The National tribune., 1901-11-21
President Roossvelt's Inooms-His Books a
Source Of Considerable Revenue.
Julian Ralph. in the New York Mail and
EXpress.)


Julian Ralph, in the New York Mail and
ESpress)
1t is not difficult to make ME believe
anything good Of President Roosevelt, and
l want to believe what | read of him in
friendly newspaper the other day. That
is the statement that up to his becoming
President his income was only $1,000 n
year. His wife's similar income was also
mentioned, which semed to me both irrel-
eyant and in bad taste. Truly, dear fel-
| low-scribes, we ought to draw the line
somewhere, and the inner edge of the line
ought to be at a mans hearthstone.
l want to believe that the President
lived on 500 a week all his life because
| it is creditable to him, and it would con-
yey to us that our new President is one
OF the simplest and most modest of the
great men of our generation. But | have
private and most excellent reason for
believing that his income was larger. And
have another reason besides, which is
that he could not possibly have managed
on the sum stated.
The President inherited a quarter of a
million of money, which at 4 per cent.
would return him $4,000 a year income.
That would not be nearly sufficient for
him to maintain the tastes, the comforts
and the position in society to which he
was born. For our President was not
born to rude or primitive conditions, but
came into the world n member of a proud
stock in a great capital possessing-in
those days especially-an exclusive and
elevated society. From his majority until
now he has maintained his place in that
circle with Il town-hOuse much of the time
and q country house, with the minor ele-
sances, the books, the companions and the
amuSementS called for by his training.
Far from there being a tinge of snob-
bishness about him or his circle, the facts
are such that there can be no right-mind-
ed man in the country who is not thank
full that so well-bred and highly polished
a gentleman occupies the chair at the
head of our National table, especially now
that it is laden with the rich fruits Of
boundless prosperity which flow from
Nation whose Outstretched arms reach
over half the surface of the globe.
Whatever has been President ROOse-
velt's income, the nature of his necessi-
ties has made it very small, and in truth
he has been obliged to live thriftily and
mOdestly. What a man has in this world
is not what it costs him to live decently
What he has it what is his over and
above his absolute necessities. A private
mans means are like a business mans
prohts-they are what is left over"
That IS the true view of the case, and in
that light the President has ever been
poor man.
In addition to his small income from
his estate he has enjoyed occasional sea-
sons under salaries for public service
small salaries always. But this source
of his revenue has been less than what
he has earned with his pen. Fortunately
for all of US who read good books. and
fortunately for his fame and for his ca
pacity to enjoy the making OF books, he
has been obliged to turn into literature
almost everything he has known and done.
He has written his ranching experiences,
he has immortalized his experience as a
hunter, he has cashed his knowledge of
his native city in the form of a history,
he has turned his hours of pleasant study
into new literature in such forms as his
life of Cromwell, he has even made a
book of his short and spirited experience
as a soldier. Besides. he has written
history Of the Naval War OF 1912, WIN
ming the West" and many other popular
books. His necessities and his literary
gifts joined hands in forcing him to do
this. And it is well for US that this was
the case.
Thus has Theodore Roosevelt rounded
out this much of an active, useful, ex-
emplary life. He has given US the benefit
of his good birth and strict training when
ever he has held office. He has set our
young men of means a NEEDED example in
choosing public career. He has en-
phasiZed this in exchanging the civil for
the military service when war was afoOt.
He has done everything that was good
and true and worthy, but he has not lived
on $1,000 a year.