Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1907 — NOT "THE GOODS.” [ARTICLE]

NOT "THE GOODS.”

Before be left Washington the other day. Vice President Fairbanks announced that he intended to spend some time at Indianapolis and then goto his farm in Illinois and work. Later on he will visit his birthplace in Ohio. And all the time he will be carrying his presidential lightning rod. By raising the real estate valuation 20 per cent the state tax board increases the state’s revenue without raising the tax rate as high as Republican extravagance demands. The farmers and other real estate owners will thus be allowed to pay a still target share than formerly of the state’s expenses. When their attention is called to tremendous extravagances of the state adminstration, Governor Hanly’s friends declare that he is a “moral” and not an “economic” reformer. But even if this is so, where are the “moral” reforms? And what “moral” reform did he advocate during the session of the legislature? As a political machine the state auditor’s office since it has been “reformed” is not to be sneered at. With many new, high-salaried employes, and with an appropriation bigger by 150,000 than heretofore, the auditor of state can cut quite a figure in Republican, politics next year. The taxpayers, whoever, foot the bill.

When they were talking about New York in 1904 and the importance of carrying it for the Republican ticket, Mr. Roosevelt assured his friend Harriman that they were “both practical men.” Harriman agreed that the president was right, and so he went straight back to New York and raised 1250,000 for the very “practical’’ purpose of seeing that Mr, Roosevelt did not lose his own state. And now Roosevelt and Harriman are “bad friends.” Isn’t it too everlastingly bad! Having been accused by the White House of being in the conspiracy with Harriman and Rockefeller to control the next Republican national convention, Senator Foraker came back with a blow that must have made somebody grunt. Foraker declared that he never saw Harriman but three times in hia iife. Two of these times he saw him at the White House, one of them being at the wedding reception of Roosevelt’s daughter. Forker says that Harriman was an “honored guest on that occasion, among the other multi-millionaires.

The new laws are now in foil force and effect so fair, at least, m the salary list is conperned. Every new officer and every old one who was given s raise is doubtless happy. The total addition to the salary list amounts to about 8350,000. That will help to provide against the increased cost of living. Now, if some plan can be devised whereby the taxpayers cm increase their incomes so as to meet the new expenditure, the prosperity goose ought to honk high. The man who tried to enter a Pittsburg hotel where Andrew Carnegie was stopping was found to have a knife on bis person and whh arrested as a lunatic. The suspicion that be was crazy was no doubt well founded, because after he was taken into custody the man said he wanted to see Mr. Carnegie about a patent machine for milking cows. No one imagines that Carnegie knows anything about milking cows, but when it comes to milking the treasury of the United States government and the pockets of the people, the canny Andrew mows a thing or two.

In bis letter to Harriman the president said: "You and I are jractical men.” As a practical nan did Mr. Roosevelt think these inancial and corporation magnates were filling up his campaign chest in an emergency without expecting anything in return? Is that ;beir habit? Or is it usual for campaign fund givers to exact, or 'or the collectors to give "improper promises, direct or indirect or indirectly”?—Boston Herald. And as a “practical man” did not Mr. Roosevelt know that every big contributor to his campaign und expected something? Did le suppose that Harriman’s 8250,000 jackpot was a Sunday school donation or a prayer meeting hank-offering?

The St. Louis Republic (Dem ) does not believo that President Roosevelt is entitled to any great Democratic sympathy. It says: “His exploitation of a few bolts of Democratic thunder does not compensate among Democrats for lis assualtß upon the cherished principles of state rights and constitutional government, which the Democrats look upon as the safeguards of free government and popular rights in this country. "His revolutionary utterance with respect to the unlimited powers of the federal government and the unlimited perrogatives of the chief executive has placed him n the light of one whose influence n the governmedt is not best for the country. "Mr. Roosevelt will find that the conscience, prudence and patriotism of the country are in the "cabal” against him. And these are vastly more powerful than the spectres he has placed on exhibition in his dimly-lighted subterranean hall of opera stage conspirators.”