The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-15
THE NEW PRESIDENT,


In the minds of the American peo-
pie the question that is uppermost at
this time is this, will Mr.. Roosevelt
be equal to the requirements of the
! high Office to which he has been so
| suddenly called? There is no way of
answering it except by referring to
! his public career. That he has the
ability to make an acceptable. and
even a great, President, there is no
doubt, but has he the Judgment, the
tact and the steadiness of character
required in the chief magistrate of the
nation?
What encourages the people to feel
that all will be well, and that the ship
Of state will be safely guided through
whatever storms may come, is the fact
that the new President is a thoroughly
sincere man. whose aim win be to do
the very best he can for the welfare
Of the whole country. He may make
mistakes, he may do things which will
get the country into trouble, but if he
does it viii not be because of efforts
to promote his political fortunes or to
gain advantages for his party.
He is an ambitious man. His whole
career shows that, but his career does
not justify a suspicion that he would
sacrifice a public interest of the most
minor Importance to further his per-
sonal ambition. The great interests,
therefore, no doubt feel that the well
fare of the country is safe in his
hands.
He is young man yet and his rise
to the first place in the gift of his
fellow citizens has been remarkably
rapid. Our history does not furnish a
parallel. 1t is only little more than
three years since he was second in
command of the Rough Rider Regi-
ment in the SDanish-American war,
and prior to that he was an Assistant
Secretary of the Navy. Coming out
of the war with an enviable reputation
as a soldier he was made Governor
Of New York. and after one term in
that great office he was chosen Vice
President. And nov he is President,
and commander-in-chief of the army,
of which three years ago he was such
an insignificant part, and of the navy.
1t is his announced intention to car
ry out the policies Of the late Presi-
dent. 1t would be but right for him
to do so. The party which elected
him seems to be satisfied with those
policies, and the opposition is as well
satisfied with them, in all probability,
as 1t would be with any others except
its own.
In one matter he may do things
that may cause irritation. He may
make appointments intended to
strengthen his chances for the presi-
Dental nomination of his party in 1904.
II he does he will have to use great
judgment. Otherwise he will be In
trouble with his party's leaders.
1t is a safe assertion that he will
not accept the designations of any of
the cabinet officers-at least, not at
present. Later on one or more of them
may retire to private life. But these
are speculations. AS to whether the
present cabinet will remain in office
until the next President is inaugurated
will depend upon many things which
cannot now be forseen.
President Roosevelt will be more ag-
gressive than President Mckinley was,
and he will be in evidence oftener and
in more ways, but there is every rea-
son for thinking that the people will
never have reason to complain of a lack
Of fidelity to the great trust so trag-
ically thrust upon him.