Sherman purchasing act was still on
the statute books and a democratic re-
fCfn Of hn ,r,e
the horizon. The republican proposal in
regard to banking and currency is to be
FOUND in the law Of the last Congress
and In the commission now at work on
further legislation. The contribution of
the democratic party and of Mr.. Bryan
to financial amelioration is to guarantee
bank deposits. which We assume Mr.
Olney must approve, as he does not like
republican finance, and wants Mr.. Bryan
elected. Prior to this the last contribu-
ton Of Mr.. Bryan to financial reform
was the proposition of free silver COIN
age, doctrine which to our knowledge
he has never recanted. Setting Mr.. Taft
and Mr.. Bryan aside. according to the
doctrine Mr.. Olney breaches. but does
not practice. In whose hands, republican
or democratic. would our banking, our
currency and our public finance be
safest?
"Mr. Olney's theme Is Mr. Roosere,t
Mr. Taft and Mr.. Bryan. He says he OBJ
5ects to Mr.. Roosevelt's attacks on cor
porations because he has brought suits
against some and not against all. He
says that they ought all to be treated
alike There are only two ways Of treat
Ing all corporations alike. One is to pros
ecute them all whether they have violated
the law or not. and the other is to pros
ecute none of them. The latter was the
policy adopted by Mr.. Cleveland's admin
istration in regard to the Sherman act
when MIR. Olney was Attorney General.
and when in four years only four suits
were brought against trust combinations
In restraint of trade. The former Is the
one which. as l understand Mr.. Olney,
Mr.. Bryan is going to adopt. The Pres
ident has enforced the law and prose
cuted wherever the government could get
evidence OF wrongdoinG. To this Mr. Oh
ney objects. He wants equality of treat
ment, and he promises us that Mr.. Bryan
will prosecute every corporation. a prom
ise only possible on the ground that he
Will prosecute whether he has evidence of
wrongdoing or not. Turning to the meas
ureS from which / am being constantly
diverted by Mr.. Olney's discussion Of men,
does this promise of wholesale prosecu-
ton which Mr.. Olney makes really offer
any prospect Of helping the Improvement
OF business?
LAS to the courts-as nearly as I can
condense Mr. Olneys arguments in a
few words-it is that Mr.. Taft is not to
| be trusted to make judicial appointments
| because Mr.. Roosevelt has criticised the
|
says that Mr.. Roosevelt's criticism o.
| judges is part of his policy and that
Mr.. Taft will go on criticising judges and
will make bad appointments because Mr.
! Roosevelt has criticisd them. One Nigh,
just as we'll say that Mr.. Taft cannot be
trusted to appoint judges because he will
have to adopt Mr.. Roosevelt's views about
spelling. and that no man who takes the
Pr. sident's views of spelling should be
trusted with a judicial appointment
i e; will not go into a discussion Of the
Philippines. because that question ha:
been thoroughly covered by Mr. Taft
speaking with full and unequaled knowl
edge of what has been done in those is
lands Mr.. Oiney calls the President q
lingo. and rehearses the old and well worr
phrases about imperialism and foreign ag
erosion. There is no Charge which car
be brought against the Roosevelt admin
iSrration which has more slender founda
tiors tlan this. and there Is no admins
tration in our history which has rendered
greater services to the worlds peace thar
| that which is drawing to close.
Army and Navy Policy.
so far as the attack On Mr. Roosevelt
70. advocating a powerful army and q
large fleet is concerned. the simple fact:
ar. sufficient TO- a conclusive answer
He has reduced the army, and favors
one small in numbers but of high eff
| ficicrcy. which seems to me the onl,
intelligent policy. What other does Mr.
Bryan propose? If he wishes to break
down the army as now constituted he
ought never to be President So far as
The navy is concerned. If Mr.. Olney IL
| correct in his proposition that Mr.. Bryan's
election would mean cessation in the
uphui.ding of our fleet. that in itself
would he a sufficient reason for Mr. Bry-
| ans overwhelming defeat.
| Mr.. Oney is also disturbed about the
growth of power in the central govern
ment and the decline of the power OF
the states. l entirely agree that the tend
ency to increase the federal power and
to introduce it into new fields is very
general, and needs to he checked, and
not encouraged But during the twenty
years that 1 have been in Washington
have observed that the demand for
federal activity and federal interference
comes from no one party and no one sec
ton. have never oberved any reluctance
| on the part of democrats to seek for the
money or the interference of the United
States when they thought either would
| benefit their constituencies.
Il am as hostile to any movement look