The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-01-19
THEODORE THE MEDDLER.
Continued from First Page.

The truth is that there is no new
Roosevelt. The president who de-
stroyed the Northern Securities
merger, forced the meat packers to
abandon their denominations, got the
Panama Canal work under way,
brought about the regulation OF rail-
road rates by the government, secured
the conviction of two corrupt United
States senators, drove the land thieves
of the west and the postoffice thieves
of the east to the bar of justice, made
war on railroad rebaters, forced the
Standard Oil barons to account for
their crimes in court, and began re-
lentless Investigations into the bust
ness methods of the mightiest indus
trial corporations in the country, is
the same man who, as cowboy in
the bad lands, looked into the muz-
zles of two revo1vers and knocked
down the obscene rufian who held
them, uncaring personal consequences.
Where is the evidence of new
Roosevelt?
The man who as police commits
sioner, governor and civil service
commissioner defied boss or party
control in the discharge of his duties
is no different from the man who has
refused to allow the great private COR
por ations to control the national gov
eminent. The soldier who forced his
volunteer regiment through the inact-
| i've ranks of regular troops-lnactlve
because without direction-in order to
lead charge on the Spanish trenches,
| is one with the statesman who inter-
vened to end the war between Russia
and Japan. The leader who calls for
a national tax on inheritances as a
reasonable means of checking over
grown fortunes, and distri buting the
burdens of taxation, is Identical with
| the private citizen who has always be-
lieved in national income tax and
has made no secret of his hope that
some day the supreme court may re-
verse the decision that has tempo
rarily shut the door of hope to the
| income takers.
i = Theodore Roosevelt has changed
very little-those who have known him
and his ideas and purposes during
his whole public career will bear wit
ness to that-but the great masters of
| corporate power and financial and
political intrigue have at last given
up hope OF molding him to their will.
Mr.. Morgan knows that he can go to
the White House today and be as well
come as Chief Stone of the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers, but
not any more welcome. Mr.. Rockefeller
/ knowssthat he can get as fair, but not
fairer, hearing from the president as
John Mitchell of the United Mine
Workers.
The president has stuck to the idea
which he uttered on a railroad train
in California two years ago.
"What message shall I take to or
gained labor?'' asked one of his
/ heartiest supporters.
''Take this message to organized
labor" he said, clenching his hand
and leaning forward. 81 intend to
give square deal to organized labor
and to capital, too.''
This last fierce struggle for mastery
between the government and the cor
porations began-to tx some psyche
logical period-when Mr.. Roosevelt
was governor of New York. He had
been member of the legislature, a
smooth-skinned, quiet youth, fresh
from Harvard and the study of law,
and had seen the forces of corruption
| at work in Albany. The shocking rev.
Citations of bribery did not blind him
to the real nature of the situation. He
saw the elevated railway system of
New York buying up his associates,
but, by investig alton, he discovered
that for every bride offered by cor
rupt corporation, many tributes of
nlackmail were levied upon the corpo-
rations by greedy legislators. The
thing worked both ways. One was as
bad as the other. The slavish indiffer-
enee of the people to the methods en-
ployed by party bosses seemed to
make all hope of reform futile. And
be saw, also, that politicians in Office
covered before the representatives of
organized labor and passed laws de-
manded by them even when their iudg-
ment condemned them. He had abun-
dant proof that no law could be passed
against the opposition of Wall street
and it's allies.
In those days Mr.. Roosevelt talked
freely; and he talked then in Albany
as he talks. now in the White House.
His one insistent argument was for an
equal enforcement of the law against
rich and poor, and an equal recogni-
ton in the law of rich and poor. No
man can say that Mr.. Roosevelt did
not give notice of his aims and pur-
poses in life.
He showed the same temper as a
police commissioner, as civil service
commissioner at Washington and as
assistant secretary Of the navy.
It is true that the corporations OPP
posed the nomination of Mr.. Roose-
yelt for governor OF New York, but