The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-11-02
Gems From Roosevelt.

In October, 1896. after stumping
tour, chiefly through Illinois and
Michigan, Theodore Roosevelt, then
police commissioner of New York city,
gave a column interview to the New
York Sun. This interview was evil
dently as carefully considered as Mr..
Roosevelt ever considers anything.
It was published in the New York
Sun of Oct. %, I'd page, Sd column.
The Sun was then, as at present, on
the same side of the political fence as
Mr.. Roosevelt and anxious to do him
honor in exploiting his views. In the
course Of this interview Mr. Roose-
velt said:
ssMen who know that they have in
them the capacity of success and who
feel the thrill of pride that comes
with strong hands, stout hearts and
cool heads, do not see the necessity of
being jealous Of anybody. The
strength of the Populists lies with the
ignorant and vicious and also with
the weak who have not the intelli-
gence to see that their failure in life
is due, not to others, but to themsel-
yes, but who wish to put the blame of
their shortcomings on someone else. -
Again, in special reference to
Bryan:
ssUndoubtedly Bryan has a great
hold upon the unintelligent and the
vicious. He attracts that type of far
mer whose gate hangs on the hinge,
whose old hat supplies the place of a
missing windowpane and who is more
likely to be found at the cross roads
grocery store than behind the plough.
HeZ attracts still more the profess
sional laboring man of the type chat
labors as little as possible, and con-
tinually strives to delude such work
iugmen as are ignorant and foolish
enough to be mislead into some move
ment which cannot but end in disas-
ter. But the thrifty. intelligent and
resolute are in the majority and it
was my invariable experience that
men of this stamp, even if somewhat
predisposed to Bryan, were repelled
by the cheapress of the man. I do
not like tc use such a word in refer
ence to a presidential candidate but
there is no other world which describ-
es him so WE'LL
In the same interview he thus paid
his respects to the followers of the late
Governor Altgeld, Of Illinois:
"Almost every respectable man,
whether shopkeeper or laborer, is
against Altgeld. and his strength is
drawn purely from the lowest element
Of the community. the most incapa-
bile of self government. the population
from which are recruited the ranks of
the criminals and semi-criminals. -
Mr.. Roosevelt was so enamored OF
the thoughts set forth in this inter
view that he reiterated them in some
what different form in speech deliv-
cred the night of the same date at a
rally of the Sound Money Club at the
Wool Exchange in New York city.
This was October 27, 1896. The lead
ing speakers were General Horace
Porter ard Police Commissioner The
odore Roosevelt. In the course Of this
speech he said:
"I shall cofne my remarks to what
General Porter has said about patro-
tism. Patriotism comes first and I
hope you will not fail to display it
next Tuesday.
"Mr. Bryan and his adherents have
appealed to the basest set in the land,
the farmers.
"If they are not so, then why do
they believessthat be can make dollar
out Of thirty cents? He tells them it
can be brought about by a free royalty
tire right to burn and plunder with
out the interference of the police.
"But this man back of Bryan, Gov
ernor Altgeld, Of Illinois, is far more
dangerous than the boy who was anx-
ious to precipitate another civil war.
"Altgeld typifes the danger that
walks in the night. lie talks much,
breaches reputation but takes every
penny from his employees.
!, Mr.. Roosevelt went on to say that
the delegates to the convention that
nominated Altgeld were made up of
murderers, horse thieves. burglars,
libertines, crooks of all kinds-men
who had been convicted of crimes
ranging from pocket-picki2g to arson
and from mayhem to rape.
The report of this speech Is taken
from he New York Journal of October
%. 1896. Note that it is of similar
tenor as the interview published in
the New York Sun of the same date
Augusta Chronicle. -