The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-03-31
SEVEN YEARS OF ROOSEVELT,

"1n seven years W. shall know better
whether Theodore Roosevelt has done
things for US or has done things to
u.s. writes Lindsay Denison in the
Circle magazine. sit is possible he
has done both. But at any rate the
final ledger balances will be in posi-.
tive form.
1--WE shall have, for instance, the
Panama canal.
ut may read that we ought to have
a sea level canal instead of a lock
canal; it may read that the canal has
cost a half million dollars when it
ought to have cost only a third as
much.
1.-THE point is that there will be a
canal.
SIN the relations of the government
and great corporations we shall have
something which We may read: Presi-
dent Roosevelt perverted the spirit of
the constitution to meet his own pre-.
JUDGES. 1t may read that he fed the
clamor OF the people for q blood or
money sacrifice by forcing the opera.
tion of a law which he himself has
admitted to be sometimes inequitable
the Sherman law. 1t may read that
many industrious and honest men In
banks, stores, factories, and bitches,
suffered want and saw their wives and
children hunger and die when possi-
bly, ( but not probably the ideals of
national life for which he was striving
might have been brought about auto
m~atically and gently with the passing
of the years of himself and his sue
cessors-just as President Mckinley
intended to eliminate the spoilsmen in
the government departments quietly
and without disturbing the nation by
self doubts.
"The point is that it has been proven
that there is not a corporation in the
United States which has any certainty
that it can violate the law of the
United States with impunity; that
there is always hanging over such a
corporation the threat that a president
may be elected who will so execute the
real will of the nation that nothing
can stand between them and q calling
to account.
"In the history of Mr.. Roosevelt's
personal attitude toward his Office
after all the jokesmiths have finished
talking about his homilies on every.
thing from the married relation to the
life of the farmer and from high fl.
nance to BIRDS eggs-it may be writ.
ten that he has overborne his wisest
advisers and has leaned too much on
the reflex commend alton of his every
thought which must come to a strong
man from q clique of self-selected per.
sonal admirers.
1.-THE point is that we have had q
working and q human president and
not q mechanic who has watched and
oiled q machine for the mere honor OF
holding the Office"
The writer quotes from q personal
interview with Mr.. Roosevelt several
years ago, in which he made this
statement regarding his desire to bt
elected to the presidency:
1.-THE time is coming in this countr,
for q readjustment between the wag,
Garner and the drawer OF dividends
The radicals are almost half right
Corporation cunning has developed
faster than the law of nation or state
1t is undoubtedly true that corpora
} tions have found ways to steal lon,
before we have found that they wer
; susceptible OF punishment for theft.
"But sooner or later, unless Their
is a season OF REIMBURSEMENT, there will
come a r%iotous, wicked, murderou
r day OF atonement. It is true that som
: great fortunes are being accumulate
, lawfully but dishonesty. 1t is tru
t other fortunes are being accumula ate
e honestly but illegally. There mus
come, in the proper growth of thi
nation, a REIMBURSEMENT. If it is not t
e come by sword and powder and b)oo