The Columbus journal., 1910-08-03

In all the English language fitte'
words could not have been chosen
than those employed BY Theodore
Roosevelt to express his sense ofhome
coming.
1t was a wonderous reception. Moth
ing like it was ever known before
The height on which it leaves him is
dizzy height. How shall he maintain
his footing there?
"Above Blocker street, still in th'
downtown district" We quote the re
port, "a man with q megaphone yell
ed:
"'Who will be our next president!
"And. As though by prearranget
signal the crowd answered TEDDY" il
one stentOrian shout"
There We have the false note in thu
spirit of our age; the materialistic for
cling its way through everything; the
bird. finland the common aim. To gel
rich-no matter how-to get Office, nc
matter why, represents the average
point of view. As q consequence the
thing We have named graft" has be-
come universal. The halls Of con.
gress, the state Legislatures. the city
council, the municipal boards and
commissions reek in it. Its local ha.
bitstion is everywhere. 1t has no poll.
tics. Scarcely one, indeed, Of the
mammoth private fortunes, Of which
We hear SO much, could bear the light
Of investigation.
"No man could receive such q greet.
ing" We quote the admirable words Of
Theodore Roosevelt, without being
made to feel both very proud and very
humble" and then be said:
Il am ready and eager to do my
part so far As l am able 10 helping
solve problems which must be solved
if We, of this. the greatest democratic
republic upon which the sun has ever
shOne, are t. see its destinies rise to
the high level Of our hopes and its Op.
portunilies. This is the duty Of every
citizen. but it is peculiarly my duty;
for any man who has ever been
honored by being made president Of
the United States is thereby forever
afiel rendered the debtor Of the Ameri-
can people and is bound throughout
his life to remember this as his prime
obligation, and in private life. a much
As in public life, SO to carry himself
that the American people may never
have cause to feel regret that once
they placed him at their head"
ii.
The first and greatest Of all our
problems is the publication Ofthe pub
lie service. We may as we'll admit
that our two party system is--on this
side-s failure. The CRATER gets in
his work with equal facility upon both
our parties. As suits his purpose he
is by turns q democrat, or q republi.
can; the alternate maker and creature
Of party spirit.
Third'party movements, for all their
good intentions, have proved futile.
Party spirit has been too much for
them. They have fallen as betwixt
two stools. What We need is q body
Of Independents taken for special ser
vice from each of the two parties: q
middle court of arbitration; thoroughly
organized and permanent.
The refusal to seek, or to take Office
must be a requisite to membership.
The right to he, and to be considered,
q republican, or q democrat, in gener
al political walks aud ways according
to individual conviction, should be
conceded. The aims upright, the
spirit disinterested, the brotherhood
would in time grow strong enough to |
protect its own and to compel the re-
cognition and respect of both parties.
Such scheme may seem sublimat.
ed. 1t may, in truth, be in advance
Of the time. But, short Of it, We shall
have NO real, or lasting reform in the
Of the public business.
No party in Possession was ever
known to reform itself. Driven from
power because Of its shortcoming, it
irst sulks, then conspires and finally
pretends to be good. Meanwhile, its
victorious successor, scarcely warm in
Is seat, begins to practice the selfsame
wicked arts which it condemned and
N which it rose. A century of this
between rank professions