The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-10-11
THE MAN OF THE HOUR.

acknowledgement from the Gazette of
May 8, 1919. BY F. NJ. Dallam. jr.
Col. Theodore Roosevelt, cowboy, civil
service commissioner. lieutenant colonel
Of Rough Riders, governor, vice-president,
president, naturalist, hunter, traveller,
free trader, high protectionist, regular re-
publican, radical insurgent, progressive
republican and third-term candidate for
president, is the most versatile, adroit,
nasterful politician THIS country has ever
produced. He is a great man, a wonder
full leader a marvellous manipulation and Il
. transcendent liar.
He is the most engaging, charming, IT.
restible of men. We adore him for ms
. fearlessness, his aggressiveness, for the
things he says he will do and never does,
for the things he does and denounces as
abhorrent. for his bu'dozins, his incon-
sistences and his hypocracy. His virtues
are the virtues of the gods; his vices. ah.
they are only human rms is why we
can worship him as q demiSod. and az
the same time love him Familiarity as a
chum. We believe in him, thoroughly,
implicitly, blindly. Nothing that he does
or may. do can shake our confidence in
him. Nothing that he says. has said or
may say can destroy Car faith.
When he said that under no circum-
stances would he be candidate for pres
ident again because the spirit and not
the for moi the third term precedent
should be regarded. we believed that he
nobly meant every word of 1t: cheered him
for his patriotism.
When later he repeated that sentiment
and said that he had not changed his
mind and never would, We again believed
that he had not changed his mind and
never would. we again believed that he
meant just what he said and renewed our
cheering admiration.
When he said that we could not under
stand perfectly plain English and that
anybody with any sense knew that what
he had. said about under no circum-
stances" and regard the spirit and not
the form meant third consecutive term.
had been wrong all the time in believing
that he meant what we thought he had
meant when he said that he meant every
word that he said which seemed to mean
what we thought they meant but really
meant something entirely different.
Then when he said that he wasn't a
candidate for the nomination. but merely
were thrust upon him. and that he would
not be an active candidate. we knew that
was the absolute truth; and that he was
Just what he claimed; that he hadn't
changed his mind from the beginning;
that We had never been mistaken but had
always perfectly understood his position
and we admired him more than ever for
his truthfulness and his consistency.
And three days later. when he started
out on the stump to seek the nomination.
opened national headquarters in Washing
ton. ID. c., and other headquarters in the
various states. sent out campaign liter
ature. hurled defiance at the president.
called him names and shouted that all
who are not with us are against U.S. we
knew that he was true to every declara-
ton he had ever made; that he had not
changed one jot: that his conduct was in
keeping with the great unselfish purpose
Of his whole career; that he was doing
just what he said he would do all of the
time and lead us to expect him to do
from the first.
When he yelled my hat is in the ring"
We praised the chastity of his diction.
the purity of his English and the exal-
tation of his thought. We knew that he
had coined phrase that would ring down
the ages because OF its poetic imagery and
scintillating wit.
When on the following day he excori-
ated President Tafts campaign manager
for referring to the contest as a game. we
rent that expression was when used in
such connection. and rejoiced in the
thought that our own high minded Teddy
would beat 'em to a FRAGILE
So 1t has been throughout and ever will
be. T. R. is always right, Like the king.
he can do no wrong. He has complete
monopoly on truth and righteousness, so
perforce all of his opponents must be dis
were not the logical deduction we would
Know that 1t Is fact, because T. r. tells
us so every day, and We believe every
word that he utters.
Is he not a marvel? Who else could
change his position so rapidly and COM
pletely could revile so many good people
could boast with such monstrous egotism
could buster and bluff and four-fush so
constantly, could display such inconstan-
cy. inconsistency and intemperance could
1uggle the truth, bubble. eqivocate and
cry and yet. get away with it all? Who
else could do this but Roosevelt? Echo
answereth none. This does not explain
why he is great, it merely evidences his
greatness. He towers alone. a tremend-
Gus force, consumate schemer, an ap-
pallingly ambitious politician. Another
Caeser. or Napolean. ready to catch the
nearest way that may lead to the goal he