The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-12-15
Tho Presidential Puzzle

pursue. When Roosevelt assumes au-
thority by an overwhelming majority,
every one asks what will he do? and
no man answers. There has never
been such dubious character in his
tory as is that of Roosevelt There is
a general concensus of opinion that
Roosevelt is the most astute "politi-
clan" of modern times, to which must
be added the element of good luck"
such as no man ever before enjoyed.
1t was by shrewd political work and
constant persistence in the beginning
of his career, that he got start. Then
his good luck pushed him onward. He
had arrived at the position Of an un-
der secretary of the navy department
when the lucky instance of the Spanish
war gave him chance. No character
in all history ever made so much of
small event as Roosevelt made out of
the insignificant part he played in the
Spanish war.
On that event he rose to be candi-
date for governor of the state of New
York. In that campaign he employed
every art of the politician. He made
his campaign in kaki uniform and wore
a cowboy hat. His appeal for votes
was not the appeal Of the statesman ia
any sense whatever.
Then he was nominated by the poll
ticians as vice president, to put him N
a place where he would be practically
shelved. Here his luck" served him
well. The president was assassinated
and Roosevelt, not by anything he had
done himself, became the central fig
ure in the eye of the nation and of the
world For three years and half
he occupied that position and by sheer
luck" his party was forced to nomi-
nate him. Death again came to ROose-
velt's assistance Mark Hanna sick
ened and died. This writer was in
New York last winter and knows from
what he saw and heard, that if Mark
Hanna had lived. he would have been
the candidate of all those forces in
the republican party that have domi-
mated it and furnished the funds to
carry elections for the last quarter of
century. if he had lived.
AS skilled politician" no one will
deny that Roosevelt occupies a place
in the very highest rank He cap
tired the labor vote by becoming an
honorary member of labor union. He
captured the Jewish vote by the man
ner in which he handled the persecu-
ton of the Jews in Russia and in the
Jewish vote lies very large part of
| the banking and money interest of
Wall street. He captured the Catholic
vote by paying the friars in the Phil
ippine islands 81 1000 900 for their lands.
His interference in the coal strike,
while it did nothing toward destroy
| ing monopoly, bound still closer to
him the labor unions and some mil
lions of people who were viewing with
alarm the prospect of coal famine.
| The skill with which all that was done
has never been equalled by the work
OF any politician in all history.
| But is Roosevelt statesman? Will
he Introduce any policies. that will
curb the power of accumulated capital?
Will he do anything that will stop
the extortions of the tariff grafters and
the trusts? No man, not even Roose-
velts most ardent admirers will an
swer these qeustions with an unequi-
vocal affirmative. They generally reply
in the following manner:
In speech after speech he has ex-
hibited the truth that when an indus
try achieves a national monopoly the
only power that can rule it is the ma
ton. The department of commerce,
the publicity law, the anti-rebate law,
and the expedition-of-anti-tr
| law were all of them fruits of his big