The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-03-08
ROOSEVELT HAS
THE RIGHT TO
URGE HIS CHOICE
CONTINUED From Page One.)

was brave but had not sufficient abi1-
ity. Harrison was intellectually acute
but not morally nor sufficiently cour-
ageous. Under Mckinley, kindly soul,
the trusts had their own way and no
violation of the law against spoils po-
litics was punished. 1t was not until
Theodore Roosevelt became president
that Il serious effort to eradicate these
monStrOuS abuses and TO Vindicate
the supremacy of the government over
the private and personal interests
was really made. The Civil Service
law of 1883 and the Antitrust law of
1891 had been passed before he be-
came president, but although some
thing had been done, then penal pro-
visions were taken rather in a Pick
wlcklan sense than as serious enact
ments. The Ohio supreme court had
dissolved the Standard Oil trust, but
that trust reappeared Immediately in
other forms. Harrison's attorney gen
eral prosecuted the sugar trust, but
the supreme court declined to take
jurisdiction.
Roosevelt Man of Hour.
Such We're the conditions when
Theodore Roosevelt became president.
With him came Il man with the intel
lectual ability and moral fibre to
meet every emergency. With his ad-
vent came a sudden moral stiffening
and men who did crooked things were
driven from office. Theodore Roose-
welt is the man of the hour in every
sense of the word. When the history
of his administration is written it will
be summed UP in the sentence, He
turned on the light"
And now the question before the
American people is. What is to be
done to prevent the work from collap-
sing? 1t is only begun and it's con-
summation is in the far distant future.
Whether that work is ever completed
depends on the answer to the cues
ton, Who will be the next president?
Free speechh Advocated.
There has been great criticism of
Roosevelt for trying to dictate the
nomination OF his successor. He
ought TO remain quiet and let the par
ty choose" The party is wiser than
any man in it" I'VE ought to be free
to choose the man We want" And so
on through an infinity of platitudes.
II the party is to be wiser than any
man III it, that must depend upon the
fact that every man in it is willing to
express his own convictions. If the
men who compose it will not say what
they think, there will not be much
wisdom in the aggregate expression
Generally the men who talk this stuff
are the very first TO renounce the in
evitable conclusion to which it leads.
If the party is wiser than any man in
it because it forms a larger aggregate
of wisdom. then the whole country
must be wiser than the party, be-
cause it is a still greater aggregate.
Yet the men who acquiesce in bad
nominations out of Difference to the
partys wisdom, are often those who
resist most violently the conclusion
which overthrows that wisdom bv the
election of the adverse candidate. The
true theory is this: let each man be
true TO himself; let him say what he
thinks and do what he can TO promote
the success of good principles and
good candidates. Then. and then only.
is the aggregate conclusion entitled
to respect.
Duty With Roosevelt
If ever the duty lay upon any in
diviaual 10 do this. that duty lies now
upon the shoulders Of Theodore Roose.
welt. lie is a member OF the Republi-
can party. He is the leader of that
party. II he is 10 remain silent. whose
duty is ii 20 speak? Is it TO be only
the selfish interests thar arc demand
ing the power 10 work their will OF in.