Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-02
REPUBLICAN DIscoRD

IN DIFYING and instructive Is the
NJ spectacle of a Republican presi-
dent fighting his own party. Con-
gress attempted to ignore the prest-
dents reform suggestions. The presi-
dent reached for the big stick and
twirled it like a shillalah. While en-
gagged in this bellicose action he sent
word to the rebels that although he
will be chief executive during only one
more session he will not allow his
policies to be looked upon by the law
makers as negligible quantities"
While they may bluster and brag. Re-
publicans to man are afraid of Roose-
welt. They know there is not one of
them who could not be made or marred
by word from the popular president,
and that nothing they may say can in
jure the reputation of the chief ex-
ecutive.
The effect produced on the United
States by the sterling integrity and the
steadfastness of purpose which charac-
terize the president has had no parallel
in the annals of the country. Lincoln
has the reputation of having been
equally popular. but the student who
cares to look up American history from
contemporary records, instead of trust
ing specially written books win find
that for a while Lincoln was highly un-
popular in certain sections of the
United States and among certain citi-
zens of a type to be found all over the
United States, and was lampooned,
ridiculed and caricatured in a manner
so grossly vulgar that many of the pic
lures and published articles could not
be republished in a modern magazine
or journal. The only other president
who suffered as severely from the in
decencies of yellow journalists and car
toonists as Lincoln suffered was Nc
Kinley.
In order to save their faces Republf-
can leaders have framed a program
which includes the authorization of the
ways and means committee to sit dur
ing the summer recess and prepare for
tariff revision next year; the passage OF
the Vreeland currency measure. con-
currence in the Gallinger bill regulat-
ing child labor in the District of Column
bia, passage of the Mccall bill relative
to publicity in the matter of campaign
contributions and passage of liability
measure applicable to employees of the
government in mechanical work. In
plain English, the independent presi-
dent is forcing reform measures on the
reluctant, interest controlled conserva-
tive or tory Republicans. What the
effect of this enforced legislation will
be upon the interests can be guessed.
1t will be as gall and wormwood. Pres
ident Roosevelt is repeating his own
history or emphasizing the fact that his
character is unchanged. Here again is
the civil service commissioner, insisting
that civil service rules mean what they
say, no matter what political leaders
may decree. Here again is the police
commissioner of New York, insisting
that precedent is no warrant for the
continuance of ridiculous disparities be-
tween the law and the enforcement
thereof, and that If a change is needed
it should be effected at the polls and in
the legislature, and not by actual or
virtual corruption of a police commits
sioner and his department. We have
before called attention to the fact that
many of the Roosevelt policies are
Democratic. This is accentuated by the |
action and attitude of Republicans. |
is exactly in the position of a |
Democratic president at odds with a |
hostile Republican congressional ma
jority and determined to fight for his |
own hand and for the interests of |
Americanism.