The San Francisco call., 1904-02-21

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common sense. impulse, rehec-
ton. sagacity and fly up the
creek His dominant charac-
teristic is a virile conscience, which
though free from pharasaical parade
OF Itself yet causes hin TO follow his
convictions Of duty persistently wher-
ever they may lead him. As a private
citizen he is not lacking in toleration
8or human lraiiues, as a public Of
hcer he VIII not spare an offender. As
q citizen he would act the part OF good
Samaritan toward a wounded stranger
and let The thieves 80. As an official
he would have followed the rascals
10 Jericho and punished them merci-
lessly.
Roosevelt was anxious 10 personally
engage IN the Spanish war on lines
that would give scope TO his individ-
uality and he organized a body Of
fighters whose speciality was to be
their rough riding.
But in order 10 get chance to
fight at ali they We're compelled TO
leave their horses behind them and
phey charged uD the slopes Of san
Juan hill. the first body of horseless
cavalry in the world.
In brief. Roosevelt reaches for re-
ats and is not slave 10 methods.
But he is probably the most practical
or rather the most impractical poll
tician in his party. As a private citi-
zen there would have been no impro-
priety in his seating at his table one
Of the greatest and most useful col
ored men in America. but an invita-
tion 10 dine at the White House ex-
tended by the President Of the United
States TO negro needlessly offended
the prejudices Of millions of white
voters and was of no substantial ben
eht o. the colored people. Prejudices
however Unwarranted, viii exist and
10 an extent they influence the polit-
- ical action Of those who entertain
them.
Even the Union soldiers during the
war voiced this prejudice in the re-
frain OF Private Miles O'ReiIley's
song.
We are friends q the Union, al its foes we
abLur.
But NC aia't for the Niger, though We are
lor fh1 war
Later yet these prejudices found ut
terance in the caUstic comment OF Pc
troleum Y. Nasty. our colored ally
said he TOW that he is no longer
needed to stand between A white man
and q rebel bullet. is the same id
Niger that he always was"
10 rs no credit 10 the intelligence Of
the people that indiscreet utterances
and indiscreet acts VIII often inhict
more injury upon a candidate OF a
cause than a lifetime OF wise public
service viii neutralize. The Rum. Ro-
manism and Rebellion" paragraph Of
Preacher Burchard's address enra ged
2 sufficient number Of Catholic Irish to
% defeat James G. Blaine <or the PresI-
. dency.
Possibly the unnecessary negro guest
at the White House and the unneces-
sary negro oficehOlder in South Caro-
lima may work a similar disaster to
President Roosevelt.
Yet the great lines Of strength which
@ tie Theodore Roosevelt TO the public
heart may not be easily broken. Many
public officials regard public Office as a
personal possession, President Roose-
velt is saturated through and through
with the idea that IL is a public trust
There win remain no corrupt men in
public Office under him II he knows it,
vet. he mas not sought 10 fit the quail
Gcaticns and capacities and characters
Of his aDpointees 20 any Procrustean
bed OF his own making. He has not in
any instance been ruled by the ma
chine, neither has he attempted to de-
stroy or ignore it. for he well knows
that any rarty composed only Of pur-
fists would be apt 10 dwell in the lone
.someness and unusefulness OF a minor
ifv. and that in practical politics
every clement that is essential to sue