The Pleasantville press., 1912-10-30
ABUSE.

United States Senate yesterday, Med
i'll Mccormick, rich young man who
has helped to finance and manage the
Roosevelt campaign, charged that the
murderous assault on Mr.. Roosevelt
was melted by the 'falsehoods of
character assassins and liars like
Charles D. Hilles." who was formerly
secretary to President Taft, and is
now Chairman of the Republican Ma
tional Committee.
The rantings of half-baked young
person like Mr.. Mccormick would be
of no importance If they were not SO
completely in harmony with the con-
duct of the Roosevelt managers since
Mr.. Roosevelt was shot by madman.
Dixon, Pinchot, Mccormick, Cochems
and a whole chorus of demagogues
have been seeking to in1ame the pub
lie mind against better men than
themselves and create the impression
that Schrank's insane deed was in
spired by political abuse" of Mr..
Roosevelt.
Now, 1t happens that there has been
good deal of abuse in this campaign,
but most of it originated with Theo-
dore Roosevelt and his followers. No
other candidate for President ever in
dulged in such sweeping denunciation
of his opponents. No other candidate
for President ever attacked a Presi-
dent as Mr.. Roosevelt has attacked
Mr.. Taft. No ether candidate for
President ever appealed so frankly to
the passion and frenzy of his audi
ences. To select a few of many ex-
ampleS:
Day after day Mr.. Roosevelt has
compared President Taft to crook"
to a thief" to burglar" to
pirate" to a "pickpocket," to re
ceiver of stolen goods" and Hiram
Johnson, Mr.. Roosevelt's associate on
the ticket, has travelled from one end
of the country to the other calling
President Taft "the most humiliating
figure in American history" Even the
day that he was shot Mr.. Roosevelt
denounced the conduct Of the Govern
or of Illinois as Infamous" because
Governor Deneen refused to support
Mr.. Roosevelt on third party ticket.
June Mr.. Roosevelt said of Presi-
dent Taft that "high-minded and hon
orable men would refuse to accept del
egates" such as Mr.. Taft had gained
in Ohio.
June 8 he said that "again and again
we have sent to the penitentiary cleo
ton officials for deeds not one whit
worse morally than was done by the
members of the national committee"
in seating two Taft delegates from
Alabama.
June IL he declared that Mr.. Taft's
attitude toward the presidency comes
dangerously near being treason
June Is he asserted that the contest
between himself and Mr. Taft for the
nomination was a fight between hon.
esty and dishonesty"
June 16 he issued a statement that
rang with the words theft" and
stealing and fraud"
June IL in speech he spoke of the
naked thefts" of the national COM
mittee and the men who had earned
Mr.. Taft's gratitude by stealing for
him." He said a majority of the ma
tional committee had 'practiced po-
litical theft in every form from high
way robbery to petit larceny"
When Mr.. Taft was finally nominat-
ed he publicly insulted him as "the
beneficiary of successful fraud, and
his delight on his recent Western trip
was to describe the President OF the
United States as "a dead cock in the
pitt
As for Woodrow Wilson, Mr.. Roose-
velt has branded him as TORY" and
as the nominee of the bosses, and in
his recent speech in Chicago he devot-
ed most of his time to infiaming the
passion OF foreign born. voters against
Governor Wilson on basis of para
graph in Governor Wilson's History
of the American People" The whole
third party campaign has been cam
paign of violence, abuse and vilifca-
tion for which we can find no justifica-
ton.
We mention these matters now only
because OF the scandalous and dema-
gogic attempt Of Mr. Roosevelt's polit-
ical managers to bring about a reign
Of terror against everybody who has
opposed his election. Mr.. McCor-
mick's shocking assault upon Mr..
Hilles is fair sample of their man
ners and methods, which cannot be
allowed to go unchallenged. 1t is on q
par with Mr.. Cochem's assault on Mr..
Rrvan as an "0raforical rravadiprer ~