Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-09
WILL NOT BREAK
INTO POLITICS ON RETURN
HOME.
WILL NEITHER APPROVE
NOR CONDEMN Mr.. TAFT
Roosevelt Probably Will Become Pri-
vate Citizen and Work in the Party
Ranks Many to Be Disappointed
Because of Ex-President's Predicte3
Attitude.
Especial Correspondence


Washington, Feb. 9.-What will
Theodore Roosevelt do when he gets
back TO America?
This question has been asked many
| times in recent months and it will be
asked many times more between now
and the return of the former president
| from Africa. The announcement that
he will be back in June lends an in
creasing interest to the question which
promises to become acute, even painful,
as the time for his homecoming draws
near
Will Roosevelt speak out in strong
support of the Taft administration or
will he take the ground that the presi-
| dent has turned his back on the Roose-
welt policies On the one hand, many
are saying that when the former presi-
dent returns, he will align himself as
! one OF the champions of President
Taft: on he other, the radical Roosevelt
men, who belong to the movement that
has been somewhat jocularly named
the "back-from- Elba" movement, are
saying that if Roosevelt were only here.
something would drop and drop SO loud
the whole country would hear it,
Disappointment in Store.
AS matter of fact, Mr.. Roosevelt
is going to disappoint lot of folks. He
is going to hold his peace. He is not
going to arraign President Taft for
failure to go ahead with the Roosevelt
policies. He is not going to attack the
administration, as a good many radi-
Gals would like to see him do. He in
tends simply to keep still. so far as this
question is concerned, at least until he
has had full time to get in touch with
things and get his bearings.
This is the statement made by man
VINO is doubtless more closely in touch
with Roosevelt than any other man in
this country. When asked what Roose-
welt would do when he got back, he
said:
1.-THE presideft"-it will be observed
many of the Roosevelt men still speak
of Roosevelt as if he were in the White
House-.'is not going to rush into any
thing. He is simply coming back to
this country and keep his mouth shut
No one will get word out of him hos
tile to the administration or otherwise.
He will keep his own counsel"
Knows How to Keep Still.
A good many people who do not
know Roosevelt fully have the idea
that it is impossible for him to keep
silent and .sphynx- like on anything. AS
a matter of fact, he has an excellent
capacity for inscrutability when he
feels 1t is necessary. An instance OF
this was seen at the time the relations
with Japan first became acute. Roose-
welt refused absolutely to talk the real
inwardness Of the situation over with
anybody but those officials directly In
VOWED.
If Roosevelt returns to this country
silent as to the administration OF
President Taft. everybody will draw his
own inference. Some will say, OF
course, that he disapproves of Taft and
think he has gone over to the reaca-
tionaries Others will say that he does
not want to offend men like Clifford
Pinchot and others of his more radical
supporters by giving a sweeping en-
dorsement of the administration and
thus seeming to rebuke such of his old
friends as have had differences with
the administration.
| ANYHOW, Roosevelt returned to
| America and sojourning down at Oys-
ter Bay silent in the fashion described
will be an interesting figure.
| Will Not Be Candidate for Anything.
| Aside from the question of what
Roosevelt will say when he gets back,
there is the question whether he is
going to allow himself to be given
/ any one of the scores of berths for
which he has been mentioned. political,
educational and the like.
1 AS to this, the same authority who
/ says Roosevelt is going to keep still
with respect to administration policies,
makes this assertion:
"Mr. Roosevelt will not allow his
name TO be used for the senatorship
| from New York He will not run for
| governor and he will not run for the
house He will be simply private cit
izen. That is the most Ndignified thing
he can do There is no dignity equal
| to the simple dignity Of the private
citizen. For him to hold another office
! or to go into business would be less
dignified than to live as private citi-
zen."
Busy Private Citizen.
But If Roosevelt lives a private cit
izen, this does not mean he is going
| to be out of contact with affairs. In
! the first place, his magazine and other
literary WORK VIII Keep MN IA looo'
| with things. And wnen ne sets 1oc. Il
| his own dooryard at Oyster Bay, there
will be a long line of political pilgrims
| faring down to see him, from all parts
of the country Especially will the
New York politicians hurry to talk
things over with him. Things have
reached a pass in New York that re-
publicans there are saying the party
organizat ton must be overhauled. Tim
othy Woodruff will probably be de-
posed as state chairman and new
man installed, who may be Represen-
tative vreeland and who may be some-
| one else. But nothing final will be
done until the hunter from Africa has
been talked to and has given his stamp