The daily sentinel., 1907-05-09

national capitol, these days, are con-
fined chiefly TO the muddle in the
I republican party anent the Taft boom
and the Presidents attitude thereto,
a third term for Teddy and the row
he has kicked up over the Hartman
! matter and the accusation against
the imprisoned miners out in Idaho.
The conference between Roosevelt
and Hartman was the sensation of a
day or two here. but when it got
uncomfortably warm for Teddy and
people began to ask questions and
point out that the President had de-
/ liberately cut out some parts of the
letters he had written to Hartman
or vice versa, and that Hartman had
evidently told all the truth and that
Roosevelt had not, the latter side
stepped quicker than a wink. He sent
/ for a whole bunch of newspaper cor
respondents here and told them IA
huge cock-and-bull story about a five
million dollar conspiracy to defeat
him and his policies and had it sent
broadcast over the country. OF
course, that stopped all talk about I'll
Hartman correspondence and every
body went to talking about the great
alleged conspiracy to defeat the great
I"I AM" and It was intended to have
Just exactly that effect. As l have
frequently remarked previously, Mr.
Roosevelt is a good politician and
knows how and when to get to the
public with something he wants the
public to talk about. He did exactly
| the same thing year ago last win
ter. When he got into that tangle
with Tillman. Bailey, and Chandler
concerning the railroad rate bill and
came out of 1t with some of his tail
feathers pluched, he Immediately
switched the talk to the beef barons
and the meat packers of the country
| bv showing up the report of his spec
ial commissioners, who said that the
packing houses were filthy and need
ed reforming n whole lot, and hence
the cry for the cleaning bill passed
by the Congress. The packers may
have needed the legislation given
them, all right. but the hue and cry
about 1t stopped all talk about the
Tillman-B -Bailey-Chpndler controversy,
and that's what Roosevelt wanted
and got.
This conspiracy business has had
the same effect on the Hartman con-
troversy and yet no evidence of any
conspiracy has been presented to the
dear public No names have been
called and every man who has been
suggested as belonging to it either
has denied 1t openly and without con-
tradition. or has proved an alibi. The
truth probably is that no such con-
spiracy exists only in the imagination
OF the fecund brain of the President,
who knows that the captains or II
nance of the country have no reason
to love him, his crazy policies have
caused values in this country 10
shrink over one billion dollars since
1901. How can such a thing occur
without the common people, whom ne
Processes to love so much, losing
money as well as the magnates, tor
thousands of them have their money
| invested in railroad securitiesE IL
such a conspiracy does exist, then the
President has got himself between
the devil of the money power and the
deem sea of trades unionism. His
latest break has made the working
neoule madder than a wet hen. His
omen condemnation OF Meyer and
HAYWOOD before they have had
| chance to be tried before an impartial
tribunal has set tongues awagging
and heads athinking everywhere In
I this country, and people are begin
ming to ask themselves the question:
| has the President of the United states
the right to condemn man before he
has had a chance to be tried upon
the facts and the evidence?
Mr.. Roosevelt is the Chief Magls-
| trate of the United States. II he were
private citizen he might with pro-
priety express his opinion OF other
| individuals, subject only to the pen
alties which the law attaches 10 sian
der and libel. His opinion, then as
I
cused person would be presumed 10
have no effect upon the trial of that
nergon. But as Chief Magistrate OF
| the United States his publicly ex-
pressed denunciation carries with 1t
/ the weight of his great office.
The injury resulting from such
recklessness of utteTance on the part
of the President of the United states,
serious as II may be to the Individual
against whom it may be directed Is
chiefly to the community at large
and to the office which Mr.. RooseYeu
holds. T..
Comparatively few persons are in
terested in what may beiall Moyer'
HAYWOOD or Hartman but the
whole country is concerned IN the
preservation of the dignity ana char-
acter OF the presidential otilce' anu
] the observance Ol prop iNLte' - '-
man holding that office. Mr. koose-
Welt defends his course in publicly
denouncing these accused men by de-
craIing that the persons who have
nrotested to him against his action
are guilty themselves of trying to IN
terfere with justice. and he condemns
this action. If 1t be true II should De
condemned. but can it be cited as
justification for similar action on the
mart of the President of the United
states? What is improper for prl-
vote citizen is infinitely more SO for
lthe President of the United states
If this recklessness and ruthIess-
moss of procedure on the part OF
nriyate individual renders him an un-
desirable citizen, may not radicalism,
/ recklessness and ruthless disregard
7 Of proprieties render a man an un-
desirable President? The qualities
which Mr.. Roosevelt attributes 10
/ these men are not desirable in
citizen. Neither are they desirable IN
| president. Mr.. Roosevelt says that
! II Is absurd to suppose that because
man Is on trial for a given offense
he Is therefore to be freed from an
criticism upon his general conduct
and maner of life. But is It rune
tion of the Chief Executive to pro-
- -. ,,,on. tho desirability or Amer