Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-01-20
st. Louis Republic.

meekly exercised Its powers OF leg1sla-
ton by the letter and precept OF his dc
tation. And Mr.. Taft has held his
peace, except when saying that the
Rooseveltian policies are his.
The Democratic party canaot accept
these principles and live. The Ameri-,
can people are devoted to the system Of
government which the Democratic par
ty upholds, and to the extent by which
the Republican party departs from this
system will the Democracy, in the long
run. win victories by remaining stead
fast to Its faith.
Old issues are dead. Political sec
tionalism exists only through the Re
publican aggressions upon State rights,
which force one section Of the country
to remain solldly Democratic while 9TH
er sections retain the right Of making
free choice between parties. All other
forms of sectionalism are things Of an
Client history.
In the contests that are to come there
is for the Democratic party future
as bright as the record Of achievement
that has made Its name illustrious.-
st. Louis Republic.
Congress and the secret Service.
The Senate resolution referring to
the Committee on Appropriations that
portion Of the Presidents message re-
ferrlng to the secret service contains
several statements which indicate Just
what has aroused the ire Of Congress.
The matter is not altogether one Of
personal Indignation that Congress
should have been classed with crimi-
mails. says the st. Louis Republic. That
Is insulting enough, 1t is true, but 1t
could MS well have been dismissed as
Mr.. Mansfield used to dismiss the
charges of brutality to his fellow-nlay-
ers las one of the eccentricities of
genius, a phrase subject to popular
translation as the work Of disordered
mind. But there is something beneath
and beyond the superficial accusation,
and this concerns every American as
well as every member of Congress.
1t has been charged that employees of
the secret service have been assigned
to dog the footsteps of Congressman
and other public officials, not for the
purpose of detecting forbidden or crimi-
nal conduct, but to spy into the private
lives and habits of the persons follow
ed. Information as to the personal
habits of Congressman Is reported to
have been secured and catalogued for
use in any emergency that might arise.
1t is not probable this is wholly true,
yet it Is matter of gossip and it is
not too much to say that the mind
which would conceive and the power
that would put into force such a sys-
TEN of espionage, If 1t has been carried
on, would not hesitate to use the infor-
nation SO secured for purposes of SIAN
der and blackmail.
Under such scheme, the secret SER
vice. designed as an agency to protect
the government against crime, becomes
an agency for the commission of crime
and, what is much worse, 1t strikes
blow at the integrity Of democratic in
situations. This nation is not composed
of criminals, to be Bertilloned, cata-
logued and included within the recesses
OF universal rogues' gallery. For the
government, or the head Of 1t. or any
subordinate officials to undertake such
work is to indicate complete mis-
conception of the system of government
we subscribe to. 1t is the confession
of imperalistic tendencies and smacks
of dictatorship and czarism.
1t is the extent to which this alleged
espionage has gone that Congress wish
es to learn, and, 1t is said, there are
some members who can give personal
testimony to the efforts to pry into their
private affairs. The examination can