Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1904-05-20
A Chameleon President.

1t is said that there is In the Wnlte
House. over the door going into the
Presidents room, a stuffed chameleon
1t is dead and no longer has the power
to change it's color. Were it alive and
susceptible to the changing political
opinions and economic beliefs OF the
strenuous occupant Of the WHITE
House it woult', if we may believe
the Presidents latest and most yoclf-
erous champion in the House, be kept
busy changing it's complexion. 1t
would take on different hue every
time politician more or less at yarl-
ance with the Presidents former opin-
ions, emerged from the Presidents
room.
The authority for this statement Is
contained in the last attempt of Cen
dent 1t is found in the Congressional
Record of April q. Here Is an ex-
tract from this supposed eulogy:
Il have never had access to AMI
knowledge Of public men, and | will
say that have never known a public
man holding high position that was
more amellable to the sentiment OF
public declarations and the advice Of
his party and those surrounding him
that is Theodore Roosevelt applause
on the Republican side.) If it were
proper ! could go into details, show
ing where he here changed his policy
upon certain thing and there chang
ed his declarations in his message
and here did this to accommodate tho
opinion of men surrounding him.
1t would have been extremely In
teresting if General Grosyenor had
thought it proper to have gone into de-
tails. He might, for instance, have
told us Of the change Of opinion that
took place a day or two before the
President left on his Western trip.
about year ago. The officials of the
Protective Tariff League called at the
White House to tell the President that
if he did not stap talking tariff reform
and join the stand patters" they
would do their utmost to defeat his
nomination. He is reported to have
changed so quickly that he had to de-
stroy several good tariff reform
speeches which he had ready for de-
liverance on that trip. Why did not
General Grosvenor give us the de-
tails?
Is our President, then, the living
personification Of that old-time states
man who used to close his long and
yivSdX OF
declarations:
Gentlemen, them's my principles;
if you don't IKE them, | can change
them"
There is no doubt but that our Pres
idens can change his opinions. In
fact, as compored with former Presi-
dents, he may be said to be a light
ning-change statesman. He has. as
various times, been q free-trader and
protectionist; a Golden Club member
and "stand-patter;;" an anti-boss man
and a boss man; civil service reform.
err and a spoilsman; fer law and order
and against law and order; for union
labor and against union labor.
In fact, he is not only "all things
to all men," but he adjusts himself
quickly to the changing conditions of
changing times. Consistency may be
the bug-a-boo of small minds. if does
not disturb our versatile President in
the least
The occasion for Grosyenor's last
eulogy grew out of his twenty-eipbt-
page eulogy, printed in the Congress
sional Record Of April 4. Knowing
that General Grosgenor said all the
mean things that he could think Of
against Governor Roosevelt, when he
was about to be nominated for Vice
President, and selecting quotations
from several of the books and articles
written by President Roosevelt. Con.
gresham Claude Kitchen, on April %.
made one Of the most interesting
speeches Of the present Congress. It
showed up both General Grosyenor
and the President in such variegat.
ed and bad light that the General felt
called upon to make a reply. If the
PRESIDENT feels fattered at this last
eulogy he is about the only one of
that way of thinking.
Just His Style.
1t is just Mr.. Roosevelt's peculiar
style. He shows his superiority over
all his great predecessors in the Presi-
dental office by covering up scandal.
refusing investigation and defying de-
cent public opi.a!on.-M Memphis Scimi-
tar.