Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-09-15
is IT CAESAR COME TO LIFE

Upon what meat doth this our
Caesar feed that he is grown so
great?" These words. which Shakes
peare put into the mouth of Cassius,
might, with peculiar htn ess,
be applied to Theodore Roosevelt
the nearest approach to a Caesar that
the United States has produced.
Roosevelt, like his Roman proto-
type. personifes the arrogent col
uueror. His conquests have been
world wide-he looms as a Colos-
sus. He put aside the crown" in
1904 but named his successor, and
thus perfected the first attempt 20
perpetuate a political dynasty in this
country.
He laid down the sceptre q year
and a half ago and retired to a quasi
privacy, the object Of greater adula-
lion than had been the lot of any of
his distinguished predecessors in Of
fice He spent year in the jungles
of Africa, away from the haunts of
civilization. where it must be pre-
sumed that he devoted a great deal
of time to meditation on men and
measures. for. presto upon his re-
turn he finds that things are not as
they should be-that in a short year
and a half the affairs of the nation
have gone so APPROPRIATIONS have
become so warped and changed from
what they were under him as mentor,
that there is call for him to step
into the breach and save the coun-
try. There can be but one conclusion
and that is that this call is fathered
BY personal ambition-such ambi'
ton of which Caesar was accused.
Theodore Roosevelt, on his late
western trip, gave unbridled vent to
his personality. He assumed license
in his attacks that was unwarranted,
and such as no other American cit
izen would dare to assume. He arro-
gated to himself all the political vir-
tues and gave an exhibition Of phil
istinism uneoualled i'm the history of
American craftsmanship. His speech
es and impromptu talks were full
platitudes. designed for the plaudits
of the multitude, but they contained
little other than generalities and Of
fered nothing new or logical in the
way of suggesting solution of pres
ent evils-real or fancied The only
conclusion one can draw from his
talks is that there is no such thing
as honesty in public life Fortunately
cynicism has not vet taken such a
hold upon the American people that
they will subscribe 20 this indict-
ment. He has assumed TO be the sole
Judge of rectitude and probity, as
witness his criticism Of the United
States Supreme Court and his dis
courteous affront 90 the Hamilton
Club. Of Chicago. when he insisted
that Senator Lorimer be excluded
from the banquet rendered him by
that club BY what right does he
adjudge Lorimer guilty before a trial
had been had? Is it his idea Of a
square deal that the public mind
should be preiudiced. as &c must have
been by his action before Lorimer
has been formally tried and found
guiltyzif he be guilty? These are
but two instances Of Rooseyelts I'M
sufferable arrogance TO which the
people Of the country are just awak-
ening
His influence has been houndless
and that influence should have been
directed in proper channels instead
Of being made subservient to his
ambition. If this ambition be not
curbed there will be necessity before
long for another Mare Antony to de-
liver an grafton. this time over th'
mutilated remains of an unboundeS
popularity covered with IA mantle
rent by the swords of reason. Of de
cency and of righteousness.