, 1905-03-15
An Inaugural Ovation


No President since Washington was
inaugurated into Office with more gen.
uine popular enthusiasm than was
Theodore Roosevelt last Saturday.
when the national capital witnessed
The greatest crowd of visitors it had
ever known, all drawn to the city by
the magic of Roosevelt's NAME. 1t was
an Inauguration that will go into his
tory as n of the most remarkable
events in American politics.
The character of the Inauguration
was also unique. In line with regulars,
National Guard and veterans of past
ars We're majestic representatives of
the Indian tribes of the West, in their
native costumes; cowboys from the
plains and native troops from Porto
Rico and the Philippines, together with
West Point and Annapolis cadets. a
representation from Harvard College
and selected pupils from the public
high schools. What wonder that the
President, whose name and fame had
conjured up this great spectacle, was
delighted and expressed his delight.
What tributes to kingly power could
compare with this popular demonstra-
ton by the people and the wards of the
nation?
There has ever been a haunting dis
trust among the people of the executive
power, for the fact is realized that the
President of the United States pos
sesses vast prerogatives under the con-
stitution which an ambitious and I'M
scrupulous President could abuse. Fol
that reason there is an unwritten law
against a third Presidential term. There
is absolutely no popular distrust of the
mar who was i%naugurated last Satur-
day, and the earnest desire, as well as
expectation of the people, is that he
will exercise the Presidential power 10
the limit of his p%rerogative to put down
the great and growing evils that
threaten the national life. The faith
of the people now is in the President,
not in Congress. The hope of the peo-
ple. is that a brave, straightforward and
patriotic President will grapple with
the giant forces that have been created
by combination in ndustrialism and
commercialism and subdue them, and
that he will command from Congress
the legislation necessary to insure fu-
ture protection to popular interests.
Theodore Roosevelt, when he became
President by the death of William Nc
Kinley, was me%asurably bound by the
policies of the administration to which
he succeeded. He was an accidental
President" Last Saturday he became
an elective President, with a popular
warrant greater than any of his pred
ecessors ever possessed. We have seen,
during the last term, the calibre of the
man. We have yet to see his capabili-
ties. His first message to the new Con-
gress, when it meets this year, will,
we believe, be a document to electrify
the whole country. The nan who re-
ceived that enormous popular majority
last November, and was honored by
that great popular ovation on Saturday,
knows what it all meant and where his
duty as well as his strength lies. 1t is
not for him to cater to Wall street or to
bow to the party bosses, or to wink at
the encroachments of corporate power.
He can antagonize these powerful forces
if necessary in seeking the welfare of
the nation, sure that he has the nation
at his back, and ~antagonized he will be.
The new administration will be a strenu-
Gus one in the settlement of great prob
lens and the carrying out of great pol
icies of government, conceived in the
highest patriotism for the progress, the
security, the prosperity and happiness
of the whole American people.-Newark
advertiser.