The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
Another Mr.. Roosevelt.


more conspicuous Of Mr.. RoosEvELT's
divagations with organized labor has
sufficed in greet part to clear the atn,os-
phere. The emotional fog, the element
ofmomentary popularity, the temporary
domination of the general imagination
by the Presidents attractive personality.
no longer entirely obscure the situation.
As We have already pointed out. Mr..
ROOSEVELT, in his frank and energetic
pursuit of the vote of organized labor.
has plunged the whole country into a
condition Of turmoil and unrest the like
of which has never before been known
in it's history or in that Of any other coun-
try. How widespread and how serious
this situation has become we do not need
to dwell upon. Neither need we say that
Mr.. ROOSEVELT never planned or looked
forward to any such result attaching to
his course. His inexperience and his
total lack Of even the smallest intuitions
of business life made it impossible for
him to foresee the inevitable conse-
ouences Of his acts. Could he have
known better, or had he been capable Of
listening to advice. and so been able to
apprehend rightly what seed he was
sowing, We are certain that he would
have desisted.
Beneath Mr.. RoosEvELI's consuming
desire to ingratiate himself with organ
lied labor and to bind it's suffrages to his
ambition to be elected President, there
is and always has been very sincere
sympathy with the workingman and a
heartfelt desire to improve his condition.
That Mr.. ROOSEVELT did not know what
his condition was or whether it really re-
quired improvement, has always been
beside the case. Neither did it ever occur
to him that organized labor did not in
clude all labor All that he knew was that
it was organized, and that in a certain
fashion It stood for the vote of labor. Had
it ever dawned upon Mr.. ROOSEVELT that
he was to turn labor topsy-turvy. create
an irreparable breach between employer
and employee and involve untold hard
ships and miseries upon laboring men
and their families all over the United
States, he would not have hesitated for
a moment before rejecting his plan OF
campaign.
Mr.. ROOSEVELT, however, has learned
an indispensable lesson and one which
he will lack no opportunity of putting to
an excellent use. While his attitude
toward the labor leaders led them from
one excess to another. it also disheartened
the employers Of labor and weakened
their natural resistance to extortion and
tyranny. The fact is that he labor agi-
tators and rulers OF the unions became
so infatuated with their successes and so
intoxicated with their new powers that
! they did not know where to draw the
F., line and went from one folly to another
until they stepped too far.
! When they reached the logical con-
clusiou Of proceeding to dictate to the
| Government Of the United States they
awakened an entirely different MIR.
ROOSEVELT from the ono they had been
electing an honorary member of their
unions and idolizing az their great father
and heaven-sent champion. 1t is true
that this new Mr.. ROOSEVELT had been
there all the time, but his moral per-
spective had been so distorted by private
political proclivities that he was fairly
unacceptable. However, they sue
ceeded in arousing him and now they do
not like his looks. We think they are
right. The Mr. ROOSEVELT they have
now to do with will dispense with the
whole vote OF organized labor and fill
the jails full OF walking delegates be-
fore he will bulge an inch. When he
sees his duty clear before him he will
stick to it, no matter what it costs him,
and no personal sacrifice will deter him
or sway him for moment.
We suppose that MIR. ROOSEVELT has
precipitated into a twelvemonth the
labor troubles Of quarter Of a century
It should have taken US that long al
least, at the rate at which we were NOV.
ing, to attain to condition like the pres.
ent. Perhaps it is not an unmixed evil
Is it not possible that we may be bette,
of for having the thing brought to heae
at once? And ifitis to be dealt with now
and Mr.. ROOSEVELT is once headed tina
way, why, our candid belief is that F.,
better man could not be found for tn,
, emergency
. Frances Trade in Automo b iles anS
Ours.