The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-15
ROOseyelt-Harrim COntrOvers
sy Recalls Peculiar Charac-
teristics of the President.
PUNISHABLE AS WATER"
SAYS STUYVESANT FISH
Even His Friends Declare That
Holding Lesser Office He
Often Misstated Facts.
Special 10 The Tribune.

Special TO The Tribune.
NEW YORK, April 14.-Right here
in New York where President Roose-
velt is perhaps better known than any
where else in the country there is d
disposition to laugh at his latest out
bursts, but the laughter is generally
accompanied by the question, "Can he
get away with it7''
1t was Stuyvesant Fish bimself-the
deposed president of the Illinois Cen
trail railroad-brother~in of Sidney
Webster-the man to whom the now
famous Hartman letter was addressed,
and in one way the man who is perhaps
as responsible for the existing condi
tion of the strenuous strife now being
carried on by railroad politicians as
any other man in the country, who, re-
turning from Philadelphia few weeks
ago, said during the course of an in
terview: "I have known Theodore
Roosevelt ever since he was little boy.
He is personally honest when it comes
TO money matters, and he is well mean
ing, but unsteady-unstable-
as water.'
Teddy 'Romancer.
Childhood incidents and boyhood in.
cIdents are everywhere now being re-
called by his od-tlme friends and a6-
mIrers to show that if Theodore Roose-
Welt had not made remarkable Presi-
dent of the United States he certainly
would have made a great writer of the
romantic school, And yet when all of,
these various things are traced homo
1t is found that young Theodore q
"romances' were never told with the
deliberate intention Of harming any
one. Not even mis- bitterest enemies,
and he has personal as we'll as poll
tical enemies here in the metropolis,
for his playground as a boy was the
Fifth avenue district-not even his per-
sonal or political enemies are daring
to come to the front and charge that
any Of his romances have been used
to trick people for the cash. In other
words, not even the bitterest Demo-
crat in the city Of New York would
probably accuse President Roosevelt
of being "grafter. - And this in
itself is something in an age where
suspicion runs rife-where even Presi-
dent Cleveland was blamed for "bond
uehls anu lof TAXING Ine money OF me-
insurance companies for legal services
during his old age. 1t may not repre-
sent the feeling OF the average man
even, but it represents the feeling OF
mauy-some of whom are perhaps Bit
ter because they. too, have been
"stung' in deals in Wall street stocks
and bonds, but perhaps there is some
thing in the view thus expressed by an
old-time, old-line Democrat:
Will He "Get Away With It.''
"Mark my words, Teddy will get
away with it. BY 'it, mean that hs
will win out as against Hartman iD
this controversy. | do not mean to
say be will be renominated and re-
elected. That is for the future to un-
fold. But as between Hartman and
Roosevelt the people are with Roose-
welt.
''It is true Roosevelt gold bricked
Hartman and got away with his $780,
600, but Roosevelt dIdn't get any Of
the money for himself And after all
the nam question is whether any OF
the Hartman money stuck to his I'm
gers. ] don t believe that 1t did, nor
does any other sane man believe that
it did. And if Teddy gold-bricked
Hartman the common people are apt
to remember that Hartman himself
has been gold bricking' The people for
a great many years. And they arc quito
as likely TO clap their hands and say
in connection with this Hartman
Roosevelt scrap, 'Goodl Good!' At
last Hartman has found man who is
as smart as he is and Just a little Bit
smarter. The common people, are
really enjoying the spectacle Of Roose-
Welt in the position of big brother get
ting ahend of man like Hartman.
Now, while this is perhaps true to a
greater or less extent. IL is also true
that TO greater or less extent the
bloom is of the Roosevelt 'peach. In
other words, the Reform wing of the
Roosevelt Republicans could never have
been convinced if it had not been for
this controversy that President Roose-
Welt would say to a man like Harri-
man, You and ] are practical men. :"
Light on Past History.
Perhaps the real Roosevelt can best
be illustrated by recalling many things
that occurred when the President was
Governor of the State of New York.
lowed the Spanish American war, Sena.
tor Platt. the Republican leader of the
State. became convinced that Roosevelt
was the only man who could be elected.
In this he was probably correct, for
Judge Van Wyck, the brother OF Mayor
Van Nych, was dcfeated by less IMAM
10000 Roosevelt was fortunate in this
in commanding the machine
and the reform strength of his party
Naturally. after his election, machine
men and reformers were anxious to
know what was going To happen.
Here is what happened, Theodore
Roosevelt is perhaps the greatest pol
statesman, but politician
that this country has ever produced,
bar none. He attended all of the
: Sunday schools of Boss Platt at
the Fifth Avenue hotel, and was ac-,
customed 10 say TO Senator Platt: