The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1903-08-21
A FEARLESS TEACHER
One Reason Why the Yellow
Rags Hate Mr. Roosevelt.
1here are a Few Men In PubIfc
Life Who Stand Above Low
Conventional Politics.

| the New York Sun are enrsged ar omr
! preaching president lit means n preat
deal Tor righteousness when the 1ras,.
dent OF the United States puts boIdv
| forth such words as Mr.. Roosevelt nt-
tered at Oyster Bay on Sunday tn the
| Holy Name Society OF BROOKLYN says
the Portland Oregonian. There il no
lear here of being accounted podlv or
pure, or decent. There ia no timid
| cIlnglng TO the philosophy of the man
OF the world, with his irrelipion. his sar-
| uonlc estimate OF virtue, his sneers AT
| purity and truth. 1t means a great deal
| ior righteousness, IA we have said; and
IL also means great deal for those
roaring bulls OF journalism, like the
| New YORK Sun, in whose views the Bi
Dle Is a thing to be jockeyed with the
church an institution to be deatroved II
possible by pretending to defend it. and
human ambition an end in itself be-
hoioen TO no higher law of religion or
morality. VI
American public life is better TODAY
than 1t has ever been. It il probably
better than that of most, perhaps az
all, other nations. But as il ia II ia
noheycombed with corruption. 1t il
dominated by low ideals. Catch our
most eminent and useful senator's on
the way to the White House to urge an
appointment and you will find that the
applicant they are endorsing is a COM
ponent part OF their machine, and that
Is why they want him. 1t is not be-
cause they hove discovered the man
VINO VIII best promote the public good
IN the place be seeks, but because they
leei that his appointment will fortify
themselves and their political machine.
ms policy or that, they reason, will he
good Tor me or good for the party.
what Is best fOr the country they do
not know, because it never occurs tn
them to inquire.
There are few men in public life who
stand above the low level OF copven-
tlODei politics. One is President
Roosevelt. His Sunday sermon to the
Catholic society Is not mere froth and
cant, but 1t Is the gospel he tries to live
DAY by day. The president desDises the
namby pamby man as he despses the
weakhng. But he believes in goodness.
10 honesty, IN decency, in piety His
words and his life rebuke in the most
pointed way that hard philosophy of
sharp practice which permeates politics.
business and society and which is often
couched IN obscene and profane Ian
guage. The day that such a man be-
came pTesldeut, with all his convictions
ana MS courage, was good day for
every virtue, Tor the 8anctlty of home.
Tor the honor OF WOmanhOOd, for the
greater happiness and better training of
the little child. In the knowledge that
such man fills the presidential chair
there Is incentive for every lover OF de-
cency TO lift his head a little higher.
and Tor every follower of a purely self
lsh and worldly life to feel somewhat
ashamed. Many men are sometimes
weak enough to give boys to under
stand that Il Is more manley to swear
ana use tOul language than to be clean
OF speech. They get no encouragement
from the president.
That the presidents speech will stir
up fresh antagOnism to him there need
be no doubt. Some will give no out
ward sign at the resentment they feel
at his rebuke of INSCRIPTIONS methods
III politics or business. Others will
cOvertly sneer at the "Official' indOrse-
ment Of gOOdy-goodyism; and through.
out the half world, where the idea reigns
supreme that the statesman off duty is
always a sad rogue, there will be much
mystitcatiOn and concern. But all
these antagOnisms and resentments will
not affect the presidents popularity
where he wishes to be strOng-in the af.
fectiOns Of the good and true and in the
court, if there be one, of heaven. They
who fell uncomfortable with righteous
ness at the helm of state, whether they
are on Wall street or in the slums. are
against him already. He will be sure OF
their ill-will. He deserves the support
of the decent.