The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1910-09-24

more before another Presi-
dent OF the United States can
be chosen. Thank God for such
postponement OF another National
election as will enable the people to
settle back to sober thinking and get
their bearings. just at present they
are much wrought upon by the wild,
whirrlng words OF popular idol
who brings from his sojourn in Dark
est Africa something OF the lurid quail
ity of the tropical thunder storm. Mr..
Roosevelt has not been so much pic
turesque as torrential; not so much
stimulating as declamatory. When all
is over, after the whiriwind has spent
its force after this lightning browed
Jove has shot his bolt, one energies
from the cyclone cellar at eventde to
mediate. The meditation restores
equilibrium, and sundry pertinent in
quiries. The sober second thought
takes account of stock, as to Mr..
Roosevelt's speeches, and begins to
wonder what is the sum total OF his
contribution to political progress or
even to political reform. One cannot
enter here to the credit account his
vigorous denunciation OF graft and
crooks i'll his own party" Such de-
nunciatlon has been quite generally in
dulged i'll by many another and is to
be expected so long as people have a
conscience which dscriminates be-
tween vice and virtue Mr.. Roosevelt
is not the solitary embodiment of ''the
moral sense" in Christian American,
neither can his preaching OF righteous
ness be regarded as either original or
eXceptional-rather we should call it
distinctly commonplace.
Il shall insist upon honesty il it
breaks up the best business in the
land With this statement, the press
dispatches report LAT he caught the
crowd Rather an easy crowd to
catch, eh2 1t is not uncommon to in
sist upon honesty, we rather guess
whenever ! have the power | will
make the corporations come to time
just as will make the mob Here
again Mr.. Roosevelt was merely re-
stating the common doctrine OF equal
ity before the law" When he gets
down to hard tacks and undertakes to
specify his stirring defamation leads
to the already beaten path-'publicity
of corporate affairs, prohibition of
corporation contributions for political
purposes, government supervision of
public service corporationS-why bless
your soul, Mr.. Roosevelt is suggest
ing nothing which is not already in
force; and the wonder grows that such
deliverances should occasion so much
excitement. AS matter OF fact, the
excitement does not come from these
deliverances. 1t is his implications
that are sensational sometimes shock
ing. When, for example, in lament
ably weak attempt to impeach the eff
cheney of co-existence OF State and
Federal authority, he supposedly at
tacks the Supreme Court, he is play
ing directly into the hands of anarchy.
His New Nationalism' is simply a
reversal of our entire government sys-
TEN. This may be desirable. Mr..
Roosevelt and any other good Ameri
can citizen has perfect right to con-
tend for a great "centraliZing of
power" an enlargement OF the scope
of Federal control But he has no
right to contend for it in any other
than by an orderly and constitutional
method. The mere fact that the
things at which he is aiming are just
and right, can lend no color of justii-
cation to his inviting 1.-The crowd" to
ride rough shod over all our Consti
tutional forms and provisions. These
are the samples of the things which
make Mr.. Roosewlt's recent utter
ances most rcgrettable. Lynch law
cannot replace the law of the land
without demoralzing a community.
Mr.. Roosevelt is undoubtedly appeal
ing to the spirit OF the mob--to the
amazement of his friends, the conster-