Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-04-26
DON'T LIKE ROOSEVELT-UNPOP
ULAR WITH MANY ELEMENTS.

DON Il LIhH hOOSE HhLI-UnfOf-
ULAR WITH MANY ELEMENTS.
The Washington correspondent Of the
Baltimore San, under date of the 21st in
slant, gives the following:
1t is anticipated by leading Republicans
who would deem unwise the nomination OF
President Roosevelt, that failure on the
part of Secretary of War Taft to make
good" as the Administration candidate in
Ohio, will be the signal for fight to be in.
augurated against the President in nearly
every State in the Union. The opposition
will be directed against an assumption on
the part OF Mr.. Roosevelt of the right to
name his successor In the White House.
The character of Mr. Roosevelt's popular
ity In the country is being made the subject
of analysis by some Of the men who, while
not approving Of bis methods, have been
afraid to express publicly their opposition.
This analysis arouses suspicion that the
Presidents popularity is very much exag-
gerated and by no means rests upon firm
foundation. To great extent it appears to
be based on lack Of information on the
part Of the people at distance from Wash
ington, as TO Mr.. Roosevelts real character,
the peculiarly Of his methods and the in.
stability and uncertain effect of his policies.
Stated plainly, the ultimate object of Mr..
Roosevelt's policies would probably not be
popular, and there can be no doubt that his
personal hold upon the uninformed public
would be greatly weakened lift were realized
throughout the country, as it is in Washing
ton, that his object is to overcome all of the
restraints OF Republican institutions so as TO
center the powers Of government in the
President, suberdinating Congress and the
courts to the Executive and depriving the
States of their autonomy.
1t is not violent assumption that II all
Of those persons of influence in the country
and knowledge OF public affairs who under
stand Mr.. Roosevelt and oppose him would
frankly and dispasslonately declare their
opposition, stating their reasons for 1t, his
popularity among the uniformed would
rapidly disappear. The timidity OF many
of those in his own party who do not ap.
prove OF him contributes TO his popularity
by keeping uninformed the great mass OF
people who would probably not tolerate Mr..
Roosevelt If they thoroughly understood his
methods and purposes. II the crowd shouts
Roosevelt" the politician is apt to praise
him, because he thinks 1t popular to do 30,
though he may think the praise Is unde-
served and cannot be uttered In sincerity.
1t is rather interesting TO consider in
groups the classes Of men with whom Mr..
Roosevelt is not popular. To start with,
he is unpopular with the capitalists and
corporations. This unpopularity has won
for him great applause and strong support
among those who construe it to mean that
he is the friend Of the common people. 1t
has become quite the habit TO say that the
reason the capitalists and the corporations
do not like Mr.. Roosevelt is because he pros.
ecutes them for violating the law.
The fact appears TO be lost sight OF that
prosecutions have been very few and that
il these prosecutions have been without par
TALLY or reserve, all offenders being brought
TO book, then the percentage OF criminality
in the capitalistic and corporation class is
very much smaller than the public has here
tofore been led TO believe. No doubt corpo
rations that have been restrained, prose.
cuted or else threatened with futree prose
cution feel resentful toward Mr.. Roosevelt
but his unpopularity in this quarter is not
confined to those who have suffered from
his displeasure.
BY putting whole class under suspicion
and jeopardizing the credit of great enter
prises Unfortunately, the interests of le
gitimate enterprise have to great exten,
been associated with the evil, and the in
jury threatened to business is as great as
that threatening the actual offenders. Men
who are not afraid Of the law, inasmuch 81
they respect and obey it, are disturbed by
reckless agitation. While there would bt
no disturbance over indictments properly
procured through legal channels, broad gen
eral denunciation based on suspicion or ut
tered for political purposes is calculated tC
disturb the business of the country, thus in
turing the innocent while beneflting tn,
guilty by placing them with good company
But the question arises as to whether III,
Presidents skirts are entirely clear while h,
Is the beneficiary Of campaign contribution
the acceptance OF which was certainly re-
garded by the givers as involving an oblga
ton OF gratitude and the soliciting of which
implied the recognition Of cordial relation
between the giver and the recipient SOM
of the contributors to Mr.. Roosevet's cam
paign fund may feel resentment toward hin
on account OF a conviction that his repre-
sentatives took their money for his benefl
and that he then betrayed them. But Mr.
Roosevelt's unpopularity among the mon
eyed classes and corporations is not confined
TO those whom he has directly attacked.
it were, there would be but small proper
ton OF this class opposing him.
Another set of men with whom Mr.. Roose
Welt is unpupu'a- !" Congress While idea
Of policy which control politicians ali
1re.a expression Of aentimeHt, Mir. R0a oil
bsa most lDa sinous aissp. @
Congl.ss. 90 not believe there arr Nv
men In the entire BODY ., Congress gh
approve Of his methods or regard him as
safe man. Many Republicans with WHOM
have talked on this subject express th
opinion that the number of his friends /
not hall that large. Those in both tn
House and Senate who have supported hir
most Loyalty have found themselves tim
and again placed in q false position by
sudden change Of attitude on his part To
ward propositions upon which they hav
been committed under the Impression tina
they were cooperating with him to carry
out the policy.
1t is recognized both in the House and il
the Senate that "sidestepping" and sooner