The Delta independent., 1907-04-19
ROOSEVELT.
de. NInin,.. CnI,iial.

President Roosevelt is the greatest
man of the present cen tury. He has
made his impress upon American affairs
more than any other man since the
beginning of the republic. He has met
issues that have come up between the
rich and the poor-issues that appeared
to be inevitable with supreme courage.
He has attempted to balance the scale
in way to do no injustice to any man
or interest. He is carrying out ideas
that originated in his mind in youth.
No man with whom the public is famil-
lar could have done the work that he
has done. Wealth is powerful and
and commands influence; the president
has offended wealth by his effort to
equalize its influence. He knew of
wealth's power and realized that in a
republic things could not drift onward
as they had been drifting. Wealth in
some form had been claiming immunity
from some requirements of law; wealth
in every community often attempts to
claim immunity on the ground that men
who have it are useful citizens, forget
ting that every decent man is useful
citizen. The president, when he came
into position Of power, felt that he
could do something which nobody else
had done by bringing up the relation of
the rich and the poor for purposes of
debate, knowing that when the Ameri-
can people deliberately debated sub.
ject their decision would be right. AT
no time previous to Roosevelt's ascen.
sion to the presidency could his work
have been performed, nor could any.
body else have performed it. Cleveland
probably knew of the situation and hac
courage, but it would have been pre-
mature if Cleveland had undertaken
, what Roosevelt has done. If Col. VIM
. J. Bryan had undertaken the work hi
would have permitted his impulses ant
prejudices to enter in and thus his effort,
would have been futile. He would have
done some things that were dangerou,
and would have alarmed the countr,
and there would have been hasty re
: treat and a defeat for Bryan. Presi
dent Roosevelt has done some thing
which were limited at by bryan IN 1896
But Bryan was never heard to say tina
wealth has rights. Bryan never repre-
+ sented but one side of the square deal
, Roosevelt has attempted to represen
both sides and to do no injustice. TIL,
: issues brought out by Roosevelt's ad
5 ministration were not the leading issue
!, of 1896, and when Col. Bryan in his las
speeches in the streets of Chicago,
night or two before the election in 1896
denounced wealth, his utterances sound
ed like disloyalty to the country. TIL
issues of that time were the making O
> good money, the adoption of the pro
tective tariff, and the restoration O
prosperity. These things being done
.. and prosperity having been restored
President Roosevelt took up the pend
ing question between wealth and pov
erty to determine the rights of each
7 The presidents work began in unpopu
= larity, and for time he apparentl
stood alone. Then his cause grew, an
radical men, having his example in minG
have overdone things in various state
and by their work in lines too radics
! have been positive hinderance to tn
work of the president. If there ha
!, been fifty more LaFollcttes on tn
stump President ROoscvclt's wor
\ would have been kicked aside as Bryan
ism long ago; but the president ker