The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-26
\ Crumbling Idol.

unbounded world was his. He had
but TO speak and the patient wires
carried his words to the uttermost
parts He was so universal that
painting time toiled after him n
vain. His preachment on the cardi-
nal virtues and his aggressive war
fare for deccncy and civic righteous-
ness heartencd tens of thousands
who are fighting the battles of our
day. He appeared to the young and
aspiring heart Of the country. Mul-
titudes idolized and worshiped him.
whatever his shortcomings, as the one
man who could do things and who
meant what he said-the one strong
man in his native land:
Whatever they call him, what care [?
Aristocrat, autocrat, democrat
one
Who can rule, and dare not lie.
But palpable change of senti-
ment is taking place. The idol gives
signs of dissolution. The psychology
of this may not be difficult. Popu~
lar idols are always in danger. par
ticularly il they do the unexpected.
Roosevelt, idolized as q world lead
er, has suddenly become a very or
binary transforming political bush
Whacker in New York. 1t is true he
needs a sensational personal tri-
umph in his own State, if he is TO
boss the conventions of his party:
but the sudden transformation from
Roosevelt, IL. D.. Interpreting the
history Of civilization to the savants
Of Europe, to Teddy befuddling a
handful of country voters with the
cheapest sort of political claptrap, is
a shock to his idOlaters. Our eX-
Presidents have usually honored the
office they once held by behaving
less tumultuously. They didn't go
about the country in trains de luxe
to boom a weekly magazine, and
they didn't obscure the landscape
with oratorical fireworks and perpen-
dicular pronouns.
Then, too, there is a growing sus-
pic!on Of Roosevelt's sincerity, as
we'll as Of the virtues Of his policies
and the fibre Of his political courage.
1t has bewildered his following in
the West to see their Mr. Faithful
suddenly become my Lord Turn
about and Mr.. Facing -both-ways,
and it has perplexed his Eastern ad-
m'rers to figure out how an Ossa-
Watomie Insurgent can father 4
Saratoga standpat platform. He
has not explained his actions in these
matters to the satisfaction of either
the East or the West. Either his
sincerely or his courage failed him
at critical juncture; and lack of
either. when it is found out. is fatal
to an idol.
"A sphinx can afford a few silences.
but a political oracle and a contri-
buting editor, conducting a cam
paign, must not be silent on too
many vital questions. Men are be-
ginning to ask why there is no word
about his intentions for 1912. or
about his relations with Wall street
IN the good old days Of Cortelyou. or
about his executive communicating
OF 100000 Of railway transportation.
or about his Eastern silence on the
income tax, campaign fund publicity.
ETC. Why does he not face the IS
sues Of the traffic, or Of the high cost
or living, or OF his own administra-
ton. which cost the country twice
as much for one term as II cost for
the fifteen entire terms from Wash
ington to Lincoln.
People are beginning TO doubt, and
doubt is fatal to idolatry. The de-
cline and fall Of Roosevelt will NOT
be so much because this our Caesar
has grown too big as because he no
longer rings true. He cannot have
one set of principles here and an
other elsewhere. The people have a
Keen sense for reality and consis-
tency, and no one can fool them in
to believing that there are two kinds
OF right action any more than there
are two kinds Of straight lines. They
Will spurn hero who bends too
suppliant a knee to their idolatrias
or who too palpably invites their
worship.
Roosevelt has insisted on making
himself the issue in the New York
campaign. and he must win there if
ne Is to dominate the Republican
party. This fight looks like the be-
ginning Of the end OF the Roosevelt