Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-09
THE "HEAvY REsPoNs,HlLITy."

THE "HEAvY RESPONSIBILITIES"
Under the above heading The Ma
tion," an ably edited New York weekly
journal, discusses Roosevelt's candi-
dacy for the republican presidential
nomination as follows:
Mr.. Roosevelt declares that he real
ICES "to the full, the "heav~ RESPONSE
bility" which he assumes in announc-
ing that he will be candidate for the
presidency. But does he? Can he be en-
tirely aware Of the full weight Of the
erieyous burden which he is binding
on his own back? We doubt 1t. We
should hate to think, for example. tnat
he had deliberately considered and
coolly dieregarded the fact that he was
about to shatter the ideal of Roosevelt
which has been admiringly, however
mistakenly, cherished all over the
country. For In that ideal one element
has been the conception of him as q
man fit to stand on the holy hill be-
cause he sweareth to his own hurt and
chanxeth not. But now he is seen to
be false to his plighted faith. What he
had voluntarily and solemnly assured
the people that he would do under no
circumstances, he now proposes to do
without explanation or a glimmer OF
remorse. Thousands Of his truest
friends have been vehemently assert
ing for three years past that Theodore
Roosevelt was incapable Of doing this
thing. Whatever else he might be, he
was a man of his word. But this trust
in him he has now dashed to the
ground. Instead Of the ideal Roosevelt,
we see Machiavellian prince acting
on the maxim that "signore pru-
dente" does not feel bound to stand by
his pledges when they can be turned
against him, or when his motive for
making them no longer exists.
To multitudes throughout the land
this will seem fall like Lucifer's. that
other son of the morning. 1t is not now
q question OF the validity of the ira
dition against third term. 1t Is mere
IN question of Theodore Roosevelt's
srsonal honor. Others may doubt or
& Sallenge the third-term custom; he
cannot. He publicly pronounced 1t
WISE" declared that he felt bound
by it, and told the people who had just
elected him president: "Under no cir
cumstances will be candidate for
or accept another nomination" John
Morley was guest at the white house
when President Roosevelt made that
announcement on November 8, 1904.
The story was printed at the time that
Mr.. Roosevelt said to Merely that his
declaration had mo string" to it. The
Eng1ishman was puzzled by this bit of
American slang. Now, however, Hon
est John will understand what 1T
means. The string" has been pulled
and the word broken. It is terrible
thing for Roosevelt thus to destroy the
faith which credulous thousands have
placed in his personal integrity.
The heavy responsibility which Mr..
Roosevelt has blithely shouldered in
cludes the confirming of the worst in
depreciation which has been put upon
his conduct for the past three years.
He himself now admits the truth of
what he has been charged with. In the
light of his own statements, few can
be found longer to believe that his
course has been aught but that of a
secret plotter. To undermine his
friend Taft has been his passion. To
scheme for his own nomination has
been his consistent but concealed plan.
What are we to think now of it's sue
cessive steps? First, he was not a can
didate and would not be. He wrote last
year that any movement to win the
nomination for him would be gen
uine calamity" He asserted that no
friend of his could possibly counte-
nance aHythi11 of the kind. Then