The Columbus journal., 1910-08-03

most startling figure who has appear.
ed in the world since Napoleon Bona.
parte, . circumstance not without
significance and portent."
Ifany reader doubted this the Sth
of last April, be can not doubt it now.
Everywhere and notably at New York
on Saturday the ex.president showed
himself, as We described him, pre-
eminently a man who fits the words to
the act, the act to the word, aud does
the thing which, however provocative
OF controversy, rebounds to his advan-
tage."
The man with the megaphone, on
Broadway, and the answering throngs,
not only echoed the words of the may
or Of Rome and the thought of all Eu-
rope-that Theodore Roosevelt is
again to be president of the United
states-but he and they uttered the
idea that has made its lOdgment in the
minds and hearts Of myriads of un.
thinking Americans who are blinded
by the concrete in hero worship to the
spiritual; good aud honest people who
vainly imagine that the disease Of
graft which ais the body polite may
be cured by one doctor, and only one
doctor. using q single remedy and
remedy that never yet worked single
cure; the strong man invested with
power more Or less absolute and arbit-
rary.
We venture to reproduce the fol-
lowing from the sth Of April, apropos
Of the ex-president's reception in the
Eternal City.
The fighting philosopher the
mayor Of Rome describes him. That
fiatters the vanity of human nature.
We rejoice in the man Of battle who is
man Of thought. Third after Wash.
ingtOn and Lincoln said the mayor of
Rome. Washington the CREATOR
Lincoln the 'consolidator,' Roosevelt
the purifier Finally, We look again
to see him at the head of the great
republic said the mayor of Rome.
That is the keynote. And it will con.
tinue to be the keynote wherever he
goes. Thus he will come back to us
the European nominee for president Of
the United States.
Let no one fancy this an unmean.
ing. Or an idle compliment. Taken in
connection with what appears to be the
hopeless breakdown Of the Taft admin
istration. it Constitutes an event Of the
first consequence. With the Waterloo
which seems certain IL Overtake the
republicans in the fall elections. the
cry for Roosevelt in 1912 as the only
man who can save the party will come
up from every side, and it may prove
irresistible. Hence the candidacy of
Theodore Roosevelt for president in
1912 may be regarded from this time
onward as SO probable that the people
should begin seriously to consider it.
"Ifwe are to return Theodore Roose.
welt to power let there be no mistake
about the terms Of the new commission |
which is to be issued to him."
Mark the current proceedings in
ful6llment. Itgives emphasis to what
followed 10 the same article. Taking
the philosOphic conclusion of most Of
the great speculative historians and
idealistic dOctrinsires from Plato to
Gibbon for cue, that is that "the best
OF all government is q wise and benev-
olent despotism," We continued as
follows:
"lf the government Of the United
States under our written constitution
Of checks and balances be q failure
Is many think it-and if there be
needed for its executive head strong
man, having the courage to take all the
bulls Of corruption BY the horns. and,
regardless Of obsolete legal restraints,
10 shake the life out Of them, then,
indeed, Theodore Roosevelt would
'eem one fitted by temperament, edu.
,ation and training for the work. He
: patriotic American with humani-
arian proclivities He is an incor-
'uptible msn. He has shown himself
earless Of Consequences. 1.-THE people
ire sick and tired Of the slow processes
# constitutional procedure: if they
want in the white house a president
sho, disregarding the letter of the law,
'ill substitute his own Interpretation
f its spirit aud intention; if they think
hat the reign Of hypocrisy and cant
nd graft which marks our professional
i