The river press., 1904-11-02
RoosEvELT's COURAGE.
1ts Quality Il Such that II Com m ands
kespcct and Admiration.

Kespcct and Admiration.
This Presidential campaign has re-
solved itself into study Of President
Roosevelt and the three years Of his adj
1niniStration. Beginning with much con-
fldcnce and good will. the public has
learned, from an extended examination of
the Presidents public acts and utter
ances. fresh respect for the man ON the
bridge of the ship Of state
And the study Of events and how they
We're met has revealed how much is need
ed IN the makeup of the American Chief
Executive the quality of courage. Not
physical courage, merely. but that endur
ing. steadfast holding to duty without
fear of present or future personal con-
sequences which nerves men of strong
moral and mental fibre.
1t takes the strongest kind of moral
courage to meet the questions which
confront the American people of our day.
Ihe President, as representing the whole
people of the country, must meet these
questions as best he can. He must be
eyes. ears. hands and feet for the tre-
mcndous interests contidel to his care
In short. he is the executive head of the
nation.
10 this great office President Roose-
welt brought highly organized brain.
an educated understanding !, cultivated
personality. OF ardent temperament. he
easily secured public affection and aG-
miration But. along with his charming
good fellowship and broad humanity, he
had the supreme quality of courage.
Very soon this possession was called
out i'll manner both unexpected and un-
precedented. and the people began fully
to know their President.
The first record breaker was the tax
ing up by President Roosevelt of the
coal strike, and its happy settlement.
Let no one undcr-rate the tirmness of
purpose, the sense of duty, and the high
appreciation of public accounta bility
with which this step was taken. No one
of President Roosevelt's friends advised
him to attempt what everyone believed
would be a failure. But the commission
was appointed, its work was carefully
laid out for it, and, backed as it was
by President Roosevelt's personality and
position it won peace from the gripped
hand of greed. and millions of men. wo-
men and children were. in consequence
warmed and fed and sheltered from the
storms Of winter.
In this life Of ours the first gift to all
the sons Of men is courage. And then
courage, and again courage!
Again, when the people began to de-
spair under the heavy tread of the over
powering trust monopolies, President
Roosevelt took the initiative toward regu-
lation by law of the illegal combinations
which threaten the smaller corporations
as well as individuals. Now, again,
there were discouragers of action. Again
there were many who, seeing the danger,
still could see no way of escape. And,
again. through the constituted channels
of legal action, President Roosevelt took
the initiative in the defense against tres
passers upon the national laws of com
merce and labor. In the Northern Sc
curities case the Court sustained the
position of the executive. and gave the
people lesson as to one lawful way
by which illegal monopolies can be con-
trollcd.
There have not been wanting other
examples Of courage and sense of re-
sponsibility in Roosevelt's Presidential
career. The two instances referred to
here are enough to remind people what
manner Of man sits now in the Presi-
dents chair at Washington. We need
courage there Mt the head of the nation.
We nre not going to part with it at this
stage Of our growth and progress