The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-03-04

What has Roosevelt's administra-
ton stood for, been and accomplished,
and what does the accession of Mr..
Taft mean?
1t all means a new direction in the
progress of the human race.
The period, following the Civil war,
was a period of bitter reconstruction
in the south, of remarkable expan-
sion in the rest of the country. 1t
was an age of materialism, that af-
fected all things. II was every man
for himself and the devil take the
hindmost. Success excused anything.
We saw its erect in the courts, which
exalted property above the individual;
We saw IT in the political parties,
whose slogan of victory was mater
ial prosperity: we saw it in the SEN
ate where representatives of the spe-
cial interests passed upon the laws OF
the nation; We saw 1t in states
where officials were trafficked in; we
saw 1t in municipalities where cor
ruption and bribery and theft were
rampant.
But we did not see It enthroned in
the hearts of the American people
Roosevelt did.
He is the president of many mes
sages. and those messages were di-
rected to tie people. Repetition was
their fault at which we complained
because Roosevelt went back to first
principles and argued his reforms on
the basis of elemental morality. He
saw that IL reform was TO come. the
reform must be in, the hearts of the
citizens, whose errors were mifrored
in the political corruption and the
Somi,rance of property.
That plutocracy was imminent. the
resNlessness of the people made man
lfesi. The spiritual natured McKin-
ley had begun to imperfectly express
this feeling when he died, and the
lI9n-hearted Roosevelt was called toI
meet the drties of the hour He had
tasted the blood of municipal evils,
and of bureau methods and he was
keen for more blood. He scented i'll
in the senate and found IL. As the
result of his work We find a moral
awakening in the republic We have
the Folks, the Hadleys. the Hughes,
in the state capitols: the Tom John
sons and Brand Whitlocks in the cit
les; the LaFollettes the Beveridges,
the Cummings in the senate. and the
minority party in congress fulfilling
its function of compelling the major
ity to do its duty. AS the result of
his warfare platforms of both nation
al political parties demanded exactly
the same principles and the people
chose between men and means, not
principles.
But that victory was not accomp-
lished without much anguish. Fail
ing to defeat Roosevelt the interests
in the senate turned their attention
to succeeding him with a reactionary,
and he met them there. The senate
cabal fought Taft in every state in
the Union, including his own. They
fought in such a manner that II re-
acted on the party during the cam
paign. Yet, We found Roosevelt on
the very eve of the nomination,
standing by the supreme law of the
land. and declaring to the Californ-
ans that the japanese have rights,
that must be respected.
BY whom is he succeeded? BY a
man as brave and honest as Roose-
welt himself. A man highly educat-
ed, trained diplomat. an experienced
executive and learned Judge
schooled in the principles and policies
of the outgoing administration. yet
no mere understrapper.
With unfriendly capital holding
aloof and the leader of organized la
Dor endeavoring to align those forces
against him, Mr.. Taft stood squarely
to the issue; told capital labor has
the right to organize and strike, and
told labor the general welfare and
common good of the nation are more
important than its battles. He told
them both where they were wrong.
admitting what he had done on the
bench. and assured them that II he
became president, they might expect
him, to abide by the principle he had
already enunclated. Then both sides
voted for him.
That campaign was the cleanest
campaign ever waged in this country.
Corporations contributed to neither
side. Instead of receiving slush
funds in the states, states contributed
to the national fund and both COM
mittees were hard up.
Roosevelt, who said the United
States would stand by its guaranty of
freedom to the Pearl of the Antilles,
is succeeded by Taft. the man, who
declared that the Philippine tariff
should be adjusted for the benefit of
the Filipinos without regard to the
effect on producers of the United
States. II Is a monstrous theory Of
colonial government. No other ma
ton under heaven ever adopted II.
What does the administration go
ing ort and the administration com
ling in stand for? II stands for the
idea that this free government is not
an end in itself; that the obligation
uaftc.fiad