The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-08
THE PRESIDENTS INTENSITY.

It is doplorable that President Roose welt should let hls emotions run riot when he feels called upon to comment upon the views of others, and espeC ally when in making the comment he deals with men who hold to views op- posIte from his own, No matter how one may sympathize with the position which proyolcs tic comment, unless 1t is made with respect for the amen itles of controversy one feels sorry at the lack Of self restraint exercised. This is impressively true of the Presi- dent of the United states, whose ex- alted position makes 1t unbecomIng In another to answer back It Is unbecom- ing because of the odds which are ne- cessarily in favor of that official
 There have been number of in- stances since Mir. Roosevelt took the oath of office in which this deplorabe habit has disclosed itself The most shocking was the Storer instance, in which both the man and the woman in volved were added without hesitation to the long list of members assigned to the Ananias club by him It is painful ly evident that in each case the avow- ed demand for word from him could | off In chastened language. Among his strong est admirers there was assent to his indignation but no assent to the em- phatic language employed They felt that secret dispeasure, to which we have alluded as overcoming the best of friends when errors of judgment of this character arc made by the otherwise beloved offender. This displeasure leads to no conclusive Judgment of an un- friendly sort about the offender and the offense. It rather expresses itself In note of sorrow that he should have made such display of uncontrolled in- dignaton.
 That is what one feels in connection with President Roosevclt's latest com ment, this time savagely directed at two able editors, one Delevan Smith of the Indianapolis News and the other Mir. Laffan of the New York Sun So far as Mir. Laffan Is concerned, the at- tack on him was general and without warrant in the particular connection which le1 tho President to write anoth- CT letter to q convenient friend about something which had appeared in the public prints about the purchase of the Panama Canal If either gentleman can be said to be justified in calling the other a purveyor of untruthfulness. the privilege was clearly Mr. Laffans In the case of Mir. smith of the Indl- annapolis News his respectful explana- tion of the manner in which he was led 10 comment upon the Panama Canal matter and the prma facie evidence he offers to show how little he could have been moved by personal consid- D orations, cannot but further accentuate popular regret that the President en- tered into the enterprise of denuncia- tlon on the one hand, and that Mir Fouke, on the other hand, failed to ex- ercise the privilege he was given not to make the letter public if he thought that the better disposition Of It.
 There are certain moral obligations which attach to the citizen who hap pens to occupy the office of President One Is to write his record in deeds and not in words Another is to remem- Der at all times the tremendous ad- vantage he enjoys in controversy with any other citizen of the republic and to be careful not to abuse 1t. A Presi- dent of the United States Is constantly under fire from his political and per- sonal enemies, and If he is to reply to each attack there would be no time  le.t for him to attend to his official dut- les On the other hand experience has shown that 1t is the wiser course to let the storm of criticism rage on Nnheeded to be stied finally by the overwhelming power of achievement. ''hts is the way in which both Grover
 
 Cleveland and William Mckinley mot like storms and each lived to see all bitterness allaNed, We believe it will be Mr. Tafts way If Is deplorable that 1t Is not President Roosevelt's way in view of the many remarkable talents which he possesses and the many things he has accomplished