Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-10-04
ROOSEVELT IN REALITY.
Character and Aims as Seen by
a Personal Friend.
TO Run HIS OWN ADMINISTRATION

| the Presidents Career-Hfs Atti-
tude Toward the Isthmian CanRI.
Revenue Question and CritIcishI.
Typical Instance of His Sense of
HumOr.
| The statement made the other day by
| President Roosevelt to his friends in
Buffalo concerning his plans for the
coming three years consisted of mere
| outlines, as befitted so informal an ut
terance. writes the New York Posts
| special Washington correspondent. If
any value attaches to the opinion OF a
personal friend of several years stand
/ ing, who has had exceptional opportuni-
| ties to study him on side which is not
commonly turned toward the public. it
WOULD be pretty safe to fill in some OF
: these outlines without waiting for the
, event.
The first great question with which
! the new president will have TO deal will
be that OF the isthmian canal His
brief summary of his policy on this
point is 1.-The building and completion
as soon as is possible OF the iSthmian
canal. so as to give direct water COM
munication with the coasts of Central
America. South America and Mexico"
I In view of his assertion OF his ''aim to
continue absolutely unbroken the pol
icy of President Mckinley for the
peace. prosperity and honor of the
| country it is assumed in many quar-
| tiers that Mr.. Roosevelt will make every
effort TO further the construction OF
neutral canal.
With one modification, this is proba
bly, correct. For commercial purposes
lie has always favored and will con-
tinue to favor the neutrality of the
coming canal. but his idea is as fixed
(as ever that. for war purposes, nei-
Their our country nor any other or COM
binatiOn of others should guarantee the
neutrality of this waterway. He
doubtless realizes as fully as any one
the improbaOility that any foreign ma
ton would attempt 10 send her war
ships through the canal on a hostile
errand. and on the general principle Of
not advocating the impracticable or
providing against the inconceivable he
would withhold guarantees which he
feXpects never TO see called into opera
ton. The case presents itself to his
mind like grant in Il general deed of
conveyance of right of way which in
all human probability would never be
used. Different persons would look
at such thing differently. One would
argue that if the right were never to
be used il would do no harm TO grant
ii. His neighbor would retort that it
is foolish TO cloud a title with an iu-
cumbrance which is To be of no use 10
any one.
However, such a discussion is now
academic. The canal treaty which
viii be sent to the senate next winter
will contain the substance of all the
senate amendments to the original
HayPauncefOte treaty without their
offensive form. This. it is believed.
will satisfy every diplomatic demand
on both sides of the water, and the Ca
nal will follow as soon as a decision
can be reached upon the route and the
requisite appropriation can be obtain
ed from congress.
The next point likely TO be raised con
Germs revenue reform. Here some clcw
TO President Roosevelt's future conduct
may be obtained by noting the course
his education has taken. lie was grad
uated from Harvard at Il time when
practically every man turned out FROM
trader, and he then held TO his free
trade doctrine as stanchly us the rest.
But what we may call, for lack OF q
<pore satisfactory term, the logic OF
events" made him afterward a protec-
tionis& though leaving his mind in
such an attitude that free trade APP
peals to it as the ideal condition to-
ward which logically controlled pro
s,-rS In, At.oI
terms, perhaps, the difference between
him and the ordinary tariff reformer is
that they are approaching the same
economic end from opposite directions.
1t will be recalled that another New
York Republican. raised suddenly from |
the second place in the government TO
the first, devoted a large share of two
successive annual messages to tax re-
form. reminding congress. before he |
had been in the White House three |
months, that Eve may well consider |
whether it is not the part of wisdom TO !
reduce the revenues even If we delay
a little the payment of the debt" and |
that 1.-THE time has arrived when the
people may Justly demand some relief |
from their present onerous burdens
President Roosevelt may be found !
agreeing with President Arthur that I
''the present tariff system is in many |
respects unjust. 1t makes unequal dis
tribution both of its burdens and its |
benefits" an, echoing his recommends |
tion of IAN enlargement Of the free |
list so as to include within it the nu
merous articles which yield inconsider-
able revenue, a simplification of the |
and Inconsistent schedule of /
duties upon certain manufactures -
and a substantial reduction of the du /
ties upon those articles" and others. |
On the subject of reciprocity no one is
more keenly alive TO the advantages of |
an interchange of concessions with the |
countries with which we have com
mercial relations; but. on the other |
hand, no one appreciates more the difl-
entity of inducing q favnra bile vnfe ON