Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-08-25
Issued on Friday of Each Week
Deserving Democrats. :"

can YOU LEI me KNOW WnaC pOSlClOnS
you have at your disposal with which
to reward deserving democrats? ! do
not know to what extent the knowledge
of the Spanish language is necessary
for employees. Let me know what is
requisite, together with the salary, and
made.
The above is the letter wrote to Mr..
Wick, the receiver of customs at San
Domingo. Read it carefully. Scan
each sentence, examine each word,
each syllable Mr.. Hughes, once gov
ernor of New York, afterwards justice
of the supreme court, and now republi-
can candidate for president, thinks it
important enough to quote in his cam
paign speeches. He is so indignant, so
mortified, that he asks; "Should not
every American hang his head in
shame, that such thing should occur
in our highest department of govern
ment?"
], alone, am responsible for that let
ter, and am not ashamed of it. Attez-
ton is called to it, that may expose
the desperation of the man who has
sought to use it as means Of advancing
himself politically. The letter was
written to an appointive officer, whose
office WAS NOT UNDER THE CIVIL
SERVICE, and the inquiry was made
in regard to Offices which WERE NOT
UNDER THE CIVIL SERVICE.
There was nothing in the letter to indi-
cate desire or intention to select men
who were incompetent. On the con-
trary, inquiry is made as to what is
requisite. By what logic does Mr..
Hughes reach the conclusion that
''every American should hang his head
in shame" because democratic secre
tary of state expressed an interest in
the appointment of deserving demo-
Gratis to positions NOT UNDER THE
CIVIL SERVICE, for which such dem
ocrats were competent? Mr.. Hughes
had appointments to make when he
was governor. Did he give those
appointments to deserving republicans
or to undeserving republicans )? If to
deserving republicans, did his action
cause every citizen of New York to
chang his head in shame? Or, is he
30 partisan that he regards it as entire
~ prnper and patriotic to appoint
deserving republicans and only shame
full to appoint deserving democrats?
Mr.. Hughes recognizes political obi.
cations and has shown himself quite
prompt in discharging such obligations.
When he was a candidate for governor,
he received the support of the railroads
. of New York and he generously paid
3 the debt by vetoing the two.cent pass
enger rate bill. He does not describe
that as shameful. When q candidate
for governor, he received the support
of the New York tax dodgers, the own
ers of swollen fortunes" and he paid
his debt by sending message to the
legislature protesting against the
income tax amendment to the fedora
constitution. He does not describe that
rs shameful. He is now being sup
ported by the railroads of the United
States and he expects to pay them
back by aiding them to escape state
legislation, and find haven of security
in exclusive federal control" over the
railroads; he is being supported by the
shipping trust and expects to cay them
back by helping them to prevent gov
eminent competition; he is supported
by the tariff barons and expects to pay
them back by enabling them to collect
tribute from the consumers, through
high tariff rates; he is supported by
the trust magnates and expects to pay
them back by shielding them from pun
ishment for the extortion which they
desire to practice; he is supported by
Wall Street and expects to pay them
back by turning over to them our flnan-
cial system; he is supported by those
expects to pay them back by spending
American blood and squandering money
raised by taxation, in order to guaran-
tee profits on speculative investments.
And vet, with the record which he has
made in paying his political obi -ations
at the expense of the public and with
the pledges his speeches contain ito
those who are now aiding his ambitions,
he has the impudence to hold up for
criticism legitimate effort 10 reward
competent, men for the service which
they have rendered to the cause of
reform.
For twenty years the people have
been engaged in life and death strug
Gle to save the nation from the big ex-
ploiters, the big "grafters'' and the
big "pork" thunderstorm the plumber
bund, to which Mr.. Hughes is indebted
for all the political honors he enjoys
and which is now seeking to put him in
3 position to safeguard plutocracy from
further attacks. Mr.. Hughes is per-
fectly familiar with the contest, be-
cause he has been conspicuous among
the campaigners Of that plunderbund.
In the campaign of 1908 he was put
forth as the chief representative of the
.e Ak< <r,,c<r apd hic o1onnont advOcacv