Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-09-07
R00SEvELT'S QUALITIES.
They Insure Success Both as Soldier
and Statesman.


and Statesman.
IF we were seeking a soldier" said
Senator Bailey, of Texas, in opening the
Democratic campaign in Brooklyn last
week, Il should prefer the President to
almost any other man in public life.
AS we are seeking a statesman, how
ever, | should prefer almost any other
man in public life to the President"
They tell us the President is brave,
Mr.. Bailey continued, land so he is, but
he is as rash as he is brave. He would
be one of the best men to lead desper-
ate charge in time of war, but he is one
of the worst men to administer great
government in time of peace
Corning from the Junior senator from
Texas, where every boy baby is colonel
before he is weaned and a statesman as
soon as he sheds his milk teeth, this is
as unexpected as it is in part untrue.
Senator Bailey has sacrificed his add
miration for military genius and his rec
IGNITION of its almost universal coin
cidenee with statesmanlike qualities to
the eXigences of a political campaign.
All history teaches that the qualities
that go TO make a successful soldier
are the effective equipment of the sue
Cessful statesman.
Caesar crossed the Rubicon before he
put aside the crown upon the Luper-
cal
Bonaparte devastated all Europe be-
fore he gave to France the Code Napo-
leon
Cromwell triumphed at Naseby before
he held the reins as Protector with Il
firmness and justice that deserved the
emulation of Kings.
III our land, from Washington down
TO Roosevelt. experience has proved that
the life of the camp is no unfit train
ing for the presidency. The list includes
at least one Democrat now almost cam
onized who carved his way to the White
House with his sword and retained the
presidency a second term through the
wisdom of doing things" which con
founded the drawing room statesman
of his day and party
We cannot say that Theodore Roose-
welt is an ADLER or a brayer soldier
than Andrew Jackson. Bnt we doubt
il Senator Bailey would Seriously main
tain that the hero of New Orleans was
as amenable to the counsels of reason
and righteousness and the letter of the
constitution as the soldier who for three
years has administered our government
soberly. seriously and successfully. ac-
cording to the chart laid down by his
predec .SsOr.
EVery Republican president elected
since the civil war-Grant, Hayes, Gar
field, Harrison, McKinley-was SOL
der before he was President, and none
of them was the worse for having seen
service in the field for his country. But
they were all something more than SOL
dierS-they We're bora administrators
And so is Theodore Roosevelt. In the
brief span of less than quarter of q
century of public life he has compressed
more kinds of public usefulness than
was ever dreamed of in the dolce far
niente philosophy of tie Texas Senator
Being a soldier in Cuba was only
an incident in his career of ceaseless
activity. AS assemblyman, rancher,
publicist, civil service commissioner
police commissioner, colonel, Governor
Of New York. and President of the Uni
ted States, Theodore Roosevelt has al
ways borne himself as an honest, cap
able, efficient American citizen, which
is more credtable than being merely a
soldier or merely carpet statesman.