The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-05-13
ROOSEVELT, Ex-HERo.


Whatever form the railroad rate bill
may take eventually, there will be no
room for debate as 10 Roosevelt's abso-
lutte and ab5ect surrender to AIdrich-
Knox and the few other Republican
senators who are identified with betray-
al Of the couhtry's interests involved in
the bill. Outwardly firm from the in
ception of the Hepburn bill in the
house. which bore his hall mark though
il was recognized as a weak, foolish
and unconstitutional measure. he has
wavered at every critical stage and
finally abandoned every strong position
he occupied, ultimately walking into
his enemies camp. a willing captive, an
ignominious failure.
1t will be remembered that congress
opened with advance announcements
Of the presidents intentions on the rate
matter He would have a strong bill.
he would not concede even such amend
rnents as seemed desirable to make the
measure constitutional, he would fight
TO the last ditch for the dear peepaL"
and he would Justify all the unstinted
praise Iavished on him by his adorers
of the Republican party who had hailed
him as the savior of the country from
oppression. the great and only trust
buster. the one tribune of all history
since the days of Rienzi.
To this end he was even willing to
solicit Democratic aid: and no more in
teresting story of inside politics in
Washington. has been told in many
years than the narrative furnished by
Senators TilIman and Bailey who were
called upon to stand with this great
president against the preda tory sena-
tors Of his own party in the last ditch
fight The record shows in Attorney
General MOodys own memorandum ex-
actly what Roosevelt agreed to demand.
When he sent up his Macedonia cry to
the Democrats he insisted on limiting
court review of the bill to two points:
the limits of the interstate commissions
authority, and the constitutional ques-
tions raised under the new law.
An alliance was concluded on this ba-
sis and the Democrats pledged them
selves to stand by it. Within month.
without notice from the president that
he had gone back on his agreement.
Roosevelt patched up a compromise
with Aldrich who had done all he could
to insult the president politically, he
had surrendered every conviction he
had proclaimed so loudly at the out
set of the session. and he gave the vast
power of the executive Office over to
the men who were bent on emasculating
the bill and discrediting it's supposed
sponsor, the president of the United
States
Even this surrender might have been
understood in the exigencies Of party
politics if the president had been hon
est about his position but he had the
effrontery to declare that his "compro-
mise" with Aldrich had attained exact
~ the objects he had sought from the
beginning: that the Allison amendment
(Which Allison repudiated) secured all
the advantages of the Hepburn bill:
and that he. Roosevelt. had once more
saved the country. The vahSted BRAY
cry OF the man with the square deaIp
failed him when he faced the indigna
ton that followed his own action. In
response TO a telegram from the farm
ers Of Pennsylvania urging him not to
surrender, he had the unspeakable as
surance: less than week ago to reit-
crate his declaration that the so-called
compromise had gained all he had
fought for.
SO, after his long march I'D the hill
Of glory. with The banners of civic
righteousness floating over him. with
the greatest popuarsfoliowing any pres
ident has shown in decades. with the
robes of hero-woEship folded about him.
and with a pompotfs afr of achievement
all about him-with all this paraDbAr-
MALTA. he has marched down the Hill
again. his friends demoraIized. his han
ner trailing in the dust his chariot
driven by Aldrich. the type of ali that
is Objectionable in national life and
he. the president Of the United States
OF America, his hands shackled. his
pledged word discredited, covers behind
the chariot captive. Inundated, weak
and forlornly disgraced.
American political history furnishes
no parallel Of so much promised, so lit
tie performed. Where are the orator
zeal pIatitudes about the square DEAF
now? Where the invincible, fearless.