Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-08
PROTECTING the President.

Yesterday King Edward attended the
races in Paris. lunch ed informally at a
public cafe. inspected the horses In
their quarters, and in general enjoyed
himself as any private gentleman OF
distinction would have done. There
was no GORDON of soldiers. no ciatter-
ing guard of police. and no army OF
detectives" in evidence. And this in
the capital city of England's ancient
enemy, the resort of radical socialists.
Of anarchists, and all sorts of men with
wheels in their heads" why is it that
everything is SO different whenever
President Roosevelt comes to New
York? II he We're the Car visiting
Moscow he could scarcely be protect
Cd with more ostentatiOn. Is 1t that
Mr.. Roosevelt dearly loves splurge."
or does the sad fate of three assassi-
mated Presidents render necessary tie
precautions which nc former President
las required or received New York
World.
This slur upon President Roosevelt is
SO ungenerous and unjust that it is
difficult to see how any paper can be
guilty of INDUCING in it. The World
knows very well that the precautions
when he travels across the continent or
visits ore of our great cities are not
OF his own seeking or liking but that
they are insisted upon by the men who
feel themselves responsible for his
safety. That these precautions are
amply justified is shown by the fact
that in the past 40 years three of thc
eight men elected by our people to the
Presidency have been struck down by
the hand Of an assassin. No country
in the world has suffered in this re-
spent during the same time as serious
~ as our own. In view OF such
record and with sicE grim proofs of the
danger which hovers over the Presi-
dent. is it at all strange that every care
Is taken to protect his life? Everybody
knows that President Roosevelt is n
most unwilling recipient of this pro-
lection, and everybody knows that he
sincerely Iislikes and disCOuraGes "os-
tentation" or "splurses" of any kind.
The precautions taken are an i'm
cannot neglect. and if these precautions
have been increased since the assassi-
ratiol. of Mckinley at Buffalo. it is not
at all strange or unreasonable. 1t is to
be remembered that the President is
not guarded to protect him from any
hostile demonstration by mobs. but
guarded against the possibility that one
man among all our millions-parhaps
an anarchist. perhaps a maniac-may
cherish murder in his heart and stealth
,ly gain an opportunity to strike down
the nations he1d. In the three in
stamccs. i'm wi ich 4 Pr resident has bee,
slain by an assassin within the past
generation. the re were striking features
of similarity. In each the murderer
was An obscure and insignificant inli-
vidual. and in each case the awful
crime was absolutely useless and de-
void of results sought by the murderer.
Nobody knows when such 4 man. as
Booth. Gitteau Or Czolgosz who cher
iShcs a fancied political wrong. or is in
spirei by anarehistic motives. may seek
the life of our present executive. Ou"
laws against anarchists are altogether
t.o lay and but LITTLE enforced The
least that can be done is to throw every
precaution possible around the Presi-
cent at all times While SC.OO0.O0O of
our people honor and respect him and
are proud of him. it only takes one
man and one bullet to cut short that
splendid and useful life. The World
should be ashamed Of itself for such an
utterdnce as quoted above.