Evening star., 1909-03-04

ing an interest in the problems confrcnt-
ing them. He made hundreds of speeches.
the total aggregating close 10 1o0o. II not
more
Educating and agitating the people
through speeches. he at the same time
showed the keenest knowledge OF reach
ing them through the public press. he
has handed out through his private sec
retary many hundreds Of statements
TO his attitude and attacking the ~ ptivcs
and purposes If those opposed - him
These statements and attacks have a.
ways been c,everly timed. TpcH have al
ways been printed. too. because the news
papers knew The interest taken i'm any
utteranCe of the chef executive. lie ms
had ten times more space fer his views
in American newspapers than ali nis ~
ponentS combined
Moves on Standard Oil
The aggressive position uf The Presi-
dent toward the trusts is shown ia mo
fact that by his orders the legal depart
ment Of the government tackled tie
Standard Oil, and there are now several
suits pending against the company. A
number of them relate to rebates given
10 the combine by railroads: but the most
important one is to come up this month
in St Louis. In this action the govern
ment seeks TO have the great trust dis
solved in violation of the sherman
antitrust law. Thousands OF pages Of
testimony have been taken by referees.
and all this will come before the United
States court the last OF the month. Other
important trust prosecutions are pending.
one against the powder trust. another
against Harriman'S Pacific railroad trust
and numerous others.
When President Roosevelt told WASH
ington newspaper men a few days ago
that he had at least given them some
thing to do during his administration they
laughed in full agreement. He has been
active in mental processes and states
manship and active physically. He has
walked. ridden horseback and vehicle,
played tennis. boxed. wrestled, INDUCED
in contests with Swords-in fact, missed
nothing of the athletic. His trained mind
has been aided by healthy. vigorous
body. He surprised the world by riding
los miles on horseback i'm one day to dem
onstrate that army officers ought TO have
no trouble in covering less distance in
three days. When he goes into the
jungles of Africa to hunt big game he
Will be In as fit condition physically as
man can be. Boxers and wrestiers
throughout the country, nearly all OF
whom have visited him at some time,
have expressed the genuine belief that
there are few men VINO can knock him
out in a boxing contest.
Successes in Diplomatic Field.
President Roosevelt's crusade against
trusts. his fights against corrupt politics
and politicians. his work generally at
home brought him no greater fame than
his successes in the diplomatic field. He
is universally given credit for bringing
Russia and Japan together and settling:
the war between those two countries. Had
he not extended the good offices Of the
United States the contest might have gone
on indefinitely. For bringing abut tho
peace of Portsmouth President Roose-
welt received the Nobel prize of $4,000.
which he turned over to a commission as
the neuclus of a fund for arbitration OF
disputes between labor and capital
By the act of the secession Of the re-
public of Panama from Colombia.
President Roosevelt took advantage
of the situation to secure for the
United States undisputed and lasting
Panama canal across the Isthmus
of Panama. There was severe criticism
of what was declared to be connivance
on the part of the United States to bring
about the secession from Colombia, but
the administration was upheld in that as
in other things.
Interference in Cuba and the military
occupation of that island until it was
put on better footing was another step
in the foreign policy Of the administra-
ton Just closed The Cubans had not
been able to run their government and
show their abilities as citizens. The
United States stepped in. sent Gov. Ma
COON there, Strengthened out things i'm
good shape, permitted the Cubans to elect
another president, and last February
turned their government over to them
again.
Mixing in the affairs Of Santo Domingo 10
the extent Of collecting taxes and paying
off debts was not disapproved by the
country. although the sanction OF the
Senate was withheld.