The daily sentinel., 1910-02-04

famous editorial, copied by papers
and magazines throughout the coun-
try, entitled Honest Men to the
Front" and from the pen of the
country's most distinguished editor,
Henry Watterson, OF the Louisville
Courier-Journal. This editorial, ac-
companied by handsome picture of
the great Kentucky editor. formed the
frontpiece in the last issue of Col
lier's. The editorial appeared in the
Courier-Journal the morning OF jan
uary 8. and was called forth by Presi-
dent Taft's action in summary dis
charging Clifford Pinchot. The edi-
torial. while not long. is considered
as one of the most remarkable edi-
torials written in this country In
recent years. II follows:
Honest Men To the Front.
For the first time in the history Of
the country a President of the United
States has openly proclaimed himself
the friend of thieves and the enemy
of honest men.
That, and that alone, is the issue
precipitated by the Executive order of
Friday removing Clifford Pinchot
from office. by your conduct" says
Mr.. Taft in effect. you have de-
stroyed your usefulness as a helpful
subordinate of those who hold the
Republican party as the Government
and are bound to protect those who,
by their corrupt organization and
campaign contributions, have brought
the Republican party to power and
are relied on to maintain 1t in power"
In other words, the public lands and
franchises belong to the Saints, and
we are the Saints.
Many Republican Presidents have
by indirection through the Protective
policy proclaimed themselves the
friends of robbery under the forms
of law; Mr.. Taft becomes the first to
depart from the process of licensed
robbery, and to announce that the
debts of his party are in future to be
paid out of the peoples domain. 1t
is not worth while for anybody to
beat about the bush, or to deal In
anything but plain English. The
truth will not down. That the Pres
ident is, personally, an honest. we'll
intentioned man need not be denied,
or doubted. The world is full of men
who can see no wrong where their
own interest is at stake; who are
blind to right when their passions
are awakened. who will do for party
what they would refuse to God The
candidate of straw upon n platform
OF imposture, inducted to office, sees
his house of cards about to tumble
on him and his Cabinet. because of
the act of an upright but imprudent
servant, and. in a panic of anger and
fear. thinks to avert the threatened
catastrophe by driving the upright
servant out.
1t will not suffice. All men now
know, If they did not know before,
that the decapitation of CLAWS vas
meant to kill a dangerous witness;
but, in the decapitation of Clifford
Pinchot, and his associates, Price and
Shaw, the Administration has COM
mitted harikari upon itself. Hence
forth the ground about the White
House and around the Throne of the
Car of the Congress will be sown
with dragons teeth.
And, from now onward, let there
be no politics in this country except
the rescue of the Government from
organized pillage. which, not content
with raising up favored classes and
distributing mammoth fortunes
through the Tariff, reaches forth its
corrupt and impious hand to steal
"a ioiu the peopic the puDiiC ldHuS ana
franchies that yet remain open to
bona fide settlers and honest but poor
men.
We read of the days of Robert Wal
pole with mute amazement We stand
aghast before the rapacity of Henry
Fox. 1t seems inconceivable that
there could have been Government
of Rotten Boroughs exchanging titles
and estates for votes. Yet the sys-
TEN in England in the Eighteenth
Century was infantile by comparison
with the system in the United States
during the latter part of the Nine
teenth century and thus much of the
Twentieth. The spoilation of Wal
pole. and his body of mercenaries,
was child's play by comparison with
the scheme of spoilation contrived by
Cannon, Aldrich & Company. of
which the President of the United
States now makes himself the legal