The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-15
THE THIRD TERM
BY sAVoYARD,

which turns the republic into an era
pire, and the initiative and referendum,
which is radical revolution of our gov
ernmentaI system.
These two men are the absolute mas
tiers of their respective parties. No
wonder men marvel about what makes
a Democrat, and no wonder men mar
vel about what makes a Republican.
There are dozen different answers to
! both these speculations, no two at all
alike and every one exactly correct If
Cleveland is a Democrat. what IS
Bryan? If Roosevelt is a Republican.
what is Foraker? 1t is no further from
Richard Olney to Ben Tillman than
it is from Nelson w. Aldrich to Robert
NJ. La Toilette. Senator Knox and
Governor Cummins are no more in ac-
cord than are Isidor Hayner and Ar
kansaw Jeff Davis. Jerry Simpson, when
a congressman from Kansas, Joined the
Democratic party because he was in
accord with it, and William A. PETER,
formerly a senator from Kansas
Joined the Republican party because
the g. o. p. had turned Pop.
The Republican party is going to
nominate for president in 1908 one of
two men-RoOsevelt or Taft. No other
administration of our history ever dab
bled more in party politics than Roose-
velts; no other ever played the game
/ so skillfully. The convention will do
/ whatever Roosevelt dictates, just as
| the Democratic convention will dance
| to whatever tune Bryan pipes. 1t may
| be that Roosevelt has irrevocably made
up his mind not to accept the nominal
/ ton, but if his desire for it were as
| importunate as was Clay's, or Doug
las, or Blaine's, or even Fairbanks,
| no Mo he fDv. h roIF
more adroitly or more fortuitously than
he has played it. The demands come
/ from ali quarters The average man,
| whatever his politics, believes that
/ Roosevelt will be renominated and re-
/ elected.
Mr.. Bryan lends force to this view.
| Only a while ago he had nothing but
| Commendation for Roosevelt's states
manship. Now Mr.. Bryan discovers a
| tender sOlicitUde for states rights,
/ which he says are not safe in Mr..
ROosevelt's keeping. Can this be be-
| cause Mr.. Bryan has come to conclude
| that Roosevelt is the man he will have
/ to beat2 Quite likely. l do not be-
| lieve Mr.. Bryan would run against
! Roosevelt. He has lately parted with
a deal of his intrepidity. He tried to
run away from government owner
| ship; it would be as easy for him to
|
/ the midday beams of July's tOrrid sun.
/ He even attempted a modification of
| the initiative and referendum, and
failed to get away with that also. He
/ cannot run away from Roosevelt, il
! Roosevelt is the nominee. He is boss
/ of the Democratic party all right, but
/ he is not boss enough to take the nom
| ination if there is a chance and re-
| ject it if there is no chance. That
would be carpet knight-errantry.
Would Roosevelt be invincible? Quite
likely-against Bryan. But whenever
a political party dominates a candi-
/ date for a third term in the White
House, it will be tantamount to a
declaration that its membership con-
| tains but one man fit for the presi-
dency, and whenever the country elects
a man to a third term in the White
| House 1t will be tantamount to a dec
/ laration that our entire citizenship can
furnish but one man At for president
Nobody knows how deep-seated is
that conviction in the public mind
| The hurrah crowd do not elect our
! presidents. The sober thinking, Sc
date, sagacious, silent folk make
| American presidents. That there is in
veterate prejudice against a third
! term we all know, and there will never
evils Thousands of thOughtless men
would like a third term president for
the novelty of it-these are noisy
/ gents. Tens of thousands of thinking
men look upon a third term with dread.
and these are of the voters, who make
| presidents.
Mr.. Roosevelt is far into his second
term. He has sailed with the current
every moment. He is the most popu-
lar man of our history: but a third
term would mean a walking of a tight
rope as high from the earth as the
moon, for four years. 1t would be
sending the pitcher 10 the we'll unnec-
/ eSsarily. John L. Sullivan can tell
about it. Hannibal went to Capua.
/ Napoleon TO Waterloo.
/ Why dare fortune with unnecessary
/ and reckless audacity?
! Copyrighted. 1907. BY F. W NeWm3 n
. -.