Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-02-08
Roosevelt and the Roosevelt Road.

spoke of Theodore Roosevelt as a con.
servative President-conservati be-
cause the policies of his administration
have tended and are tending, to conserve
the best interests of the entire country.
This is fact, indisputably-a fact that is
coming to be better understood, more
thoroughly realized, every day.
The principle involved in the Roose-
veltian policies is simplicity itself. 1t is
honesty honesty; nothing
more, nothing less. No honest man or
no fair-dealing corporation has aught to
fear from it; every honest man and every
fairdealing corporation is in perfect &C.
cord with it. The principle involves not
an iota of radicalism; it involves right
doing, and right doing only. Corpora
tions are like men; some are honest and
others are not; some deal fairly and
others do not; but all will share alike in
benefits that inevitably must come from
putting corporate interests on basis of
fair dealing. And this is coming to pass,
sure as fate-if not at the hands of ad-
ministrative officials conservatively dis
posed, then at the hands of extremists
whom all of us well might fear.
What do we hear in high quarters in
Washington these days? Whisperings
-insidious forebodings; not echoes from
Wall street, where apparitions stalk
about to alright money-mad spectators,
but carefully weighed words of caution
from the mouths of so-called constructive
statesmen. What are they saying
This: Prosperity is at it's height, yes. 1t
will continue, yes. The prospect is
bright, yes. The country never was in
more prosperous condition-but Here
is the whispering keynote-but. Bust
ness is all right; we are all making money;
we are going to make more of it-but,
we must be very careful here at Wash
ington; must go slower at the White
House and in Congress. No harm has
yet been done-but there is a delicate
situation to be dealt with delicately, or
the structure of our business prosperity
may topple over.
In other words, Theodore Roosevelt is
great and good President, but there is
danger of carrying it to far. We want
honesty and fair dealing the country over
of course we debut let us not bring it
about too precipitately; let us not get too
honest all at once. And what are the
newspapers telling us-the newspapers
that so zealously guard the corporate in
terests? They are saying what they in
variably say on such an occasion. Con-
fiscation . 1t means confiscation They
cry out that the government is proposing
to strike down capital and confiscate pro-
perty; is going to crush the innocent
holders of watered stocks-stocks ac-
quired honestly and in good faith. Every
sane person knows there has been no con-
fiscation, and that there will be no such
thing. 1t is the same old song, familiar
to us all.
So here youbave the influences at work
-whisperingly, insidiously, and brazen-
ly-to undermine, discredit, and estop
Theodore Roosevelt in the wholesome re-
forms he has 30 righteously inaugu-
rated.
Contemplating this pectacle-this play
of politics-is there any wonder that a
feeling of regret sometime arises that he
put himself out of the running for 1908 !
Would not four years more of Roosevelt
still be good thing for this glorious
country of ours ?
But there is to be no turning back; no
reversal of national position. Only one
road will lead White House way next
year, whether reversed by Republican
or Democrat.
1t is the Rooseveltian road. Washing
ton Herald