Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-05-07
i private veal against public

i
leadership was found in Cannon
and Aldrich One would say that
under the circumstances a certain
obligation of friendship would have
inspired discussion Of his new cab
met and of his new congressional
| advisers with Mr. Roosevelt; but
after telling his friend that he ex-
pected to retain the old cabinet as
far as it could be retained, Mr.. Taft
did not discuss those matters furth-
er with President Roosevelt.
| The retiring president learned
from the newspapers who the new
cabinet members were to be. Just
how the cabinet members whom the
president on behalf of Mr.. Taft in
1 vited to stay in the Taft cabinet
were informed that they would not
be needed further, no one knows
Probably they also were regular
readers of the daily press.
In June, 1910, Roosevelt return
ed from Africa. His ovation was
Significant. 1t meant one thing
that the people were tired of the
material leadership of President
Taft. Much has been made of late
of the fact that Taft and Roosevelt
were friends, when Roosevelt push
ed Taft into the presidency. One
of the many times during the four
years now passing for Mr.. Taft's
friendship to have asserted itself,
was when Colonel Roosevelt came
home from Africa. He might have
appeared at the reception; even a
president sometimes may appear as
a friend in public function If he
chooses to appear.
But granting that a sense Of dig
nifty of the presidential office pre-
vented President Taft from greet
ing his old friend at the dock, his
absence indicated that he was stand
ing upon official ceremony, and it
was therefore hardly Colonel Roose-
velt's place to proceed unbidden to
the White House. He waited for an
Invitation. Doubtless there were
many matters on his mind. His
counsel was at President Taft's
commands. No one knew this more
surely than President Taft, He did
not send for his friend.
| When they came together few
months later, they talked of most
formal and uninteresting matters.
The president, who had seen fit to
stand upon the formalities of the
occasion when Colonel Roosevelt
came home, might have taken the
initiative at this later meeting; it
| was his place to take the initiative
in reopening the close cordial rela-
tions that existed before his friends
departure from the country, for it
was Taft, not Roosevelt, who had
put UP the official bar at the dock.
But here, again, the presidents
temperamental difficulties arose. To
discuss certain matters would have
been unpleasant. Moreover, unless
an abrupt reversal Of certain adj
ministration policies was possible,
serious friendly controversial dis
cussion of matters pending was foot
| less. So again President Taft's tenn
permanent was manifest in his avoid
ance of his friend, and so long as he
stood upon the dignity of his Office
even though Colonel Roosevelt
had helped him into that office-it
was hardly a friends part to force
advice upon unwilling ears.
So from that meeting the two
men went their different ways 1t
was just as necessary for Colonel
Roosevelt to have deep convictions
upon passing public questions as it
was foreign to the presidents ma
ture to have anything but opinions.
temperamental organization that he
should put his convictions where
they would do the most good. There
can be no question but that he
would have preferred to take them
to President Taft. But the presi-
dents door was barred-barred by
the presidents own attitude.
According to Colonel Roosevelt's
way of thinking, certain things in
the country were going wrong
notably in the matter of tariff legis-
lation, corporation control, the
peace treaties and the question of
broadening the democratic grip of
the people upon the machinery of
government He could not get his
conviction before President Taft ex-
cept by impudently forcing his way
.unasked into the White House. He
therefore had two courses left--to