The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-01
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

cepted as the most consumnate poli- tician that ever occupied the presi- dency and sat in the executive offices of the White House. There was no particular need that we know of to prove this fact. but if such a demon stration was required it was made yes terday through the medium of his special message to the congress of the United States It may be wondered at: 1t may be criticised and condemned, but it nevertheless shoots straight at the whites of the eyes as political appeal to the emotions and even the passions of men We cannot doubt for a moment that that is its purpose As practical politician he realized that the misfortunes which two of his az gressive policies have encountered at the hands of the Supreme court call cd for attention from him as the lead CT of the new political thought.
 From strictly international point of view it can be easily seen that spe- cial appeals to the legislative branch of government at this time are likely to be lost upon the air. Congress dare not, if it had the disposition. invite prolonged debate on the floor of either the senate or house on the eve of presidential election Congress will, on the, other hand, in its own good time enact such remedial legislation as President Roosevelt wishes if the pop ular mood continues to favor it. Pres ident Roosevelt knows that as we'll as we do, but he also believes that it Is necessary, if his policies are to domi- nate t..e thought of the country, to keep them before the people as ag- gressive policies, policies which must be kept constantly before the eyes and ears of men. Coldly, then, that is the purpose of the special message, which again puts upon the rack the posses sors of predatory wealth and the in- terstate corporations of the country We may disagree with it's timeliness; we may even que.th'ii n-
 cannot question it's political import No man knows better than Theodore Roosevelt the popular method of measuring men and things, and it Is upon this method that he plays with the skill of master That he should not have been content with the many assurances he has given the country of his determination to fight ill-gotten 1 wealth and sinful conduct until the bitter end only shows that he believes that blow must follow blow if the ap- preciation of the people is to be kept alive. In particular mighty blow must be- given at this critical moment in his career.
 We are attempting to deal with this message from the point of view of what we believe it means, and not from the point of view of the excel 1. lence or the ignorance of the, recom- rendations made and the views ex- pressed If there are any among our readers who think that this message has detracted from the marvellous pop- ulArity of the man we beg to say to , them that they are mistaken He is more popular because of it than he {, was the day before it was written and delivered to the congress. The great
 masses of the people have in one way and another been educated in the be-
 lief that the possession of fortune
 or of even competency, is proof of
 commercial dishonor The term cor { poration has come to be in their eyes ! and ears term of deserved reproach 1! This has all come. about because some rich men have swindled their neigh bors and friends and because some cor. l porations have violated the sacred i trust reposed in them The indiscrim-
 mate condemnation which has in con.
 sequence been visited upon the heads
 of all has perfected the popular mind for the reception of savagely critical documents of state grounded upon the promise to keep up the fight until the
 end. As the readers of The Mornins < Journal-Courier know, we have beer in sympathy and are still in syrpathy
 with every orderly move to make cap. ital, in whatever form it is presented ! behave itself Whether we think a de.
 plorable situation should be taken ad.
 vantage of for political purposes or
 the eve of campaign is another uues
 ton. But whatever we think we have
 not the slightest doubt that the mes sage to which we are referring is on,
 of the most popular acts of the Presi
 dents entire administration It vil
 prove effective from the very stand
 point he took when he wrote it.
 would lead to his renomination anC
 triumphant reelection had he not SC
 riously and inpressively forbidden tn,
 use of his name in that connection ant
 had hs not pledged himself to another