Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-24
THE lNFIRM G. O. P.


President Roosevelt now appears in
the dual role Of physician and trained
nurse to the Republican party. AS a
physician he has diagnosed the case.
reaching the conclusion that heroic
treatment is necessary to save the
patient. Having prescribed drastic
remedies he assumes the nurse charac-
ter and proceeds to administer the
doses and watch developments.
The summer capital at Sycamore Hill
is the political sanatorium at which the
G. o. p. will be treated through the
dog days and the early autumn BY
order of the president several leaders
Of the Republican party, whose ex-
perience and judgment are valued by
him, assembled at the summer capital
yesterday for the avowed purpose Of a
consultation. The statement is given
out, also, that this gathering Is a
weekly precedent which will be followed
until the presidents return to Wash
ington in September, where the con-
sultations are expected to continue
until the close of the campaign.
There Is no attempt to disguise the
purpose of the president to take
strong hand in the management of the
campaign on behalf OF his party. 1t Is
4 ~ ,i.
activity chiefly to the recognized tough
job of securing a Republican majority
in the next house of representatives. 1t
is admitted, however that he will use
his personal influence in rallying the
Ohio Republicans, who went down to
defeat in the gubernatorial contest last
year; also in attempting to restore har-
mony among the Republican bel
llgerents in Iowa, Wisconsin and some
other states.
1t is a remarkable spectacle, one en-
tirely without precedent, to see presi-
dent of the United States descend from
the executive chair and enter the arena
of partisan politics as a le,.der and
be accounted for? In the answer to
that question lies the solution of a
mystery.
Two years ago, when the presidency
was at stake. Theodore Roosevelt took |
no active part in the campaign beyond |
giving vent to his wrath against his
opponent in brief literary efforts. But
he thought that his election was sub
stantially as certain as the coming of
election day, and that there was no
need of such personal effort as he
plans to make in the campaign of this |
year.
Is it not obvious that the cause of the !
presidents purpose as outlined. and
of his manifest anxiety, is correctly |
revealed at the beginning of this
article? Theodore Roosevelt has been
recognized fully a score of years as |
successful practitioner of political
therapeutics. He sees, with the eye of
experience, that the G. o. P. manifests
symptoms of advanced infirmity, ap-
parently locomoter ataxia or senile !
atrophy Anyway, the presidents dag |
nosis must have revealed an alarming
condition of the patient to induce such
an extraordinary departure from pre-
cedent as he has made in shying his
personal castor into the political ring.
The astonishing wave enthusiasm
for William ]. Bryan, and the hand
writing on the wall telling that the
days of Republican dominance are
have spurred the president
to take the heroic measure in question.
But resort to heroic treatment always
means that The case in hand is des-
perate, and the case of the G. o. P.
must be nearly hopeless to warrant the
president in taking personal charge Of
the patient.