The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-24
ROOSEVELT, THE MACHINE AND
THE REFORMERS.

ROOSEVELT, THE MACHINE AND
THE REFORMERs.
The nomination Of Theodore Roosevelt
as vice president gives much additional
interest to the Views Of that gentleman
recently expressed in one of the maga-
zines on the true relation of the reformer
to the machine politician. 1t is readily
recognized by all who have read Gov.
Roosevelt's article that 1t Is designed as
in the nature Of an apology for the close
ness Of his own official relations toward
the machine politicians of his party.
The nomination of the present candi-
date for vice president was made, it is
plain, through the influence of the lead
ing and the most dangerous machine poll
ticians in the country. Hanna, Quay and
Plat all favored the nomination, the first
of these making a pretense of opposition
to the nomination until he had rendered
the friends Of those friendly to the nom
ination determined to urge it on the con-
ventfon, if for no other reason, on ac-
count of his opposition The last of the
machine politicians named urged the
nomination because, as he stated after
wards, it was reasonable to believe that
Roosevelt would be beaten for governor,
but would be strong candidate for vice
president
1t is not necessary to go into the ques-
ton as to why the politicians mentioned
nd 9TH
ordinary desire to secure Roosevelt's
nomination as vice president. They
may have thought it necessary in
order to save the ticket from
defeat, which is hardly likely.
They may have adopted that way of
killing off the New York governor politi-
cally, or they may have been forced by
the universal sentiment of the delegates
to consent to the nomination. Whatever
influence led to the vice presidential
nomination, it Is certain that the guber-
material nomination came to Mr. Roose-
welt against the wishes of the machine
politicians of his$party, and because of
an apparent general desire among Re
publicans that the honor should be given
to him. But 1t did not come until Mr..
Pfatt had become satisfied that 1t would
not be wholly unsafe venture, nor until
Mr.. Roosevelt had fallen out with all who
had been his devoted political friends up
to that time, and who afterwards openly
charged that hes had identified himself
with the purposes of Platt and all his
satellites in order to secure the nomina-
ton
1t would be interesting to learn lust
what influence this open repudiation of
Roosevelt by his militant reform friends
when he avowed himself virtually as
Platt's candidate for governor of New
York has had on his views of political re-
form and reformers generally, as ex-
pressed in his Century article 1t certain
ly has not had the most encouraging ef-
feet since, as the article in question shows
in almost every line, it's writR enter
tains most extensive contempt for those
whom ne now chooses to designate fan
tastic extremists.
The following excerpt from the article
in question Is highly interesting in view
of the more recent developments In the
political character and career of the man
who In the New York legislature at the
beginning of his political career was fan
tastic" in the extremes;
In every community there are little
knots of fantastic extremists who loudly
proclaim that they are striving for right
eoushesS, and who, in, reality, do their
Feeble best for unrighteousness just as
the upright politician should hold in pc
culiar scorn the man who makes the
name of politician a reproach and a
shame, SO the genuine reformer should
realize that the cause he champions is
especially Jeopardized by the mock re-
former who does what he can to make
reform a laughing stock among decent
men. AS a matter of fact the typical
extremist of ohis kind differs from the
practlcaP reformer, from the pubic man
VINO strives in practical fashion for de-
cency, not at all in superior morality
Dut In inferior sense. He is not more
v1rtuous; he is less virtuous He is mere
ly more foolish. /. In addition to the sim
pie and sincere men who have d twist in
their mental makeup, these knots of en-
tnuSlasts contain, especially among their
leaders, men of morbid vanity who lack
power to accomplish anything if they go
IN with their fellows to fight for results
and VINO prefer to sit outside and attract
momentary attention by denouncing those
who are really forces Tor good
There is much that is real and sub
stanttal in Gov. Roosevelt's criticisms of
the reformers of the extreme type. All
practical men recognize that they are
often a serious embarrassment, rather
than help to improving existing polit-
ical conditions. But the criticism is
hardly all that is necessary to justify Gov.
Roosevelt, if he can justify himself, for
abandoning those who made his promi-
nence in public life possible in spite of
the worst that his new-found friends Of
the machine could do to prevent it. The
Evening Post and it's believers may be
morbid, but they at least sustain Gov.
Roosevelt, as they sustained him when
police commissioner, civil service com
missioner and assemblyman, in all that
he ought to have been sustained in. That
they have not hesitated to condemn him
when he did the dirty work in politics of
Senator Platt may seem to afford a JUS
tification for abusing them and their kind; !;
but 1t will not answer Roosevelt's purpose
of placing himself right before the public.
1t becomes necessary for men to modify
their views of most worldly subjects as
they advance IN years. But such modi-
Hoa+ior 5oae 80