Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 108, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1904 — POLITICAL COMMENT [ARTICLE]

POLITICAL COMMENT

NewYork. Hill, August Belmont and the rest )Of them insisted on the nominatlonjof Judge Parker on the ground that he can carry' York*‘as\l'galiikt iWf. Roosevelt; that he is a ‘phenomenal volte-getter.’V'The only bit 4 df evidence’they’adduce is that'fri'lß97, the year after McKinlqy swept the State by 268,169 plift^iit Parfiei- was 'elected to ids present jjidieial position by. 60,889 plurality. Tills was the" only time Darker was a S.tjite candidate.. But there is a quite exceptlbMl' rea his Plurality that year. The frturqliUqs i ’ l the State of New .York. for have been: -1894 —Governor . *156.1U.8 Rep.. 1896 President Rep. 1897 Judge (Parker) 60.889 Dem. 1898— Governor 17,786 Rep. .I96o—President ... 143,606 Rep. But here-4s a table giving the total vote of t the Republican ahd Democratic jiarties for those years, Which shows on-Interesting fact; . , ~. Rep. Dem. ;lt»4t,.i. 073,818 517,710 1896..... 819,838 551,369 1897493,791 554,680 1898. 661,707 643.921 1900 ; 821,993 ■ .678,386 1902.t:' 6ff0;150 656,347 it jvlibbe noted that the Republican vote was 180,000 less in 1897’than in when Morton wjts elected Governor; it less.;tfian thq vote ’the'’next year, 1895,’ When-Roosevelt. ■ ' ' • --

Was elected Governor. Judge Pucker s total vote In 1897 was only 37,060 larger than the Democratic vote in 1894, when David B. JUUI was defeated by 156,000, and, it was 90,000 less than the DeinocratFC "Vote in the election for Governor In 1898. These figures show an astonishing variation, which is explained as follows: There was but one office to be filled at the State election of 1897 —that of chief judge of the Court of Appeals. No State convention was held by either party, the candidates being r ained by the State committees. Hence there was little to stimulate political activity Mn the rural districts, and thousands of Republicans did not go to the polls. But there was a most exciting contest in the city of New York for Mayor. Gen. Tracy was the Republican candidate. Van Wyek the Tammany candidate, while Seth Low was named by the Citizens’ Union. The name of Judge Wallace, the Republican candidate for Court of Apeals, appeared on the regular party ticket, but it was not placed on the I.ow ticket. Parker's name was on the Van Wyck ticket The result was that while the total vote for Mayor was 487,400, the total rote for Judge was only 413,549. There were 73,851 voters, presumably supporters of Mr. lx)w, who did not Vote for any candidate for Judge, largely ' was printed on that ticket. Had Wallace's name appeared there, he would have defeated Parker by 13,000 plurality. With these facts given due weight, It is clear that the claim is absuvl that Parker showed phenomenal powers as a vote getter in the only State campaign in which he was a candidate. There is no reason to assume that he can carry his State against Roosevelt.— I'oledo Bladed

Tinkcra nnd Pluggere. The Democratic party, including Bryan, admits defeat until the next campaign on the Issue of honest money. So it is proposed to light this year on the issue of the tariff. Foreight years the Democratic paity has fought the honesty of the laborer's wages. Now the tight is against the sufficiency of the laborer’s work. The people resisted successfully in ISOtl and in 1900 the fifty-rent dollar in the pay envelope, and will Fesist as successfully half time Iti the works of industry. The Republican party and its candidates represent steady employment at American wages. That party and Its candidates will be victorious over the tariff tinkers as over the dollar pluggers.—Findlay (Ohio) Republican. Bryan's Revenge. The original tariff plank submitted to the Committee on Resolutions of Uie Democratic National Convention,

