Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-30
SOME UNFoUNDED CONTRASTS.

IL ID great ply, oSSOAuAAS " 'AAo
view of the Philadelphia Record to
have the Lincoln anniversary misused
by unfounded contrasts between MS
time and ours, charges of the political
decadence Of the people and absurd
exaggerations Of the present influence
Of wealth. The Record takes except
ions to the statement that I'VE would
in all likelihood regard 1t as a ref1ec-
ton on our nation to select for our
president man as poor as Lincoln
was Lawyers fees were smaller
then than now, it is pointed out, but so
were most other forms Of compensa-
ton, and Mr.. Lincoln was a successful
lawyer, engaged In some large cases.
The Record gives little history of the
private means possessed by our presl-
dents, pointing out that Mr.. Roosevelt
is the only one in the group born with
golden spoon in his mouth. Itfsays:
Mr.. Taft was born to competence.
but not 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 receipts OF
an Official salary. Mr.. Roosevelt 10
nearly If not quite the only 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 ousl-
ness. He has written a good deal, and
probably made some money by his
books. He has also held office, but on
moderate salaries until elected COVER
nor of New York Mr.. Mckinley had
very little except his congressional
salary until elected president. Mr..
Harrison was long at the head OF the
Indiana bar, but when he died his es-
tate was little more than 100000, and
probably a good deal of this was &C.
uuired after he retired from the presi-
dency, when some valuable cases came
to him, as they are apt to come to
lawyer who has been conspicuous in
public life. For example, 1t is said that
Governor Black of New York has made
a million dollars out Of his profession
since he retired from Office.
Mr.. Cleveland was a lawyer IN
moderate practice and needed the sal
airy which was paid to him for several
years as a trustee of the Equitable
Co. His wife had moderate fortune,
but he did not marry until after his
Inauguration. Mr. Hayes inherited a
large fortune, but not until after he be-
came president General Grant didn't
have a cent except his salary and his
presents.
Unquestionably the possession OF a
great fortune would be regarded today
as disqualifying a man for the presi-
Dental nomination, though he might
be nominated for vice president with
the expectation, cynically expressed
by Senator ingalls,, that he would pay
q large part of the campaign expenses.
Nor is It true that Mr.. Lincoln was
elected by the people in any sense diff
ferent from that In which a president
will be elected by the people this year.
It is grotesquely untrue that then
the people governed themselves; now
We are largely ruled, often dicated to"
except in so far as present day issues
fail to interest the people enough to
arouse them to action. The republic
has not changed; the people are not
the victims of an oligarchy or plutoc-
racy or anything except their own in
difference. When the issues were
slavery and the integrity of the ma
ton people felt intensely and acted
theoretically The tariff and conser-
walton and corporations do not move
le people as the issues of fifty or
sixty years ago did, and they are too
apt to leave matters to the profess
sional politicians; but there were
plenty Of those in Lincoln's time, and
some of them were no better than
those that we have to deal with.