The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-04-12
HERO WORSHIP


Has any one man ever been, or will
any one man ever be, essential to tn
perpetuity of our national govern
ment? We think not. We have al
ways had scores of men who were ca
pable of doing the same things, exec
utive or otherwise, that any man IL
the history of our government ha
done, an dalways will have. As tt
the American people being hero wor
gshippers, there is some truth in thu
assertion; but 1t has been so far {
safe and sane worship, based upor
the meritorious patriotic performance
OF duty, and not indicating in any
sense Of the true meaning of the
words, that there was no other living
man who could have done the same
thing. While there is no desire to
detraet from or underestimate any
mans true value, there is no DISPOSE.
ton on the part of the American peo-
pie to concede that the salvation OF
our democratic republic has ever or
eyer will be dependant upon any one
man. This assumption of the Deepen
dance of the country upon the one
man idea lis one of Col. Roosevelt's
greatest mistakes. He has mistaken
entirely the, temper and meaning of
the people IN having placed him upon
the exalted pedestal they did. No
man has ever been more favored and
glorified than the colonel, even to the
extent Of love and affection as much
as In admiration and appreciation.
Had Mr.. Roosevelt remained content
with his honors he would have gone
into history as one of Americas
greatest men, as a statesman, poll
tician and PATRIOTS citizen. His eff
fort, however, to force his nomina-
ton upon the people of his country,
under the mistaken idea that he
alone is essential to it's salvation, has
detracted from his exalted position
as man, politician, statesman and
patriot, As to the view the people
are taking of the colonel's assump-
ton, all the indications up to the
present time are that his candidacy
has about run its course and spent its
force. As to the dissolution Of our |
form OF government and it's destruc-
ton by the loss of any one man, is
ridiculous. The nation has survived
the loss of many of her greatest men
from Washington on down the line to
the present day. For instance, we
lost Lincoln, Garfield and McKin-
ley, at the hands of assassins, and de-
plorable as these horrible events were
1t goes to show as a demonstrated
fact that as our country was not over
thrown as consequence, it is not
dependable upon the one man idea
nor upon hero worship. In fact the
truth is in plain words, men great
and low may come and pass away,
rs has always been the case, and al
ways will be the case, but regardless
of that fact, our government will
continue in its present form, based
Upon the fundamental principles of
democracy, as the greatest republic
n the world. Moreover, the trend of
development will, as time passes,
rom day to day make more plain
han ever to the American people the
Ibsurdity of placing too much de-
endance upon mere hero worship,
nd more deeply impress those who
you'd profit by it, that this country
t ours, by the nature of the spirit
which 1t was conceived, is in no
anger of disruption by the rise or
oil OF any one man. The creation n
this republic was by the people. o
is founded upon the will of the s
eople and can only be disrupted by Il
70 people. While the great men ex- Y
ted to public position may be great t,
honored. even to the point of he $
yes, there will never be depend
nee upon any one man for the per- fl
etuation Of this nation. -Idaho Falls t,
egister. e,
HI