The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-24

The Lewiston (Me.) Journal is one of those self-blinded organs which lets no opportunity pAss to boost Roosevelt or to overlook his short eomings. Recently it used this ian- guaxe:
 "one acquainted with the temper of the American people cannot deny that Rooseveits passion for political and more to fuse public opinion into an effective political force than all other causes combined The natural man likes horse horse ,, sense but he likes volt
 There Is . man in Worcester" comments The New Haven Register. "who is getting into trouble. with his voltage. He can't comb his hair without shooting sparks. and the oth- CT day he got so vigorous in this ex- srcise that the free electricity fused a row of teeth out of his ceiluioid comb very suddenly. If he approach ss his safe ans carelessly points his finger at it, there's flash as the eiec- tricity passes from finger to iron. Such a man may be able te make ln- terestlng experiments, and will doubt less attract good deal of attention. but he Is hardly . pleasant companion. Ftis voltage is too high. One must feel that he Is not suitably grounded.
 "As iese majeste is not considered as horrid a crime as it once was; one may be permitted to say that some thing Of this sort seems te aii the President For the past few weeks he has been emitting sparks almost continually. and yesterdays message clearly shows that his voltage is too high to permit onN to remain in his vicinity with safety. He is surchsrg- ed with excitement over this Panama Canal affair, and swan Pouitney BIge- lows generous offer to serve as 6 lightning rod seems not to relieve him. It would be much more dIgnihsd. and more to the taste of the American people if he had let the matter rest. The majority of the people believe that the Panama business has been weli conducted. and that everything there is going on as well as could be expected: Why not let 1t go at that until Mir. Taft. as he is reported to in- tend to do. hss made smother trip down to see how it fs."
 To begin with, is not the Maine or. gan taking long chances with veraci- ty, ana with the intelligence and good sense of the American people when it boasts Of the sPresfdsnt's ''poiiticai righteousnessT. Does 1t consider the people so blind, so stupid or so for- getful that they would fail to notice and remember the numerous instances in which he has utterly failed to be governed by righteousness. justice or fairness in his politics7 The Maine brother has poor opinion of the Am- eriean people if 1t thinks they will look on Roosevelt as an exponent and promoter of political righteousness. E As to the Panama matter. it begins
 
 more smoke than. fire In all the row that has been going on recently. but can any one doubt that there Is sonne4 thing in the charges that have been made? It seems incredible that the statements of those who should know what they are talking about and who can hardly be looked on as mere. sem sation-mongers and slanderers, should have no foundation in fact. The mere and unsupported denials of the Presi- dent are not entitled to much weight, and he has disproved nothing Of con- sequence. The matter is net yet end ed, and it may be that the serious charges made by certain newspapers will be supported by facts. or they may all fall to the ground and the re- suit be that they have Injured none but those who put them forward.
 These are matters that should be fully and fairly Investigated without partiality or partisanship: If the charges are true the people at large have a right to know it, while if they are false the President should be fully relieved of all blame. This much is due him on the one hane and due the country on the other. Nothing can be gained or settled by one side set ting Roosevelt up as a model of all civic and political virtues while the other side brands him as a sensational and irresponsible slanderer and falsI- fer. Let us hope that all the facts will come out so that the blame will fall where 1t belongs. There Is no call for electricity and voltage in dealing with such serious matter.