The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1908-06-23
ROOSEVELT IN
HISTORY
REVIEW OF THE SEVEN YEARS
OF WORK OF THE GREATEST
HISTORY.

Looking back over the last seven
years of American history to ,:onii-
tions that existed during the closing
years of the nineteenth century, one
can see that great change has come
over American life. The people have
different ideals; they have different
notions of right and wrong; they are
served by more efficient and more
faithful public servants. In business
and in politics and in literature ani
in religion, new progressive spirit
is in the hearts of the American peO-
pie. A few laws have changed for
the better-but not SO maryland
laws are not the test of progress, but
rather is the spirit that is behind all
laws, that test of The spirit of the
people And by this test America
has come a long way since the old
century closed Probably many
forces have contributed to this end;
also it is obvious that this American
forward movement is part of a
world movement, but even that view
of the movement cannot take away
the great impetus to progress given
to American life by Theodore Roose-
welt.
He has been a great force for de-
cent living. He has been great
/ preacher, rather than a law-giver.
He has taught men that this is not
essentially a material world, but
! that it is practical world of spirit
ual things. Our great men-those
whom we respect the most-are not
mere rich men. He has taught the
scorn of those whose only virtue is
their successful and efficient greed.
Great artists. great spiritual leaders
great teachers of men, great seers Of
vls1Ons-practical VISIONS ike the
Panama canal; the reclamation of the
desert, the Appalachian reserve, and
! the great waterways system, great
speakers of truth have thrived in
these seven years under the encour-
agement of Theodore Roosevelt No
other ruler in the world has worked
with such substantial things to such
great ends as he has worked. FOR
no other ruler in the world has had
to his hand such forces. In the old
world the rulers ruled in a material
way over a materia. kingdom. But
with the marvellous advance that has
been made in the dissemination of
! knowledge during the last half of
the nineteenth century the food prob
lem has been removed from so many
millions of American people that they
are considering many things; the
young men are seeing great visions.
The food problem must be still fur
ther eliminated. There is food en-
Tough for all. And the problems that
!
in business, in politics, in art, have
been the problems concerning the
more equitable distribution of
wealth. Those are the problems of
this century. The work on those
problems has just begun.
| But his term in the presidency,
which now is drawing to it's close,
will mark the beginning of great
era; it is the turning point in our
national life-turning away from
greed, and cruelty, away from the
law of the jungle, away from
money getting, as nation. and turn
ing toward the Golden rul5. For es-
sentially the things that Roosevelt
stands for are the things whic1 have
been in the hearts of the people
since the landing of the Pilgrims. 1t
is a long step, for instance, from
Plymouth Rock to the Hepburn bill;
yet it has been a line of continuous
progress. The progress has been
! working out in a practical way
scheme of living in which men should
do as they would be done by 1t is
lall there in the Roosevelt policies. He
did not invent those policies, any
\ %1o laR4
| invented their creeds. They grew in
the hearts of the people, and the
great minds grasped them and stated
the common aspiration in an under
Istandable language adding enthusi-
asm to dogma, and sacrifice to greed
and making it faith
! Every great man reflects his times
and drama siZeses himself in lis
! times. The race and is great men
! grow together. Roosevelt grew On
! the soil of today; he would have been
chOked ont IN Grants day or in Nc
| Kinley's lay Those days were -
umphant days for this republic, but
they were not today. and tomorrow
! this day viii seem as remote and
| crude as yesterday.
And so wags the world away Tn
doubtedly Pharoah played his part in
/ the forgotten kingsworld. The old
days are full of forgotten kings who
did their work we'll, and sank be-
meath the ever moving tide of the
progress. Today Theodore Roose-
! welt is the greatest figure in conten-
porary history. Tomorrow he will
| loom greater even than he is today
But inevitably there must come
time when he, too, will be forgotten:
/ when his name will mean little. but
! he has done mans part ia the
world. He has lived full life He
has fought the good fight AID into