Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1915-06-04
Casting Up the Record at Syracuse.


Having little sympathy with political
libel suits, we are glad that Mr.. Roose.
welt will not have to pay $50, 600 or any
considerable part thereof to William
Barnes.
In the light of the evidence, a politi-
cal libel suit suit brought by William
Barnes against Theodore Roosevelt
seems only shade more ridiculous that
political libel suit brought by Thodore
Roosevelt against William Barnes.
Both are shown to have been pro-
ducts of the same political machine.
Both were Platt proteges and both
used by Platt as it suited his purposes.
Mr.. Barnes faculty in combining state
craft with public printing never shock
ed the Roosevelt conscience until after
Mr.. Barnes refused to further the
Roosevelt third-term ambition. Mr..
Roosevelt's successful effort to obtain
power through political hypocrisy new
er scandalized,,Mr Barnes as long as
the Roosevelt power could be OF practi-
cal service to Mr.. Barnes.
Mr.. Roosevelt is confident that in
spite of the antics Of the jury he has
won a moral victory. Perhaps he has;
but who could imagine Woodrow Will
son or William H. Taft or William Nc
Kinley or Grover Cleveland regarding
such disclosures as were made against
MIR. Roosevelt as moral victory? Any
of them would have considered that If
rank political duplicity was proved
against him, as this case proved against
Mr.. Roosevelt, his methods would be
branded forever as those Of political
charlatan.
Regardless Of Mr. Barnes's conduct,
it must be remembered that he was
never Governor of New York or Presi-
dent of the United States. He never
posed as a great reformer or as a CEN
sor of POLITICAL morals. What he was,
he was. We should never think of try
ing to hold Charles F. Murphy and
Woodrow Wilson to the same political
standards; but if we found that Wood
row Wilson had worked hand in glove
with the Murphy organization as long
as he could get anything out of 1T, We
should regard him as far more danger
Gus to good government than the Tam
many boss himself.
That is much the way we feel about
Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Barnes. Mr..
Roosevelt began to tell the truth about
Mr.. Barnes only after Mr.. Barnes had
ceased to be useful to him politically.
Up to that time both were identified
with the same corrupt political ma
chine, but working different sides of
street. Mr.. Barnes obtained print
ing profits as a reward for his services.
Mr.. Roosevelt obtained political power
and public fame. Each took what he
wanted most.
The best thing that can be said for
this case is that it's revelations give
the people of New York a new insight
into the methods by which the State
has been governed for many years.
The history is not pleasant reading.
There is hardly page that is not in
delibly stained, and Mr.. Roosevelt's
moral responsibility for the record
seems much greater than Mr.. Barnes's.
The public had right to expect in
fnitely more from Governor of New
York and President Of the United
States than from the Republican boss
of Albany County, Mr.. Roosevelt failed
to fulfill those expectations except by
words that were belied by deeds.
The Syracuse case ought to finish
Mr.. Barnes as republican leader in
this state, and it ought to finish MIR.
Roosevelt as well. AS the record
stands, neither of them has a solitary
claim to future public confidence.