Arizona republican., 1912-03-24
NO RICH PRESIDENTS.

IL is great pity to have the Lincoln anniversary misused by unfounded contrasts between his time and ours. charges of the political decadence of the people and absurd congregations of the present influence of wealth. The statement that we would in all likeli- hood regard it as d reflection on our nation to select for our president a man as poor as Lincoln Was is wholly without excuse. Lawyers fees were smaller then than now, but so were most other forms of compensation. MT. Lincoln was a successful lawyer. en- gagged in some large cases. and he was no pauper even if it may have been convenient for him 70 borrow some ready money at the time of his inau- guration.
 MT. Taft was born to competence, but not q great fortune. His wife is understood to have had some fortune, but he practiced his profession until he went on the bench, since which time he has generally been in receipt of an official salary. MT. Roosevelt is nearly if not quite the Nonly president who never earned his own living. He was born to something better than a competence, and he has never prac- ticed a profession or carried on busi-
 ness. He has written a good deal, anu
 probably made some money by his books. He has also held office. but no moderate salaries until elected gover-
 nor of New York. MT. Mckinley had very little except his congressional
 salary until elected president. MT
 Harrison was long at the head of the
 Indiana bar, but when he died his es- tate was little more than S100.000, and
 probably a good deal of this was ac-
 quired after he retired from the presl-
 dency, when some valuable cases came
 10 him, as they are apt to come to a
 lawyer who has been conspicuous in
 public life For example. it is said that Governor Black of New York has made million dollars out of his profession
 since he retired from office.
 Mir Cleveland was a lawyer in mod crate practice. and needed the salary
 which was paid to him for severa years as d trustee of the Equita blt Company. His wife had q moderate fortune but he did not marry unti after his inauguration. MT Hayes in 1 herited large fortune. but not unti | after he became president. Genera Grant didn't have cent except hi!
 salary and his presents.
 Unquestionabfy the possession of { great fortune would be regarded to- l day as disqualifying man for tho presidential nomination. though h'
 might be nominated for e-presiden
 with the expectation, cynically eX pressed by Senator Ingalls,. that h, | would pay a large part of the cam l paign expenses.
 Nor is it true that MT. Lincoln wa ! elected by the people in any sense Ii z 1 ferent from that in which a Dresidan
 will be elected by the people this year | It is grotesquely untrue that then thu | people governed themselves; now w
 are largely ruled, often dictated to-, except in so far as present day issue: | fail to interest the people enough C arouse them to action. The republic has not changed; the people are ID | the victims of an oligarchy or pluto
 cracy or anything except their own in difference. When the issues wer,
 slavery and the integrity of the natior
 people felt intensely and acted ener- | getically. The tariff and conservation and corporations do not move tho | people as the issues of fifty or sixty | years ago did, and they are too apt 1 to leave matters to the professional | politicians. But there were plenty oi | those in Eincoln's time, and some oi them Were no better than those that we have to deal Philadelphia RpcOr,I