The Washington times., 1901-09-06
Roosevelt,

There can be no doubt that the
Roosevelt boom has been fairly
| launched in Chicago, and that some Of
the Republican newspapers of the
Windy City are part and parcel of the
| boom. The Inter Ocean" openly filings
| out the Roosevelt banner, while the
Record Herald" speaks of the Vice
President in terms which, under all the
circumstances. admit of but one inter-
probation. Not only is he being vigor-
| ously championed as a Presidential
candidate. but his candidacy is being
pressed upon the assumed ground that
he is opposed to the trusts.
If 1t is true that Mr.. Roosevelt is op
posed to the eXactions and abuses of the
| trusts, and is in favor of bringing them
| up with a round turn, he is exceeding
| ly inconsistent and unfortunate in his
! political affiliations. Men who are sin
cerely opposed to polygamy do not very
| often manifest their opposition by join
ing the Mormon Church; neither do
those who honestly believe that the
trust abuses should be abated prove
their good faith by clinging with almost
fanatical devotion to the party whose
policy has been chiefly instrumental in
creating the trusts, and which party is
their only political support in the
United States. There is not a trust in
all this broad land which does not look
upon the Republican party as its friend.
and the idea of any man elected by that
party to the Vice Presidency and now
asking it to nominate him for the Pres
idency being opposed to the trusts is
too absurd for serious contemplation.
The truth is that Mr.. Roosevelt has
never lifted finger against the trusts,
and that he never will SO long as he
remains Republican His expressions
upon the subject have been altogether
general, and too indefinite to be of any
value as a statement of principles. The
Record Herald" says that he is on
record as in favor of State supervision
and publicity as remedy. II that is
all there is to be said in favor of Mr..
Roosevelt as an opponent of the trusts.
we may be sure that his prospective
candidacy is not giving the magnates
any particular concern 1t is not sug-
gested that he is in favor of the nation
al Government doing anything. State
supervision and publicity" is his RENE
ay. AS Governor of the great Empire
State he did nothing that the trusts OBJ
jected to, while as the Executive of the
nation he would simply refer the ques-
ton back to the States for supervision
and publicity" Even this proposition |
is So ambiguous as to be devoid of any |
real meaning. What should be the ma
ture and extent of the supervision, and |
how far would he carry the principle of |
publicity?
The attempts to give Mr.. Roosevelt |
the character of a high grade, we'll |
crous as the efforts to make it appear
that he is opposed to the trusts. Upon
this point the Record Herald says:
1T has taken the public two OF three years
to learn that the popular conception of Roose-
welt as impetuous, unbalanced. hair-trigger
sort OF statesman, liable TO make embarrassing |
breaks at any moment, is an erroneous one.
The fact IS he is gradually acquiring the repu-
tation OF being one of the most judicious we'll |
carefully weighed and it is noted that the |
carefully planned flank movements and assaults
1f the newspaper reviewers do not throw him
1f his guard. .
The statement OF the 'Record-Her-
ald," taken in its entirety amounts to
ust this: Mr.. Roosevelt has been an
mpetuous unbalanced, hair-trigger
SOFT of a statesman, but he is gradual
y improving That is probably true.
md ii is circumstance upon which the
is fairly entitled to congratu-
ate itself. for even now he occupies an
,ffice which while NOT Go cpnSeuueufiaI
rs to its duties. is nevertheless vitally
important in its possibilities. 1t would
De hard to imagine a greater political
,alamity than to have a man in the
Presidential chair who, in a prepared
speech, could assert that nearly or
quite one-half of the American people I
ire dishonest at home and towards
Lbroad.
RUSSIA and Germany.