Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1916-08-26
Observations
By The Editor

The present campaign is not un-
like the average. The two leading
parties try to whip the voters into
line for their side by every available
argument possible. Under the Amer
lean electorate system the people
choose their leader; they are the ones
who say who shall be the rulers.
From President to constable, the
voter has the say. In this way po-
litical parties came into existence,
each party having certain principles
for which it stood, and which were
placed before the people as the basis
of appeal for their votes. Generally
there have always been but two main
parties before the voter, though
through the independent voters not
taking to either, minor parties have
from time to time sprung into ex-
istence. Thus we have had many So
called parties since the American Re-
public was made existent in 1776
through the Declaration of Independ-
ence. Before that time what there
was of the United States was under
British rule, and we were merely
colony like Canada.
Through this party system the
United States has been in some
periods of mighty upheavals, one of
which finally developed into the great
civil war that cost thousands of lives,
billions of money, and sectional
breach that required half century
to heal, and which the unreconstruct-
ed foe still proclaim will never be
healed. There are still those who
view "The South" or "The North"
as special sections to meet favor or
disapproval in their eyes, dependent
upon which view may be the guiding
instinct. Even Charles Evan Hughes,
who should be big and broad, and who
should rise above the petty view
point, has had his fling at section
alism," just as though the war had
not been over for more than fifty
years. An attitude Of this kind is
quite impossible to comprehend, ex-
cept on the basis of very, very mar
row ideals. Hayes, Mckinley, Gar
field, Cleveland, Harrison, Roosevelt
nor Taft ever got into the section
alism rut. Hayes was so free from
it that he appointed any number of
southern Democrats as postmasters
and other officers Of the government.
X
In the case of Hughes, however, he
has more to lose than to gain by his
unhappy introduction of sectional
ism into his plan of campaign. He
says in effect that he is sore that a
southerner and Democrat could be-
come President and do things for the
good of the country and so far as he
| is concerned he is going to put stop
to it. 1t would be no surprising thing
to see the electorate write it's protest
in the pages of history against this
thing. Far from manly, it is really
iniquitous of itself as thought, and
! a man of Mr.. Hughes admitted
calibre should feel ashamed to take
so ruinous a step. If there is one
thing above another for. which the
American people stand it is fair play.
They never lend approval to the un-
derhand method, and they abominate
snarl.
The most notable example of ma
TONS protest at the man with the
snarl, perhaps, is that of Theodore
Roosevelt. Here was a man whom
God had gifted far beyond the ordin-
airy. Blessed with hardy, sturdy
constitution, with the human touch,
the human instinct, the democratic
faith and the hoi polloi sympathies,
together with scholarly culture,
Roosevelt for twenty-five years was
an ideal. Through an accident he be-
came President and was reelected,
and when his second term was ended
he was honorel by being allowed to
coach and name man as his success
sor in office. There was scarcely any
opposition to his demands.
And right there is where Roose-
welt slipped a cog. Instead of letting
Taft alone, he almost Immediately
began to nag and to bedevil him. He
almost bounded him out of Office, and
when his protege went before the
people and won a second nomination
with the Republican machine, Roose-
welt began to snarl and raised the
cry of steam roller. What despic-
able spectacle of an honorable man
declaring of his own volition that he
would never violate the American
tradition and ask for the third term!
Yet twice at Chicago we find Roose-
welt pleading for the nomination, once
to beat Taft, his friend whom he made
President, and who was a good one,
and now Charles E. Hughes, the Re-
publican choice.
Roosevelt's reactionary record in
forming the Progressive party as an
evidence of his contempt for and spite
against Taft is without a parallel in
all the history of the country. 1t
was unfaithful, treacherous, jealous
greed, dishonorable to the last degree,
and met it's reward before the peo-
pie. This last reputation of Roose-
Welt has made him actually incon-
spicuous as political factor. His
rampant reputation of party pledges;
his Infatuated appeals, his bull
doing, bully-ragging tactics, his ut
terly insincere deliverances; his sico--
plant jugglery with Wall Street and
| tho money kings. finally became his