The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-10-31
RoosEvELTS BLAcKGUARDIsM.

ROOSEVELT'S BLACKGUARDISM.
For a man of his natural talents and
his opportunities for culture to say
nothing of the dignity of the position
to which he aspires Roosevelt
has made a sorry spectacle of himself
before the country on his speech-mak-
ing tour. A shout of "Hurrah for
Bryan" in his audiences has usually
visibly angered him and provoked
some ill-tempered and Ito HIM belit-
Ting and unworthy retort.
AS fair sample of the Republican
Vice-Presidential candidates swagger-
ing blackguardism, the press dis
patches tell us that when he began his
canvass in his own State last week
after an absence of several weeks a
man in the crowd at Newburg said, in
a low tone of voice: "Why did you
call Democrats towards and dishon-
est?" Roosevelt heard him and flung
back quickly this characteristic reply:
"It's lie. | never said such thing.
1t is Democrats, good Democrats, who
swell our majority" Toward the end
of his remarks at Newburg the Gov
ernor was interrupted a number of
times by some shouts of "What is the
matter with Bryan" Down the trusts"
"Gov. Roosevelt said: "You look like
one of those men who work exclusive
ly with their mouths, What do you
mean to down, the cotton bale trust of
Mr.. Jones or the ice trust of Mr.. Croker
You are afraid to hear the truth; you
interrupt this meeting because you
are hoodlum and nothing else. You
represent those people who object to
prosperity; you don't get any of it be-
cause you won't work. Now, go back
to your fellow hoboes and learn after
this that you stand against the flag;
you haven't got q particle of patriot
ism in you"
How pitifully does such lack of self
control and fish market language com:
pare with Mr.. Bryan's dignified and
good humored treatment of similar
Interruptions by his auditors, his an.
swers to questions usually being not
only direct, but courteous.
At one OF his appointments after the
above incidents, Gov. Roosevelt had
the following printed questions put to
him:
"First-Why did you not prosecute
the canal thieves as you promised
when you were candidate for gov
ernor?
"Second-Why did you not COM
mence action before the claims were
barred?
Third Why don't you have a sum-
mons issued against the ice trust? The
only way to commence an action is by
summons. None has ever been served.
"Fourth-Why don't you remove
the mayor of New York for his con-
nection with the ice trust?
"Fifth-You have been only thirty
six hours at the capital attending to
business since June |. Do you think
it honest to take full pay during that
time?
"Sixth-Dont you think a candidate
for vice president should find court
eous language to express his thoughts
and not call his questioners 'hoodlums'
'hobos' and 'drunks' and without any
knowledge on the subject, accuse them
of working their mouths standing
against the flag and lacking in pa
triotism.'
"Seventh-Why not give out for
publication Mayor Van Wyck's answer,
in which it is claimed members of
your State administration and Senator
Platt are charged with being particeps
criminis in the ice trust scandal?"
Roosevelt deigned no reply to these
questions, but told the Associated
Press representative that he would not
discuss them, and that the majority of
them were for the attorney general to
answer.