Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-11-01
VOICES OF THE PRESS.
The Winning Of the South.
(New York POSt.)


The winning of the South is one of
tie most extraordinary episodes in
President Roosevelt's brilliant career.
The South was in "a very real sense
the enemy's country. President
Roosevelt had, if we may believe the
papers of that section, committed the
objectionable sin. To begin with, he
is one of the blackest of black Repub
licans. The Southern BourbOns felt
that he had aggravated his original
sin by going out of his way to insult
them. For example, he had closed Il
mississippi postoffice because some
whites had made trouble for the color
ed postmistress. He had appointed IA
negro collector of the port of Charles
ton. and had held the man in place
and forced the Senate to confirm him.
in spite of furious protests from the
dominant white faction of the city.
Above all he had invited a distinguish
ed negro to dinner and had thus, so
the accusation ran. openly proclaim
ed a belief in 'social equality" Ever
since that dinner invitation the press
of the South has lost no chance to
attack Roosevelt. AS a writer to the
Raleigh News and Observer remarks
But yesterday we We're up in arms
against one Teddy Roosevelt, because
he had, we said. deliberately and of
malice aforethought, used his high po-
sition to lessen the social chasm which
sunders the races in this country"
Today the South can hardly find words
to express its enthusiasm. We could
fill a whole issue of the Evening
Post with clippings in praise of Roose-
welt. but one from the birmingham
Age Herald will suffice.
THE man whom the people came
from all parts of Alabama to honor
yesterday, is emphatically an Ameri-
can who stands for all regardless of
social lines or the size of pockctbOOks.
A man of heartier American spirit
and impulses has never occupied the
Presidential Office. He is an American
from the ground up, true type of
the best aspirations of the republic.
the first citizen of this glorious land
of liberty"
In such glowing tributes the South has
joined the West and the North in rec
ognition of a man. For it is entirely
possible to dissent from some of Mr..
RooseveIt's political policies. to ques-
ton the SOundness of his judgment is
certain details of administration, and
still to yield unstintcd admiration to
the splendid traits of his character.
These the South has now had an op-
portunity to discover; and it's instant
response is fresh proof that there is
neither East nor West. border nor
breed nor birth. when two strong men
stand face to face"
1t is not Roosevelt the statesman
or Roosevelt the orator who has thus
captured all hearts. The political the
cries which he has propOunded in the
Southern cities, from Richmond to
New Orleans. are those which he has
set forth again and again. He favors
government regulation of railway
| rates; he wants the Panama Canal
built with all possible speed; he hopes
the republics of Central and South
America will behave themselves But
all this we knew before. Moreover he
has urged his hearers to be good men
and good citizens; to keep the rascals
out of office. If a candidate be cor
rupt. he cries. then refuse, under any
plea of party eXpediency, under any
consideration, to refrain from shifting
him with the sword of the Lord and
of Gideon" In this exhortatiOn, also,
there is no novelty. Mr. Roosevelt is
well aware that he has said practical
ly the same thing on hundred SINH
lar occasions. The advice is absolute
ly sound: it cannot be repeated too
often. Like the Ten Commandments
it is never stale. and yet it cannot set
fifty thousand people shouting in ac-
elimination.
The qualities which have seized the
popular imagination and have made
President Roosevelt the most idolized
figure in America. and perhaps in the
whole world, are his virility, his frank,
unconventional, democratic manner. his
outspoken chivalry. and his human
heart. Few people know much about
abstract political principles. and still
fewer care anything about them. Free
trade and tariff, railway regulation,
antitrust laws, consular reform, a
vigorous foreign policy-for millions of
voters these are empty words. Each
party platform rings it's changes on