The Atlanta constitution., 1900-07-16
A Plea for the Strenuous Hero.

n GAea AOI the otTenuOuS nero.
From the way Teddy lopes about
the country first on the republican ele-
phant and then on Kansas steer, ad-
vertisins himself as the one man band,
one would think that he was not in
clined to be practical. But this notion
should be promptly abandoned by those
who entertain il. From various para
graphs and articles appearing in news
papers controlled by Roosevelt's wor-
shippers we gather that he has dropped
a gentlemanly hint or two.
Ii is worthy OF note. too, that these
articles and paragraphs open up an
entirely new subject for discussion. 1t
Is only since the nomination of Teddy
as a candidate for vice president that
various editors have discovered that
tho wages paid the vice president are
too low-toO low at least for the siren
UOus life which Teddy is said to lead.
The subject is new and striking and
is interesting on that account if no
other. We do not remember ever to
have had the question discussed before.
Its discussion may be pertinent now
because Mr.. Hanna and his various
syndicated combinations have conclud-
ed TO change the course OF the wab
bling ship of state. The past has be-
come a bowling waste. peopled by the
phantoms of such hermits and old
fOgies as G.. Washington. T. Jefferson,
a. Jackson and A. Lincoln. Even old
John Quincy Adams. who must ever
remain the most ridiculous and laugh
able figure in our political history. has
lost his standing in New England,
where ideals" now depend on cable
grams from Downing street.
We have no desire 10 conceal the fact
that We are In sympathy with the
movement TO give Teddy and his inter
esting family a larger latitude in the
way OF strenuous living" A man who
has given all his muscle and a large
part OF his valuable time 20 conquer
ing the Spaniards, breaking polo ponies
and looking through specially pre-
pared eyeglasses for new worlds TO
conquer certainly deserves to have
salary equal 20 his pretensions. At
present the wages of a vice president
are only IS 600 year and even a sem
ator receives that much.
Il is true. OF course. that such wages
are ample for q modest man. who is
simple in his habits and who never in
vaded and conquered a foreign terri
tory, nor played polo nor rode buck
ing broncho. But Teddy. who declared
that the American people should live
more strenuously. has been leading a
strenuous life himself. He has given
the point of example TO his eXhortatlon.
He has been getting up early and sit
ting M late. He has written a "tren-
chant life OF Cromwell with one hand
and reformed" New York with the
other-being at one and the same time
astraddle OF fiery steed while signal
ing the band to repeat the well-knowD
whOoper-up. Hail to the Chief"
This. however, is only a part. and a
very small part, OF the strenuous
life" II means paving up the sand in
several parts OF the country at once,
riding on Pullman car bumpers in or
der to be ready to say the right thing
a. the right time, eating midnight
lunches. debating kilograms TO news
papers. manufacturing speeches by the
yard and looking to Il that the crease
and the fiop OF the Justly famous war
hat are precisely what they were when
he moved down the serried ranks OF
Spanish tyrants by waving them on
San Juan hill.
Now that the republican party has
taken Teddy up 1t WIFI have TO pay
some attention to his necessities. He
cannot elect Mr.. Mckinley and carry
the campaign TO triumphant conclus-
/ ion with his usual dash. nor display
I his irresistible heroism for the sole
benefit of the kaleidoscope man. The
man who receives a wage of only $4,000
year will have to depend on charity
/ IL he proposes to educate his children
and at the same time lead the stren-
nous life which Teddy has depicted
7 for those who are in the fourth reader.
We are not surprised. therefore, that
Mr.. Kinsella. of Brooklyn. time-hon-