The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-07-15

l
and superlative fitness. Mr.. Theodore
Roosevelt-so blows the republican
trumpet. Already he IS the subject of
a vast outpour of eulogy, eupher lism
and euphony, the dominant note of
which is that nobody else could posi-
bly, approach him in qualifications
| Among the most beautifully bombas-
tic of the Roosevelt rodomontades is
that by "a delegate" to the Chicago
Iconvention who modestly signs himself
THUS at the bottom of a magazine ar
iicle. Some curiosity attaches to the
real name of the gentleman. The
iChicago convention was largely made
lup of Mr.. ROOseVelts appOintees, and
Judged by the abjectness of his adul-
| alton. "a delegate" would seem to be
one of them.
Promising his consideration of the
presidency with the fiat statement
that "of all the public men in the Unit
ed Staes, Theodore Roosevelt is abso-
! lutely the best fitted to meet the prob
lens and fulfill the duties of the chief
executive for four years from March A.,
1905" he goes on to say:
The presidency is, without excep-
ton, the most difficult office in the
world. 1t knows neither privacy
nor rest. 1t demands physical and
| mental health, wide information,
! quick and accurate judgment,
alertness and versatility of mind,
| buOyancy Of spirit, and good tenn
per- M. Roosevelt has all of these
| qualities in high degree, and in
addition he has a reasonable if not
| an excessive amount of patience.
| The elemental virtues no one denies
| to him.
| Thus, we are to take it. the presi
dency is a very strenuous office, re-
quirng a wide-awake and muscular
occupant. That is the sum and sub
stance of the idea.
AS a matter of truth, that is the idea
exemplified by Mr.. Roosevelt, but the
intelligence of America knows that the
demands the rarest ability, broad ex-
perience and the deepest discretion.
The presidents opinions should be
formed by trained wisdom and reason
ing and his acts should be controlled
by a discriminating sense of right.
| Measured by a genuine and sober con-
ceptiOn of the character of the office
Mr.. Roosevelts qualifications are light.
All the vainglorious buster and
balderdash of his political boosters and
all the simplicity of Mr.. Riis's belief
cannot bring Mr.. Roosevelt up to the
Dental requirements. No language
can make of him a statesman or a
far thinking man. No amount of
wordpainting can picture him as a
|reasoner. There is no spoken or writ
ten sentence of his exhibiting sug-
gestion of intellectual ripeness or power
to think beyond a spontaneous con-
clusion to the ultimate consequence.
That telling phrase, The Apostle of
!nificantly applied to any other surface
Iruminator. His mental processes skim
Camilla scours the plain He has
neither time to pillow nor patience to
keep the furrow straight
Temperament is mental, moral and
physical. The Roosevelt temperament
Graves speed in all things as a reckless
lchauffeur lusts for miles. Mr.. Roose-
welt eXhOrts, censures, lectures, moral
lies. reforms with rush-unfortunate-
ly in the latter respect spasmodic fer
vor means incompleteness. His is a
lheadlOng temperament, d rough rider
lsort. And the capital | and ImpetuOsi-
ty ofttimes go running away with the
constitution. 1t is not the temporal
ment in any phase, which can keep
within bounds. He has not kept with
in the bounds of his duty under the
constitution and laws and the nations
solemn and reVered traditions govern
ling the office of the presidency of the
UNITED States.
Considering solely the issue of the
Roosevelt character. it does not seem
prudent to elect him for another term.
The mere fact that he would command
the army and navy for four years rises
in powerful warning. So does the fact
that he is unsafe from the industrial,
commercial and financial point of view.
The country seeks his antithesis il
Idemocracys candidate. The Roosevelt
antithesis typifies the exalted dignity