The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-02-18
THE NATURAL ROOSEVELT.
His Real self Expressed In His Con
scrvatioB Policy.

scrTattoD Policy.
J. Edgsr Chs-.herlaiu. In the Neu Yo-s Nal.
When a man IS mulufold. Ike Roose-
welt. there Is. nevertheless. a man inside
Of him who is single IN the last spirit
ual analysis. man can be bet one: and
out in the world somewhere there IS q
person who knows that one man. that
inside man. and IS aware that IN reality
there IS no other-that all this many
sidedness IS mere appearance.
I fancy that John Burroughs knows the
real inside Roosevelt as well as any
other But the President has left the key
OF himself for US all. He exposed that
inside man 10 general view in his first
annual message and DE- has kept on re-
vealing him in every subsequent message.
Let me explain the riddle. The one
strong. big part OF RoOsevelt's first mes
sage was the portion Of il which bore
upon the forests. the flowing waters. and
the great plains and broad valleys OF the
far West that look upward 20 the sun
and ask moisture There may BE- an
certainty about railroad rates. and half
heartedness about reciprocity but there
what Roosevelt saws OF the forests and
the waters. The first message rings loud
and clear with IL, and the second takes
Up the subject eloquently where the first
left of. and the advocacy gains IN
strength and force TO the very last. 50
that, IN spite Of Congressional contempt
and indifference, the whole country the
whole continent. listens ~ last
These forest ufterances OF Roo=evelt's
these appeals in behalf Of wasted natura!
resources. are a CRY OF the heart ia them
stands the man himself
The administration OF Theodore Rooss-
welt viii stand f0r az least SIX great
( forward steps in the advance Of the ma
ton But before ] enumerate these steps
let ne make this assert iOn-tbat the dear
est Of an bis own works - him Is the
arOusing Of the general conscience in the
matter OF the conservation o. the na-
tonal resources. with its attendant bless
inEs OF the Insurance Of many thousands
OF acres Of sacred woodland from The
AK. and the spriuging I'D Of the green
grass upon vast desert expanSes-
The man who keenlv desires that 50
much OF the country az Is not forest shall
be garden. so that the people shall have
the bowers Of paradise all about them.
can never be anti-patriotie. and can never
be bad politician Theodore Roosevelt
childhood endowed him with a passionate
love Of the woods. and 70 his special
forest love was in that same period added
a tender respect Tor the pl0wed field and
the hUsbandman-
1t is possible that the supremacy OF this
out-of-dOor sentiment in Roosevelt has
restricted his subtlety as a statesman.
Perhaps the real lover Of the forest can
never become old enough 20 he a perfect
man Of state; Emerson. We know saws
that IN the woods 3 man casts off hts
years. as 2 snake his slough. and IS al
ways a child. IN the woods Is perpetual
youth" ] know that Roosevelt. in spite
OF his occasional csnniness as a politician.
Is a man OF simple youthful. forest
mind But the people would rather have
him that than any other kind Of man.
and / am convinced that the record Of his
accomplishment IN the affairs Of the IA
ton would be much shorter to-day II he
were not the bOyish outdoor fellow that
he is.