The Irish standard., 1903-11-28

idcnt in Washington, he passed in al
hour to floods of praise and congratu
lation-all because he had appealed tt
the baser instincts of the people. 81
to-day President Roosevelt is winning
the approval of every dear old lady
who says that we ''ought to have TAX
en- the canal long ago.; of every mud
dle-headed man who argues, "Well
you see, under the Monroe Doctrine
we can't let those revolutions go on
OF who reasons, Under the treaty, you
know, we just had to recognize Pana.
ma the moment she said she was indie
pendent" And, Of course, every Amer
lean who believes in bullying, or loves
& row, or thinks that his country is
never great unless cheating somebody,
or has the mere 'loveless lust of ter
ritory," is hurrahing for u president
who was "too quick on the trigger for
the ID Dagoes." But what can all
this mean to an educated man in the
White House, who knows the differ
ence between the groundlings of the
purchased press and the judicious of
let us say-his own Harvard? Will
he not sorrowfully take down his
Shakespeare and read that it is only
"dropsied honor" which results from
great additions" where there is
virtue none?"
Some good people, still believing in
the sanctions of the moral law, and
mindful of what the prophets and
poets have said of the sure punishment
OF national injustice, are looking about
as for some supernatural intervention
to prevent the completion of our out
rage of weak and friendly nation.
They even say that just God cannot
permit the fruition of such wrong.
But history laughs-or weeps-that
down. Not directly or Immediately is
the penalty for national aggression
visited upon the aggressor 1t comes
i'll subtle ways, delayed often, but
none the less sure. In our own case,
it is probable, one form of punishment
will be deterioration in the presi-
dency. This may not come in Roose-
7elt's day. But his example will live
and work mischief after him. Some
weak and little scrupulous man, car
ried into the White House by political
accident, may hereafter find himself
in great difficulties at home and,
thinking of Roosevelt's success in fir
ing the crowd by reckless conduct in
foreign relations, may seek to imi-
tate him, and plunge the nation into
untold miseries. This is an aspect of
the presidential Office often overlooked
Each president is bound to strive to
maintain it's tradition. Its reputation
for deliberate and lawful action; its
and not the passion of the hour; it's
willingness to err, if at all, on the side
of Justice rather than on that of Op-
preSsion-;lll this is as an accumulat-
cd treasure which every president is
under obligation to guard and swell.
l;tlt Mr.. Roosevelt, in the Panama
proceeding, has done his best to
:unandor it,
Whatever may be done with Colom-
i;ts moral arguments, two points in
i.rr legal statement demand the i'm
III Iliatc attention of the administra-
ton and of Congress. One is that she
$tards ready to 'concede through pa
ciiic and equitable Ways all that the
United States is attempting to obtain
by force. That is to say, all the shrill
cutlery about the "robber politicians"
of Colombia. and the rejected canal
treaty being an end of friendship, falls
: to the ground. Colombia will give us
a satisfactory treaty if we ask for it
in the usual way. Furthermore, says
the Colombian foreign minister, the
first threats came from our side. Col
ombia, he states, was notified by the
United States that if the treaty were
not ratified without change, we should
take painful measures" Where is
that dispatch of Secretary Hays?
Who authorized him to assume such
minatory attitude? Why was not
this critical dispatch sent to Congress,
III answer to it's request for the cor
respondence? These questions re-
quire instant answer by the state de-
partment. Failing it, Congress should
again make itself heard in q matter
so nearly affecting the national honor.