The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-06

An incident occurred a few days ago
during the delivery of one of his innumer-
able speeches by that swashbuckler of
politics, Gov. Roosevelt. which throws
strong light on the political methods
which this erstwhile reformer has now
adopted for his guidance.
The chief issue in the campaign result
ing in his election arose from the rob-
berries of certain Republican canal Off
Gals. Roosevelt met that issue by de-
claring that he would send these rogues
to the state penitentiary if their guilt
could be established. How sincere he
was in making this pledge, which in great
measure secured his election, is shown in
the incident referred to.
Roosevelt tackled the canal situation
when he came in office by appointing two
attorneys, both Democrats, to investigate
the charges and to institute criminal pro-
ceedings if they thought advisable. Re
Gently in the course of the speeches re-
ferred to, Gov. Roosevelt was interrupted
by the inquiry made by farmer among
his audience, How about the canals?"
With his usual effrontery and loud
mouthed violence, Roosevelt disposed Of
the question by relating the appointment
of the attorneys mentioned. Then he
proceeded as follows:
These, two men, my party opponents,
frnT rnOts 7 Il 1oI AI,I..
II there was a legitimate reason to bring
to justice any man of my own party or
any other party, it should be done. and
they should be brought to Justice They
had the time; they had the money; they
had the aid of the best counsel in the
state, and they found that the charges
made by you and your type were in
famous lies and ISLANDERS, and so de-
Clared.
Infamous lies and ISLANDERS, then, these
ante-election charges were proved to be-,
Ell? And proved, too, by leading Demo-
cratic attorneys chosen to investigate
them? If this were true, the report
of these two lawyers would GER
tainly sustain it. If the report of the
two lawyers did not sustain the gov
errors statement as to the infamous lies
and ISLANDERS, what then? Mr. Roosevelt
must certainly in such an event stand
confronted with the charge of having lied
himself out Of a hole. or of being ignorant
of the result of the investigation he had
himself set on foot.
Here is the language Of the lawyers
report In that behalf:
Our decision to institute no criminal
prosecutions on this evidence does not
mean that in our opinion the officials
charged with carrying out the great work
OF improving the canals have done their
DUTY. The discretionary powers vested
IN the superintendent of public works
and the engineers by the contracts and
was done, were unduly great, and have
been abused.
Does this language sustain Gov. Roose-
velt's statement that these charges were
infamous lies and SANDERS or does it.
on the contrary, show that these canal
rogues had buttressed themselves against
successful prosecution for their crimes
by securing beforehand such changes in
the law as protected them against the
consequences of their own robberies?
No; If Roosevelt had been the honest man
and courageous man he is represented
as being, he would have answered that
farmers inquiry, not as bully and liar
might have answered it, but by declaring
his regret that 1t was not found posi-.
BILE to prosecute these Republican rogues
for their crimes. But to expect such a
statement from Roosevelt would be
equivalent to expecting that he had
learned nothing from the high moral tute-
lage of his political preceptor, Tom Plat