Arizona republican., 1910-06-18
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, JUNE IS, 1910
The Return of Roosevelt.

After an absence of fifteen months from the United States, Theodore Roosevelt will land at New York to- day He will receive a welcome, the like of which was never accorded to any other returning American, eX- cepting General Grant and Admiral Dewey. And the population of New York having increased enormously, even since the comparatively recent landing of Dewey fresh from his work at Manila, the great crowd that will greet Roosevelt will apparently dwarf any demonstration of the past in the matter of public enthusiasm.
 The vast proportions of the crowd will, to some extent, of course, grow out of the love which Americans, like every other people, have for a spec tacle-a rare occasion calls out the populace to see what is going on." But back of this curiosity there is an impelling spirit of genuine gladness at seeing Roosevelt home again-a spirit which will give the note-Of sincerity to the greeting he will receive today. It has been believed that MT. Roose- welt reached the high tide of his pop ularity when he was swept into the presidency by the overwhelming vote of 1904; certainly he had lost some of his extraordinary hold on his countrymen when he went out of of flee in March, 1909. But today he is unquestionably more popular with the masses than ever before AS an ex- president he therefore stands in a po- sition never before occupied by a former chief magistrate. He is the most influential individual of 95 mill ion people, and he knows it. The fact might easily turn his head, were he less safely balanced.
 What is it that gives Roosevelt his unique hold on the hearts of the American people? The answers to this question are almost as numerous as the people who undertake to fur nish them and nearly any dogmatic assertion of the reason is likely to encounter contradiction. Were the masses in an analytical and critical frame of mind, they could easily state many reasons for finding Roosevelt objectionable, but they are not in such state of mind. He is not constructive statesman, and in grave difficulties has had to rely upon such statesmen as Taft ana Root to tell him what to do. He is hot tenn pered and impetuous, and is frequent ly unjust to opponents in controversy. His judgment of human nature is not the best, and his selections of men for important offices were frequently far from ideal when made because of personal friendship. His avid love for hunting. including as it necessarily does a cruel disregard for animal life and a desire to kill merely for the fun of killing, is a characteristic that is repulsive to the sensibilities of Ol lCilOH NiNA6CAAS' and this characteristic alone in an other man would be handicap against popularity.
 In some respects it really appears that he is looked upon as a sort of spoiled child of the nation He can do anything he pleases, and it is all al.a r-arI lgad at the time of the famous Fairbanks "cocktail'' incident, when the vice president was savagely denounced from hundreds of pulpits because it was reported on doubtful authority that he had served intoxicants to guests at his house. Roosevelt could House and take a drink with the whole world looking on, and the w. c. T. U. would throw up their bon nets for him" Were any other pub lie man to persist in dinning it into the ears of the mothers of the land that it is their highest duty to bear large numbers of children regardless of any question of ability to provide properly for them after they are here, and were to manifest such a stubborn and obtuse failure to understand that the real "crime" is to heedlessly bring children into the world without thought of a possible heritage of hopless poverty and failure of educa- tion, he would meet an avalanche of destructive ridicule When the brutal prize fighter. Bob FitzsimmOns, had to separate from his frowsy wife, ROose- yelt publicly telegraphed him his