the one that Bryan knocked btit, read.- 5 ’ “We favor a wise,"’conservative and business-like revision and. a gradual reduction of the tariff by the friends of the masses and Tor the coinmoiP weal,.and not by the friends of its abuses, its extortions and its discriminations.” " - -In its place was adopted the mossback free trade Si'hich lia-f been in every Democratic platform’ for almost a century—that the tariff should be restored to h rtve'nue’Aiftstfiand, administered for revenue only. This is the same plank that has been voted -down by the American people repeatedly, and will be again; Darker’s friends wanted to straddle the tariff for the benefit of* the "East; but ■Bifyan, wouldn’t permit them. Evidently Bryan is open to the charge of conspiring at Wfnona (Minn./' Republican.' ' ' \ ', SPEECH BY,, FAIRBANKS.; ;<i A -Candidate far VLce President Makes First Public Address. Senator Charles W. Fairbanks, of Indiana, Republican candidate, fdr Vic«--President, made his first campaign speech ,at White River Junction,, Vt.- The. Senator’’devoted jnost- of his speech to de- ? fending the Republican policies and T tb demonstrating that the administration of Roosevelt has been a.successful,.one. In the- course of Kis' speech .theDgnatpr »ai<v We have entered riffirti'a CftmpMgh far reaching . moment. we‘ are' to * determine the policies that shall J>e In force and ths

administration which shall be in power for four years to come. The candidates and platforms are before the people. The records of the parties are a part of our familiar history, aud we .should be able to judge What policies and what administration will •best advance our welfare. We should consider the questions before us and determine them In the light of the tireside' without passion and without prejudice. One of the uppermost questions is. Does the administration of President Roosevelt merit a vote of confidence? This question confronts us nt the threshold of the debate. The President up the duties of his office at a serious moment In the history of the republic. He assumed his great respouslbilftfes with a due appreciation of their gravity, and gave assurance to his countrymen that he would carry out the policies of his predecessor. The people were familiar with them. They were the policies of the Republican party. They had brought the country immeasurable prosperity, and they naturally desired their continuance. We may compare Democratic and Republican administrations with profit. Fortunately, we have before us the records of both parties during the last twelve years. Twelve years ago the country was in enjoyment of an unusual degree of prosperIn,the face of this, the Democratic party denounced "Republican prosperity as a fraud and robbery of the great majority of tlie people for the benefit of the few.” It was declared to be unconstitutional, and the repeal of the McKinley law was demanded. The people, in an unguarded moment, in the exercise of their sovereign rtglita’ tjoted out of power the Republican administration, and expressed their judgment in favor of a repeal* of the McKinley law. Democratic promise was accepted lu place of Republican fnlfilliiient. The four years KUceeeiiing General Harrison s defeat will not be soon forgotten t hey stand In sharp contrast with the years of Republican ndinlnistration, both before nnd after. They tvere four years of arrested development, of puidc, and distress without a parallel in American history. Jn 18!Mi the American people resolved to return to Republican administration and to Kvpubllcnti pollciuN. \\ ♦» <*ftinp Into power pledged to overthrow the Democratic tariff law and to ena««»iii lieu of It a genuine protective measure. President McKinley realizing full well the public needs, convened Congress as speedily ns possible after his Inauguration to curry out our pledge. Three years ago our groat nnd beloved leader in the national contest of ISM nnd limo fell at Ills post of duty. ! His suacessor has since then administered our national affairs with conspicuous ability. He has been an earnest student of tife country’s needs. He has been coiiHcientlmis and untlrl'iK in the discharge of his great responslbllltles. He has been inspired by but one purpose, and that lias been to do well the work committed to his hands. Judged bv nny test we mar apply, the administration of President itooseve'lt lias been eminently am-cessful. Tbe last throe years have been years of exceptional pros perity. .

Where the Benefit Goes. No, no! Burnt children dread the lire, and Democratic talk about a “robber tariff" in this year IIKM will not win Intelligent vote-. The people everywhere have learned from sad experience the truth of the statement.of James G. Blaine: “The benefit of protection goes lust pnd last to the men who earn their bread in the sweat of their faces."— Flushing (N. Y.) Times. Would Bring Calamity. A victory for Parker in ItXM would bring calamity quicker than It came In the Cleveland case, for Parker lacks Cleveland's ability, independence nnd sanity on the money issue, and he shares Cleveland's errors on the tariff. —St. Louis Globe- Democrat