Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-18
ROOSEVELT IN DISTRESS


Signs are multiplying that Theodore
Roosevelt, president Of the United
States, is about to suffer shipwreck at
the hands Of the Republican party. He
is no longer personally popular with
the leadership, while all the powers
that can be concentrated against him
have opened their guns upon his ad-
minlstration and the special facts which
he represents.
"vested interests" have become
alarmed at his insisteuce upon certain
measures which the president main
tains are for the welfare Of the people.
His stand for rate regulation is con-
sidered dangerous" It Is held to be
AIT insidious attack upon privilege, an
entering wedge against trusts and cor
porations that might work harm by
splitting the citadel Of capital and
making a brave show OF the loot and
corruption therein.
The insurance Investigations have
torn from their pedestals many idols
OF Wall street and encouraged common
people to suspect that even the United
States senate may have more interest
in corporations than It has in the
nation and the several states.
In short. Mr.. Roosevelt has suddenly
become "a dangerous man." and his
wings must be clipped by the Repub-
llcan party leaders, acting under the
orders Of corporate wealth and greed.
AS long as he only said things; as
long as he wore a rough rider costume,
fourlshed revolvers and went hunting
for bear in the Colorado mountains,
TEDDY" was all right; but as the years
grew upon him and the sense of his
tremendous power and responsibility
impressed him, and he began to do
things, Mr.. Roosevelt became persona
non grata with his party. Today there
are few to do him reverence. The
great party organs have suddenly be-
come independent" The Washing
ton correspondents are now instructed
not to take news from the White House
and to criticise wherever criticism will
stand. This information appears on the
first page of the New York Mail, hith-
erto q rabid Roosevelt organ. The Mail
claims that white House press CEN
sorship has shaken the confidence of
partisan journals" but this statement
seems to be a mere pretext to hide the
real situation.
The senate is fighting Roosevelt at
every point, employing its great di-
plomacy and all it's power to defeat all
his objects, with special view Of kill
ing his rate regulation bill. That the
probabilities are favorable to the senate
is manifest in the report from the
Henry Clews banking house this week.
which closes with this significant SEN
tence: 1.-THE railroad situation con-
tinues eminently satisfactory, and there
is little if any prospect of railroad
legislation during the present session
of congress, chiefly owing to the con-
flict of opinion between the numerous
advocates of reform" o.
Strangely enough the Democratic
leaders and newspapers are standing
aloof from all attacks upon the presi-
dent, even on political grounds. They
might justly assail him for his failures
in connection with the Panama canal;
for the Santo Domingo treaty, and for
his inexplicable and indefensible stand
for the joint statehood of Arizona and
New Mexico. But they foresee that
he is already in distress with his party
because of his advocacy of some
measures that are more Democratic
than Republican, and are inclined to
sympathize with him. They are wait
ing for the breakup for the inevitable
end of Roosevelt as a Republican party
leader. Politically the president is on
his last legs.