The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-03
THE ROOSEVELT PURPOSE.

There need be no doubt whatever of the character of the impression President Roosevelts latest message to the congress of the United States has made Whether 1t is received in the spirit MT. Bryan receives it, as one of the most notable blows ever struck in behalf of the people of country seeking their own betterment; whether it is accepted as another manifesto ton of the political obsession of the President; whether it is regarded as a bitter and indefensible assault upon vested interests just recovering from previous assaults; whether it is look ed upon as a State document of far reaching political import and conse- auence. it cannot be disposed of as commonplace from any conceivable point of view. It took great moral courage and deep convictions to pen it, whether it reflects the calmer judg- ment and more rational view which up to the time of President Roose velt's administration were thought to be characterististic of official sohriety.
 There are as many signs as there are men and newspapers to comment upon the message which point to the fact that it is susceptible of many in terpretations. It left congress for ex- ample, in part dumbfounded and in part exhilarated according to the po litical affiliations of it's members. The Republican members were thrown in- to a confusion of mind similar, though of different origin, to that con fusion which overlook the Democrats in 1887 when they discovered that driven from his tariff views whether -they complicated the Democratic out look or not. The Democratic members met the recommendation and criti- csms of the President with cheers because they saw in them the approv- al of the philosophy which they have championed with such unabated en- thusiasm for twelve years. At once situation was created which will not be successfully ironed out until the first of the two great nominating con- ventions is assembled. Of necessity men will continue, to hunt for the Presidents real object in pennng the message. His friends will see one pur- pose in it. his supporters another and his enemies still another The practical politician will for the present search for no explanation of it. It is his bus mess and profession to watch and note the effect of the document upon the popular thought of the day and at the psychological moment attqne himself to it. And it is because this is so and of human suggestion that the months ahead of us will become saturated with political soothsaying, political analyzation and political huggermug- gering. Whether President Roosevelt wishes to be eliminated from the fur " of suspicion or doubt, or whether he is indifferent to it is really of little moment He will remain a figure in the preliminary canvass until anoth- CT has been nominated
 nal-Courier to be fair in its estimate of another's purposes in. life, but even that duty does not and cannot close its eyes to the chances as they may affect President Roosevelt within the next few months. There is no. reason to suspect him of either an ambition to succeed himself or of harboring a secret mission to bring it about He gives one plenty of opportunities to criticise him, but a lack of sincerity is not one of them. It is, however, not at all impossible that in spite of him. self he may yet be forced to lead his party through another campaign. It is conceivable that situation may so shape itself at Chicago that no other way out will be found or discovered The failure to present candidate who enjoys in an equal or like degree his hold upon the popular fancy, with the alternative staring the convention in the face of having MT Bryan run on an opposition ticket upon Roosevelt platform, will conceivably drive every politician in the Republican conven- ton to save his own neck by clinging to NIT. Roosevelt despite his protests As has been said before in the columns of this newspaper, there is no question of the impressive availa bility of Secre- tarv Taft. His training for the office has been of exceptional value, but even the recognition of that fact will give way easily to any conviction the practical leaders of the Republican party reach with regard to the neces- sitv of Mir Roosevelt's renonlination First of all the party in power wishes to keep control of the government, but let it once become suspicious of its ln- ability to do so without President