The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-22
ztNLEYrAVo RoosEvEL T.

claring every few minutes that he
would not accept the Presidency.
The ticket of Mckinley and Roose-
welt represents vacillation and ''polli-
ness" on the part of the conventions;
in Mckinley is represented open sub
subservience to bosses and trusts;
in Roosevelt is that vim, vigor,
and Rough Rider" dash that never
dashes against entrenched wrong
anywhere and is very tractable after
little ''cavorting." 1t is n good
ticket for the Republican party, and
represents its policies and tendencies.
Mr.. Mckinley, while personally
honest and clean in his private life,
is in no sense a great man. He is
prince of time-selvers and is one
of the shrewdest politicians who has
been elevated to the presidency. He
has inaugurated no policy but has
drifted with the tide and used his
every faculty to get on the topmost
the popular wave. he rode it and de-
nounced Cleveland for making money
dear and everything else cheap. and
when the strong influences of the East
were uppermost he emerged as the
champion of the gold standard. Is
the issue of bonds in time of peace
hn ri u hn
verest terms and berates Mr.. Cleve-
land for the wrongful issue, and
when he comes into the White House
he follows in Cleveland's path and
obeys the mandate of the bondho!der
Is popular sentiment against steal
ing the land OF weaker nations? he
thunders against it, calls it criminal
aggression and forthwith when he
thinks it popular goes to work to take
the land of others and put shacllles
upon men struggling to be free. Is
there widespread Indignation over the
scandals of the war contracts, where
by the trusts were permitted to get
rich by selling unfit food to our SOL
diers? he gets him a scape-goat in the
person of Alger, piously puts all his
sins Il pom him. and bids him go and
sin no more. In a word, there is no
position for which Mckinley de-
nounced Cleveland, except the tariff,
that he has not adopted. and yet he
and his party claim that their policies
have restored prosperity. Today he
stands for imperialism, while declar-
ing that he is opposed to it; he is for
cling the chains of militarism while
declaring that there is no miltarism;
he writes against trusts while under
his fostering care for four years more
trrsfs have been formed than in the
preyious hucdred years; he PIRATES of
devotion to civil sci ice though he has
violated its every principles and turn
ed out efficient men to make way Ter
political heelers: he wraps about HIM
self the flag and cries out: Who will
hand down the fiag?" while he seeks
to make the flag in the Philippine Is
lands and in Porto Rico hide his war
against liberty and 'our plain duty
He talks about manhood and political
independence while he and his whole
administration servilely do the bid
! ding Of the men who furnish the mon
ey to run the campaign. Such Is the
man the Republican party asks the
people to elect to a second term.
When at the height of his military
popularity, Roosevelt was elected in
New York by the skin of his teeth.
The Democrats in New York viii be
nerved to their best efforts by the
confidence that he is not nearly SO
strong now, that he has succumbered
to Plat. as then when he was sup
posed to be his own man. Impetuous,
chivalrous and personally honest,
: Roosevelt has not grown upon the
country and has disappointed his
warmest admirers by becoming dra-
made and spectacular appendage OF
, the Republican machine. He preferred
office and promotion to the highest
aims Of the Republic. He is, there
/ fore, acceptable to the machine. In
the same degree that the Hannas and
Platts find him more acceptable and
pliable-in that same measure the peo-
, pie who had believed in him lose their
admiration and find their confidence
in him shaken.
What does Roosevelt represent? For
what does he stand? Has he ever done
, any rough riding against the robbery
of the trusts, the special privilege OF
protection, the domination of the al
mighty dollar, the control of the boss,
| and the prostitution of the very prin-
ciples of liberty to militarism and inn
Derialism? OF what value is the PEI
sonal courage in him that is admirable
if II be confined to San Juan Hill?
There are foes within that are con-
verting the Republic into the very