The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-03-01
THE PASSING PRESIDENT.

March will terminate the administration of
one of the most active and forceful of our Pres
idents. Theodore Roosevelt was placed in NOM
ination for the vice-presidency by the interests
in order to "get rid of him. from New York pol
itics Upon his accession to the Presidency,
he served notice on their chief agent that he
could no longer dominate the presidential policy,
and Mark Hanna curled up like viper and died
of broken heart. President Roosevelt took up
the work of sorting the good trusts from the bad
trusts, and every now and then he has stuck
a sharp stake where it made some one "holler."
Of course, he has made mistakes. No man
with energy and radical desire to do things
but has made mistakes. Such we believe to be
his upholding of the improper use of the 1nJunc-
ton in the against Gompers and others,
and backing the bringing of libel suits in forced
and tortuous manner against the New York World
and others, because the United States constitution
guarantees freedom of speech and of the press, to-
gether with the right of trial by jury and these are
chief cornerstones in the bulwarks of American lib
erty and progress that no judge nor executive has
a right to destroy. Far better would it have been
to have answered, squarely and openly so all
men could read the question: "Who got the
money!" The taxpayers who furnished that mon
ey had a right to that answer.
At the same time the administration of Presi-
dent Roosevelt has made much for progress. He
has stopped talking about and begun work
Isthman Canal that will join the two oceans and
give direction to the commerce OF the world
He has set in motion the plans for revivifying the
waterways of the nation, thereby adding to the
power for production and transportation OF the
American Nation. He has encrcled the world by
a trip of our navy, calling the attention OF the
nations to the preparedness of the United States
for prominence in worldly affairs of the twentieth
century He has exalted the American farm home
as factor in the power and progress OF the coun-
try and has set in motion forces that will tend to
it's betterment. He has recognized the enervat1ng
influence of a depletion of the resources OF any
country and has called together the governors
and other leaders of thought and influence to set
in motion needed efforts to conserve the resources
of this nation. He has gone further, and enlisted
the active support of Canada and Mexico in car.
rying on the work throughout the continent, and
has issued call for a worlds conference on con-
servation at The Hague in September next.
All along the line the influence of President
Roosevelt has been towards activity, industry and
progress Perhaps no part of the country has felt
this influence more than the Pacific Northwest.
It has been visited by himself and more members
of his cabinet than of those of all his predeces-
sors and their influence has, likewise, made more
for the advancement of it's agriculture, its COM
merce it's manufactures it's home-making than
have all others That this helpful condition OF adj
ministratve influence will not die with his pass
ing is shown by the fact that his successor has
chosen an important member OF his CABINET from
the Pacific Northwest =
Of President Roosevelt We can say, with all
thy faults we love thee STILL" and while he is
passing from the Presidency, it will not be TO
state of innocuous desuetude, but to realm
of private life where his forceful influence for
progressive activity will continue to tell.