New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-12

10 use a title, 81 want to shake YOU
! hand
Regardless of the CRIME or the lntor'
mality Mr.. Roosevelt grssped the hand
! saying, I'm glad TO see you. God bless
! your exclaimed the man. with ferVoi
| which could leave no doubt OF his SIN
| cerity. To him it was an event. an IN
tense moment, to be remembered tor q
lifetime And like instances could be
related without number.
Probably never before has an Amer
can citizen being greeted with that sim
pie and expressive phrase, God bless
you'' SO often. or have those who used II
conveyed so much of their emotions as
they said it.
To use a hackneyed. but really an ex-
pressiye term, the plain people idoiize
Theodore Roosevelt. Railroad hands
Iaborers and. indeed, all who work With
their hands have a supreme confidence
in him and manage to show It, And yet
it is notable of his speeches that, unlike
the agitators of the La Toilette stamp
he never discusses the wrongs of the
poor man without accompanying his re-
for the rich; never condemns the corpo-
ration without denouncing in vehement
terms the crimes of the aborer. the law
less striker, the petty thief and the
calumniator-
Taft and Roosevelt.
Twice or thrice in thc course Of his
trip Mr. Roosevelt has Endorsed specific
acts of the Taft administration. but
never the administration as q. whole
His failure to do SO has caused com
ment and speculation, reports of per
sonal friction between the President ano
the ex-President, etc. and no review OF
the trip just ended would be complete
without some reference to the omission
AS has been said. Mr.. Roosevelt feels
that he has a mission to perform AND
that mission, the promotion of progress
sive policies, he places above all per-
sonal considerations. all individual po-
litical fortunes. Mr.. Roosevelt has high
regard for Mr.. Tafts legal ability. and
respects his successors great regard fol-
the Constitution; but he feels that the
people look for something more in the
way of leadership. and that it is not
enough to stand squarely and frankly
on what has been. 1t is necessary tc
meet the demand of the people for lead
ership along progressive lines.
There are unfortunately, in Mr.. Roose-
velt's estimation, men close to the Presi-
dents ear whose advice is inimical to the
more progressive of the party policies
He is, however, in no sense hostile to
this administration. His Is a waiting
attitude For the present he has no pur-
pose to commit himself.
TO the failure of this Congress to make
a satisfactory revision of the tariff he
does not attach undue Importance, for
he recognizes the difficulties that had
to be encountered. But that is of the
past What of the future? Will it be
possible for President Taft to keep pace
with ex-President Roosevelt in the adj
vocacy of progressive policies! VIII MI
Taft's legal training and his intense re-
spect for the Constitution lead him to
draw back?
If YOU can answer these questions 10
YOUR own satisfaction you can forecast
the future relations of the nations two
most distinguished citizens with equal
satisfa elton. If you cannot, you are IN
the same position as Colonel Roosevelt.
And like him, you must wait and see"
Ci O. II.