Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-02-03
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81 ==OF THE DAY 81
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OF THE DAY

Stop the War OF Vulgar Insults.
The representative people Of this
country. which means the great body
Of the>American people, are sincerely
anxious for speedy Termination to
the disgraceful wrangle In public life
in Washington.
The nature and the conditions OF the
controversies in and out Of Congress
during the last week make a national
and international scandal which Is dis
tasteful to the citizens whose interests
make up the government of this great
country. There is no excuse for 1t
In fact or In precedent or in manners.
Without pausing to fix the original re-
sponsibility upon any one. we content
ourselves with saying that the handy
ing Of terms of insult between the
White House and the upper chamber
and the lower chamber OF our Nation
al Assembly is offensive to the dignity
and deeency of the American people.
Senators of high standing and of
long experience hurl the epithets Of
liar and trickster at the chief execu-
tive and cabinet officers Of this great
republic. while representatives upon
the door of the lower house, In Ian
guage equally undlgnifed, violate the
proprieties and insult the dignity Of
the government of the people.
- i MI
No matter who began 1t. 1t Is un-
worthy of the times and the country
in which we live. II Senators or Con-
gressmen have been guilty of improp-
er acts or improper conduct, 1t Is pos
sible to tell them so without using
terms of personal insult and personal
sdenunciation.
And If Senators and Representatives
are 80 arraigned before the bar. Of
public opinion and the law, they do
not strengthen their own defense or
win the favor Of the people by re-
sponses couched In vulgar insult or in
terms of billingsgate and denunciation.
The language Of the slums was not
meant to be employed In the halls Of
Congress or in the communications
between those who have been honored
with Representative character In this
republic. The Congressman of the
United States are gathered to consider
great and important questions vital to
the welfare and dignity of the Ameri-
can people. They are wasting public
time and public money in the inter
change Of bitter and vulgar personals
ties which are profitable neither to
themselves nor to the people who elect
them to Office and pay them for their
services in the national Congress.
And we urgently invoke the entire
attention and all the brains and all
the energies of the American Congress
in both chambers, and Of the White
House, as, well, In the consideration,
upon large, sane and reasonable
grounds. Of the really vital and impor-
tant questions which concern the peo-
pie whom they represent and whose
dignity and interest they carry upon
their lips and in their votes.
We have had enough OF beer garden
language and manners In the govern
ment at Washington Let us return
to the dignity Of our fathers and tos
the full decency of our times. Chicago
Examiner. -
Mr.. Roosevelt's Moral Position.
In the controversy between Congress
and President Roosevelt the little
clause in the first message about the
Secret Service and Its reiteration in
the message of explanation is merely
the hook on which has been hung the
dislike of the President which has
been growing and concentrating itself
over period of many months. If
the disagreement were over the one
point that is talked about, 1t would
have been speedily settled and forgot
ten. But 1t has given the individual
mer bers of Congress an opportunity TO
ray publicly what they have long said
privately and the remark has usually
taken the form Of a charge Of hypo-
crisy against Mr.. Roosevelt.
81
Mr.. Roosevelt has long preached
various gospels and all were highly
charged with moral precepts. From the
pedestal Of an assumed Righteousness
he has lectured the multitude and the
individuals who comprise It. He has
lauded the square deal and been hailed
as the missionary OF 1t. He has coun.
seled truthfulness he has said that the
abuse OF a public trust is the most
heinous of offenses. He has condemn
ed malefactors Of great wealth and
politicians Of high office In terms Of
indiscrlminate generalIties and he has
condemned them individually whenever
occasion warranted and sometimes
when 1t didn't.
Had he been less punctllious In his
insistence on moral department on the
part Of others he would be In better
case now. Had he not resorted to
lynch law In the Brownsville matter his
talk Of a square dear would have
greater force. Had he not protected
Paul Morton he might have assailed
d. II. Hartman more effectively. Had
he not favored the Steel Trust his as
saults on Standard on would be better
received. And recurrence of attack
has brought the general assurance that
on many occasions the desire to make
political capital was the cause Of his
outbursts Of presumably righteous In
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