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


more conspicuous Of Mr.. RoosEvEL1s
divasations With organized labor has
suficed in great part to clear the atmos-
phere. Tho emotional fog. the element
ofmomentary popularity, tho 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 q
condition Of turmoil and unrest the like
of which has never before been known
in its 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
Nr. 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-
oIences OF his acts. Could he have
known better, or had be been capable Of
listening to advice, and 90 been able TO
apprehend rightly what seed he was
sowing. We are certain that he would
have desis,ed
Beneath Mr.. RoosEvELrs consuming
desire 10 ingratiate himself with organ
lied labor and 70 bind its SURFACES to his
ambition to he elected President, there
is and always has been a very sincere
sympathy with the worhngman 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
ciude all labor. All that he knew was that
it was organized, and that in a certain
fashion II 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 hboring 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 e1tortion and
tyranny. The fac, is that be labor asi-
tators and rulers Of the unions became
so infatuated with their successes and 50
intoxicated with their new powers that
they did not know where TO draw the
line and went from one folly TO another
until they stepped too far.
When they reached the logical con-
clusion Of proceeding to dictate to the
Government Of the United States they
awakened an entirely different Mr..
ROOSEVELT from the ono they had been
electing an honorary member Of their
u-ions and idolizing as their great father
and heaven-sent champion. 1t is true
tina, 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 ne will bulge an inch. When he
sees his duty clear before him he viii
stick 10 it, no matter what it costs him,
and no personal sacrifice will deter him
or sway him for moment.
We suppose that Mr.. ROOSEVELT has
precipitated into a twelvemonth the
labor troubles Of quarter Of century
It should have taken US that long, at
least, at the rate at which we were NOV
ing, to attain to condition like the pres
emit. Perhaps it is not an unmixed evil
Is it not possible that we may be better
of for having the thing brought TO head
at once? And il it is to be dealt with now
and Mr. ROOSEVELT is once headed that
way, why, our candid belief is that a
better man could not be found for the
emergency.
frances Trade in Automobiles and
Ours.