Arizona republican., 1907-10-10
PHOENIX ARIz.. OCT 10. 1907.
LET GOVERNMENT BEGIN WITH
SELF

President Roosevelt possesses the
faculty of keeping the nation in an
uproar of one kind or another, now of
ridicule. now of anger and now Of
unhealthful excitement His personal
controversies with man and women,
with the Bellamy Storers. the nature
takers, with f. II. Hartman and the
anti-simplified spoilers, have been
magnified into matters of national mo-
ment. An evenly balanced and self
governed chief magistrate would not
have precipitated such disputes or have
given cause for them to be precipitat-
Ell by others. Now comes the case OF
the pilot Nichols, who has been sus-
pended on the order of the president.
who had no more authority to issue
such an order than James Jones. d
private citizen. would have had to do
the same thing. The presidents order
was issued on the spur of the moment,
in a fit of excitement because the pilot,
acting under the orders of his superior
officers. had brought his steamer with
in 100 feet of the steamer Mississippi,
weighted down with the personality of
the president.
The president in his order recon-
mended the suspension Of the pilot
for three months. The subservient
board which alone had the power OF
suspending the pilot, after an investi-
CATION behind closed doors, fixed the
period of enforced idleness at six
months. presumably for good measure.
The testimony of the rivermen is al
most unanimously to the effect that
the pilot was not guilty Of any Of
Tense. Even those on the presidents
boat who may have shared his excite
ment, blame the management of the
Ohio River contingent of the presiden-
tial flotilla. but not the pilot.
Captain John Moran, one OF the best
known boat owners on the river. says
of the incident:
The whole affair would be ridicu-
lous. were it not for the injustice that
has been done to Nichols. There was
absolutely nothing to warrant the ac-
ton against him. A great injustice
has been done and SHOULD be righted,
and l believe the president will right
IT. too. as soon as he gives the matter
further thought"
Captain Moran evidently does not
know the president. if he believes the
Itr-Cc Gil ont will rsertas g.
that would be an acknowledgement of
initial error. And when notwithstand-
ing his numerous errors has he ever
admitted one?
On the contrary when they have be-
come patent, he has always complac- |
emily ignored them and moved on with |
serenity Of the words "complacently''
and serenity" may be used in any re- /
lation to Mr.. Roosevelt), to the COM
mission of the next one.
We believe on second thought that |
the president has been enormously !
credited by certain Arizona newspa- |
pers with an admission of ais error re-
garding his estimate Of the territorial |
sentiment with respect to joint state
hood and that he has promised to |
mend his ways in that matter, (some |
believe, for a quid pro quo).
However. he has manifested no 1
change of heart, but he has merely |
promised not to indulge in further USE |
less kicking against the goads; to re-
frain from attempting to do a thing
which he is at last convinced cannot
be accomplished. Nobody believes
that he was moved to right a wrong. 4
In fact. there had been no wrong; only Il
a futile attempt to commit wrong
1t is a matter of regret to the pres
idents friends and those who are not
his friends, but all, good Americans. Il
that such petty incidents as. the Mich
OILS incident. the nature faker incident, II
and we may say, the bear hunting in
cident as well as so many others are
permitted to detract from the dignity
Of his high office; that he who at
tempts the government of all mundane
things should so far fail in the gov
of himself