The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-10
THE WISDOM OF THE PRESIDENT
Some OF His Earlier and Later Utterances
Examined by nh Old Democrat.

some or His Earlier and Later Utterances
Examined by Nh Old Democrat.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: The
zeal with which the President, after he had
taken in Buffalo the oath to faithfully
| execute the Office OF President of the United
States" gave his tongue and pen to the
analogues of war, presents an interesting
study OF Psychology and politics He has
necessarily beaten that drum His first
published book was. it is true, devoted to q
military topic, which was "The War of
1872 His latest volumes, "The Strenuous
Life and "The Winning Of the West are
redolent with armed strife. Yet other
volumes from his prolific pen show that he
| has not omitted examination of the things
that make for peaceful industry. He has
dipped little into political economy, and
! looked upon THE Economic Man"
J. In his sketch Of Benton he wrote this OF
! protective tariff:
Political economists have pretty generally agreed
that protection is vicious In theory and harmful
In practice. but II the majority OF the people in
| Interest wish IL. and II affects only themselves.
there Is earthly reason why they should not be
allowed to try the experiment TO their hearts con-
tent. The trouble Is that It rarely does affect only
themselves.
In the same volume he gave an intima-
tion that no had perused at least one side
Of the political history OF notification and
secession. He wrote that Jefferson was
"the father" of both. and that the author
Of the Declaration 80 much commented
upon during the last few days was oon-
stitutionaly unable "to put proper value
on truthfulness." Those expressions are
however, to be regarded as a politco-his-
torical and literary skit OF earliest man
hood.
In the preparation Of his biography Of
Gouverneur Morris, to whose very excep-
tional faculties the Constitution owes much
Of the accuracy, felicity and lucidity of
the ideas and language of it's clauses, Mr..
Roosevelt examined at least the history
of that instrument He then made him
self familiar with the difficulties the con-
vention which framed the Constitution
had in defining executive duties, providing
for the election Of the chief executive Of
ficer, making declaration Of war a legisla-
tive function like enacting a statute, but
associatng Senators, directly representing
the States, with the President in concluding
a treaty of peace and putting the army
and navy in his hands, in time of peace as
well as of war, in order to execute the laws
When Congress has declared that war ex-
lists and is TO be prosecuted, the President
executes that statute by the same authority
that he does any other statute, but he per-
sistenrly represents the execution Of the
laws of war as demanding higher moral
qualities than the execution of the laws
of peace His utterances have made it
appear as II execution of war statute
is uppermost in his mind. One recalls to
memory the smile, perhaps Of derision,
which went over the face of the nation.
when at West Point he fought all his bat
ties DER again." and endeavored to teach
the listening grizzly veterans of three wars
how an armed enemy ia to be subdued.
In his recent Western excursion, when
speaking Of the Monroe Doctrine or Of tho
future relation Of the Pacific Ocean to the
United States, or Of collision between plu-
tocracy ard mob, there WIS the military
KEYNOTE to which the utterances of the Cor
man Emperor have been so frequently at
tuned He seems to forget that he is living
in happy times OF peace and goodwill be-
tween the United States and all foreign
States. that there are no laws Of war TO be
executed by him, but that statutes Of peace
do demand his attention.
When he had returned to the seat of
Government he was confronted bv re-
nassance Of unfaithful execution of laws,
like that Of thirty years ago. when the
Tweed ring held sway in New York Why
the multitude of inspectors and assistants
of the Attorney General in the Post Office
Department had not 40 far inspected the
swollen prices for purchased articles as to
suspect the thieverv and report 1t 10 the
President, or TO the Postmaster General, ia
vet an unrevealed secret The expenditure
by Department of four or five millions
without the knowledge Of the President,
IN excess Of appropriations by Congress,
should be impossible. II is a startling
example of inspectors who did not inspect.
lawyers who did not enforce the law, and
executors who did not execute The ex-
posture and punishment of Tweed had, at
the end Of three decades, left no deterrent
influence in Washington, and in certain
Republican Post Office circles, which fact
exhibits the need of strenuous preaching
from the White House on honesty in time
of peace.
On his returning journey the President
uttered at Springfield, Ill, sentences quite
in rivalry with Bryan's Grown OF thorns.
He said there, and repeated the saying on
last Fourth OF July at huntington:
This is not. and never shall be. Government
OF plutocracy. This Is not and never shall be
government OF mob. 1t Is q government OF
~ and through the lam
1t would have been silly Of the President
10 predict either government by a ptutoo-
racy or by mob, or the overthrow Of
liberty in our country, so long "a existing
claw" shall be enforced IA Congress in
tended The failure of such enforcement,
il failure there shall be, will be his failure.
His actual presence at the seat Of govern
ment must have made it plain to him that
not better "men behind the guns" are
needed, so much rs better men behind the
Postal laws VETERAN DEMOCRAT.
NEWPORT, R. l., July s.
Trthutc IN the pnDe nv n Jew