Life — September 8, 1904 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

T. 8, 1901 No. 1141 test Street, New Yous. Vostae ‘to $106 & year extra 10 centa "Rack numbers. after three mo date of publication, 2) cents No contribution will be returned unless accompanied by stamped and addressed envelope. The illustrations in Live. are copyrighted, and are not to be reproduced. Prompt notification should be sent by sub- scribers of any change of address. HE most con- spicuous con- structive force in the Demo- cratic cam- paign, so far, is Mr. Joseph Pulitzer. He is heartily in favor of the election of r and as all there is to say about the Judge is soon di © closed, he devotes large spaces in his paper to exposition of the ob- jectionable qualities of the other can- didate. Not that he reviles Colonel Roosevelt. So far as has come to our notice, nobody reviles him, or even disparages him as a man and a brother. The mud batteries are silent on both sides. There is a vast deal of criticism of Colonel Roosevelt, but it is aimed at the Presidential candidate, not the man. So far as the man goes, nearly everybody, including Mr. Pulitze credits him with most of the abilities and nearly all the virtues. © What Mr. Pulitzer assails are the President's opinions and temperamental tenden- cies, A fortnight ago he collected and spread over two pages of The World a great number of Colonel Roosevelt's deliverances about the indispensable- ness of a decent readin to fight, the worthlessness of ‘* weaklings,"’ the need of a respectable army and a strong navy, the handin of a big stick to supplement buttered language, and the coming destinies and duties 2 LP ES? of the United States as 7, world power. ‘There was scarcely one of these dis- connected utterances that was not fairly sound, taken by itself, but the aggre. gation of them disclosed not unimpress- ively the temperament and some in- grained convictions of the candidate, whose personality, Mr. Pulitzer thinks, is the chief issue of the campaign. Do we want a President, he the voters, in whom the fighting instinct is so strong ? LL thi fair game. If the Democrats can array against the Republican candidate‘all the “weak- lings,” all the “timid” folks who hate to fight, except for the gravest reasons, and all who are scrupulously is favor of our minding our own business, they will do it, of course. Dr. Roosev has been a profuse talker, and has usually there i: record, some, spoken from his heart, and no trouble about getting at his Without being at all quarrel- he is an aggressive man, and when an aggressive man is needed, he is just the man you want. Folk is an aggressive man. Hurrah for Folk ! But Folk’s aggressiveness has been directed to bringing political rascals to justice. So has Roosevelt's, sometim ive righteousness is what wi want in this country, and want very much, and want now. Roosevelt has a great deal of it. But for aggressiveness in foreign affairs the popular demand is not so general. ND there, or thereabouts, lurks one of the issues of this campaign. Judge Parker has declared definitely that he believes in ntual independ- ence for the Philippines, and believes in giving assurance now tothe Filipinos that it is our intention to make them, some time, just as independent as Cuba is, We may be wrong, but we believe that President Roosevelt does not desire that the Philippines should ever be wholly independent. Certainly he does not think it expedient to assure them now that we intend to grant them inde- pendence. He is solicitous to aid them in every way to develop ability for self- government and to protect them from the spoiler, but if he contemplates with satisfaction, or even resignation, the removal of our flag from those islands, he has had a momentous change of heart, and Beveridge must be ashamed of him. His disposition, if we under- stand it, favors the acceptance by the United States of territory, power, re- sponsibilities, duties, opportunities and expenses the world over, wherever of- fered or incurred. He feels equal to anything that comes his way, and thinks the United States should feel as he does, That he really scares Mr. Pulitzer, we have no doubt. Mr. Pulitzer is very able, and a great fighter of a certain sort, but he is older than he was and has much money and very little eyesight, and age, riches and blindness all naturally abhor the popping of guns. It will be recalled that those two dove-like conservatives, Grover Cleveland and Richard Olney, once threw Mr. Pulitzer into conspicu- ous fits by speaking abruptly over-seas, Te Philippines are not much of an ue this ye The Democratic candidate has succeeded in declaring that we should pledge them independ- ence, but most of the voters in both par- ties are undecided about it and will be for a long time tocome. But President Roosevelt's reputed aggressiveness in foreign affairs, his expansionist dispo- sition, and his feelings about the Big Stick are real factors in the fight. Roosevelt and will be, a President who does things. This line of praise has been overdone. It hurts more than it helps. Judge Parker's strength, as a candidate, is based chiefly on the belief that he won't doa blessed thing for four whole years except what the law directs. comicbooks.com