Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-08-16
FACES BOTH WAYS.
INCONSISTENCIES" AND HcoN.
sERvATisM" OF PRESIDENT.
To the Ordinary Man the Frequent
Changes of Front by the Chief
Executive Are Somewhat
~Bewildering.

With the president plunging into the
congressional campaign as , gener-
al manager SO as Ito secur a con-
gress of his own" insures a lively
campaign and probably something
spectacular. At present the president
stands pat on the tariff, but who
can tell what will happen? He may
if the exigencies of the canvass re-
quire a change of front, throw over
the standpatters and stand for tariff
revision, or even free trade. Senator
Dryden assures the people of his state
that the mental attitude of President
Roosevelt toward public questions of
our day is a fine blending of a broad
and courageous progresiveness with
a wise and steady conservatism that
is altogether admirable"
Senator Dryden is in e tight place
himself, with the hounds of reform on
his trail, and knows full we'll the
short corners a Republican statesman
is bound to cut in these perilous times.
He evidently sees in President Roose-
welt qualities that he is envious of,
for what trust and corporation repre-
sentative, not to say life insurance
progressive" and conservative" at
the same time? Progressive to the
people on one side and conservative
to the trusts and corporations on the
other. One day issuing orders for
the vigorous prosecution of the trust
officials, another day ordering the at
torney general not to press the GRIM
inal charges against John d. Rookie
Teller which had been commenced at
Cleveland. On n side appealing to
the Republican voters to subscribe a
dollar each to the campaign fund, on
the other side having Wall street fig
uratively scraped with a small tooth
comb for campaign contributions.
One day he assures President Comp
ers, of the American Federation Of
Labor, that the eight-hour law has
been constantly and vigorously en-
forced; and the next day issues an or
der for the enforcement of that obso-
lete law. One day he speaks of
President Monroe as a failure" as
one well fitted to act as a %presiden-
tial figurehead;" as too much to the
taste of the Jacobinical Republicans
of France, and on the next day he
declares that the one grand purpose
of his administration is to uphold the
,1op;o,, Nfo-rao Joa+,i,n Ono dow
he denounces the pension grabbing
congressman and their supporters"
and the vicious special legislation,
sure, in the end, to bring about the
breaking down of some of the most
important principles of our govern
ment;" and the next day he issues
an executive order, without authority
of law, imposing upon the treasury an
annual expenditure of more than
$50,000,0 900. One day he favors free
trade and d%enounces a protective tar
if as vicious in theory and harm
full in practice" and the next day he
declares for the %stand-pat theory.
One day he stands for reciprocity, and
the next day against it.
Always he cries for peace in one
breath and for the big stick and wal
in the next. One day he speaks of
the religious system of the Quakers
as "a direct incentive to crime and
wrong-doing," denounces their
Wanted policy of peace" and de-
clares that the colony of Pennsyl-
vania was Contemplate, supine and
SELFISH" and the next day he says
that the Quakers are righteous,
peaceful and virtuous." One day he
speaks of the negroes as "a perfectly
stupid race and the next day he
closes the post office at Indianola con-
trary to law because the people Of
that town object to a negro as post
master; invites the negro, Booker
Washington, to dinner, and says that
the door of hope" for equality with
white men and women must be kept
open to the negro. One day he de-
nounces political corruption; and the
next he refuses to compel Cortelyou
and Bliss to return to the insurance
companies the money stolen from the
widows and orphans of their policy
holders and used as a corruption fund
to place him in the White House. One
day he denounces the railroads for vi
olating the law against rebating; and
the next day he appoints Paul Nor
ton, a notorious rebater, to a place in
his cabinet, and discharges from the
public service Harmon and Judson for
proposing to prosecute Morton and his
pals.
This is the man who is going to
conduct the congressional campaign
this year. The camelion and the ka-
leidoscope are surely in politics.
There will be infinite variety" at
least, in the performance.
Keeps His Fat Job.
Press Agent Bishop is to get his