The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-11-08
UNDER CRITICISM
ROOSEVELT SMARTS.
Wrath Over Published Statements
That No Rich Offenders Are
Punished.

Funhsmeos
New York. Nov. 1.-THE Posts spe-
cial from Washington, d. c., says:
President Roosevelt has pretty tenn
per hot and hasty man 'who wants
what he wants when he wants it." He
is easily stirred to wrath. One might
almost say his normal temperature is
the boiling point. Sometimes his griev-
ances and annoyances are amusing, Mr..
Roosevelt hates to be misunderstood
by the people over whose destinies he
holds temporary rule. Applause and APP
probation are sweet to him, despite the
fact that he is the largest individual
consumer of these commodities in the
United States. This Is a roundabout
way of coming to the beginning Of this
chronicle of one Of the presidents pres
ent grievances.
Mr.. Roosevelt does not like to be crit
icised. No criticism Of the administra-
ton hurts him and his personal feelings
more, or more precisely, no criticism
eXasperates him more than the criticism
which declares he has landed no male
factor of great wealth" in Jail. He is
trying SO hard, using all the machinery
of the government, to put some speci-
men of the successful dishonesty" i'm
prison stripes that when some newspa-
per or public man asks him why he does
not do it he can only writhe and impO-
tently grit his teeth He is striving to
please, but he cannot catch rich male
factor in the classic Devery phrase
with the goods"
This is the specimen OF criticism
which so bites the president, and which
he feels so unjust
cit is not Theodore Roosevelt who
ought to be in Sing Sing for crimes and
yet it is Theodore Roose-
welt who has been dealing in glittering
about corporation abuses
when he should have been prosecuting
individual offenders for violations Of the
law"
1t is one Of the most eager desires of
the Roosevelt heart to put one of the
big rich men in Jail for violating the
Federal statute. The department of
justice and its agents and special attOr-
neys have been unable thus far in their
lnvestiR atoms, to find legal proof of the
guilt of any of the very wealthy men,
whose names may not be given, whom
the administration suspects of law
breaking,
With the certainty of their guilt, as
II unquestionably is, in the mind Of Mr..
there is nothing that could
happen during his administration that
would give him more joy than to see
certain opponents of high finance, who
might be easily named, wearing the
prison suits which it is the conviction of
the administration they deserve to wear
The president, through the govern
ment's legal officers, is using all the
energy and power that are given him to
put some of the suspected guilty great
ones in Jail.
There are things that are known which
are not susceptible of legrl proof, The
getting of evidence 80 strong that il is
both sentiment proof and technically
proof is one of the present endeavors of
The law officers, as it has been their en-
1eavor for more than sixteen months
past. If such evidence is found, the ed |
torial inquiry, prompted by the query |
IF the people, il is promised, will find |
to answer in the cor mitment to Fed |
sral prisons of some men whose names |
are familiar in connection with scanda- |
Gus financial transactions and enter
1rises.
Mr.. Roosevelt feels that he will have
lone the greatest single deed In his adj |
and performed q valuable |
Iervlce 70 the country If he succeeds in |
Jutting one of the more notorious of |
he "criminally rich" behind the bars.
BE Is taking more personal interest in |
his than In any other phase Of govern
mental activity, with the single excep-
ion of the great naval parade TO the
Pacific. He has kept in close touch with |
he progress of the work Of Mr.. Kel-
oRg, the special attorney, and others of
he governments legal staff. Attorney
ienerrl Bonaparte is often at the White
House these days.
It isn't the minor officials that the
Of the government le-
,al officers care TO see jailed. They
would be sent there readily enough II |
hey were to 20 jailward in the wake of
heir chiefs, but until this "follow-the-
eader" program can be put through,
he chances are that the minor offend
10, puppets in the hands Of others, will
% unwhipped Of justice. Men Of minor
'osition have done things criminal be-
ause there was an understanding that
hey should do it > but TO discover the
erms Of the understanding, IN writing,
z 70 find men who would admit that
erbal direction for wrong-dOing had
cen given, have been tasks impossible
{ accomplishment. II
In some Of the Investigations made by
he authorities of the States the same
rouble that has besst the Federal au-
norittos has been encountered. The ex-
a. l.. Il.