Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-18
DOING THE OSTRICH ACT.
Opponents of the square Deal Furnish
se-r. a sorry, Spectacle. t ,a


Nothing more curious has been seen for
many years than the persistent effort to
make 1t appear that the presidents popu-
larity is declining. We understand per-
fectly that there are many corporation
agents and politicians and some news
papers that would like to see the presi-
dents hold on the people broken. But We
believe that these eminent authorities are
merely trying to create a condition by
pretending to see 1t already in existence.
1t is significant that all this talk comes
from New York and other eastern CEN
tiers, and from Washington. New York
knows practically nothing of how the rest
of the country feels, while Washington
is the worst place I'm the country to go to
find out what the people really think.
We should remember that the professional
politicians have always been hostile to
Theodore Roosevelt, and that the whole
monopolistic influence is bitterly antago-
nistic TO him today. And now that the
president has on his hands the biggest fight
he ever had, these old enemies feel that
they can pool issues. defeat the legislation
asked for by both the president and the
people. and show at the same time that
the president is not after all, a formidable
figure. We believe that that is the game
Aldriches and Platts and Depews as he
always was. and he is quite as popular with
the masses as he was a year ago. The
situation was, in our opinion. accurately
outlined in a Washington dispatch to the
News OF Tuesday
1t is possibly true that the president is
not quite so commanding a figure as he
was Immediately after his success In
bringing about peace between Russia and
Japan. 1t would be surprising il he were.
But, broadly speaking, he is quite as popu-
lar as he ever was-outside of political and
Standard Oil circles. IL the people were to-
day called on to choose between Theodore
Roosevelt and the senate OF the United
States the vote would be practically unani-
nous In favor OF the former. Even though
the president be not quite so popular he
was at certain other periods OF his career
he still is the most popular man in the
United States. The rising tide" against
him has certainly not struck Indiana
| Throughout the middle west the west and
| the south, he is still in high favor with
! the people Yet the knocking publishers
! actually send their representatives to
Washington to find opposition 70 the presi-
/ dent, apparently not realizing thaN there
has always been opposition there. Let them
! try Indianapolis, Cincinnati. Chicago, Min
| neapolis, st. Paul and other such cities.
4 and they Will find that, except among some
of the professional politician and patron
age mongers, Theodore Roosevelt is as
| strong as he ever was.
| We think IL is important that this point
should be made clear. because the fight
| now being made. under cover. against the
president, is really fight on the people.
The men who oppose rate legislation. pure
food legislation, proper control and re-
| striction of monopolies, free trade with the
| Philippines-all of which would greatly
benefit the people-are exerting themselves
TO destroy the influences OF the president
And their activity is prompted by their
wish TO defeat this legislation. 1t is not
the man Roosevelt they are fighting, but
rate legislation. The people should under
stand this. for. in spite Of his mistakes. and
Notwithstanding very obvious defects Theo-
dore Roosevelt is the best friend-Some
times II seems as though he were the only
friend-of the people in Washington. oui
correspondent suggests that, IL the presi
dent loses his fight for rate regulation, th'
people Will put the blame on him. We
very much doubt this II they do they
will make mistake. Rate regulation vii
be defeated, il defeated at all. by the sen
ate Of the United States, and We do no
think Il will be able TO escape responsi
oil;i..