The Washington herald., 1908-01-05

smoke and flame and spirit long ago. The
President has more power than any SOW
ereign on earth. The splendid govern
ment your patriots in ruffied shirts and
knee breches affected 50 much 10 dread.
which was the merest fad Of the time. is
here. Last winter l was in Washington.
and though I did not go about much. IL
was plain that nothing was wanting to
a regal court but the name Of it. The
Cabinet members are only the iackeys
OF the President. He tells them % go, ana
they fly. He bids them come and they
kneeL He has but 10 touch a button. and
it is done. That is as it should be- The
small politicians who label themselves
Democrats are bat empty bottles on the
shelf The small politicians who label
themselves Republicans weakly fancy
themselves In power Theodore Roosevelt
Will show Them all a thing or two when
he is ready. You imagine that YOU are
defending the Constitution when you
are. as DisraeH once said 10 Roebuck,
only a sentry guarding a vacant and dis
maHtled fortress
81 agree with YOU I answered. that
Theodore Roosevelt is a figure q startling
possibilities. Already many very notable
achievements stand - his credit ]. too,
have watched his career from the begin
ming with interest. having known his
family. recall when he became a mem
Der Of the little Free Trade Club which
a group OF young enthusiasts had organ
lied In New York TO help US along with
the battle for tariff reform, and the high
hope / had Of him as an embryo leader
OF sound, economic principles, and how
/ was disappointed when he fell by the
way, dropping back into the bound
party Of protecuonism The wrench shook
my belief in his steadfastness. But when.
after a successful career as d civil service
reformeT, he threw his noisy principles
out of the window 10 make terms with
Platt and Quay and Addicks. I lost faith
in his sincerity as man Of real and deep
convictions. At best he is a daring op-
portunist impetuous and mheeding, I'M
restrained by any line Of opinions or con-
sistency when his ambition happens to
be tempted. He seems to me. indeed,
merely a successful moralizer and fan
tastic Snowman"
There you put your finger on the
spot, she quickly interposed He is an
opportunist, and a very clever opportu-
mist He is a showman-which Of the
kings Of men was not? All great souls
must bide their time. They must amuse
the herd. But that which strikes you as
but the commonplace Of opportunism
tmpresses me as the patient, profound
discrimination OF the man Of destiny and
genius. Revolutions, as the Latin-Ameri-
cans say. are not made of rose water.
Neither are they hasteged by the wealth
er, or hindered by fall of rain Like
the fruitage of nature, they have their
seasons. and must be sOwn and tended
long before they can be reaped. At the
outset, Theodore Roosevelt was but play
ing with politics-another young Glad
stone, or Disraeli. He was seeking a
career and making experiments. Moth
ing much mattered but success. The free
trade boots did not fit him. How did
you fare with them after Cleveland put
them on his thick legs and stumbling
feet? The civil service crutches were
we'll enough 10 help him walk into some
kind of public notice They were respect
able and spectacular. Why should he not
| throw them out Of the window when they
were OF no further use to him-rather a
hindrance? He saw in free trade the
interest mirage. So he wasted no time
upon it. He knew that civil service re-
form was sham and a fraud. but it was
the fashion, and he appropriated it as a
woman might adopt the mode of the mo-
ment, not to outlast the shop windows.
He has crushed the poor old shell you call
the Democratic party. He will next make
himself master of what remains of the
Republican party. Do you think he does
not know the value Of the goody-goody
which he alternates with the gamy -gamy.
to-day an agreeable lay-preaeher dealing
in the platitudes of the copy-books and
the fake idealisms Of the women's clubs,
tomorrow a daring sportsman, tickling
the young idea with his wild adventures,
always arresting the public interest and
keeping himself in the center of the
stage? No deep design beneath it? Why
he is a law unto himself He creates his
own ethical environment. He is the mas
ter builder An. my friend. do not de-
ceive YOURSELF Remember he Is Bull
lOeh-a Bulloch of Georgia"
She rose and went indoors, leaving me
in solitary possession of the garden and
| the shadows; upon the tcpmost Dough OF
neighboring palm mocking bird was
singing 70 the moonlight; and-the weird
Ike presence had made its impression in
spite Of its vagaries-I found myself Won
dering whether it was dream. and say
ing to myself IF out of the mouth Of
babes and Stockings, why not out of the
fancy of this erazed old woman of tbs
SOuthTA