The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-09-24
THE GREATEST OF ALL ISSUES
TIE 1aIRO.7ERM CANDIDACY IS The MOST MOMEN1OUS
PROBLEM Which The AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE TO solve

stra1gnt Tor democracy they may wish
to substitute monarchy for republican
ism; but In that case they will 60
about It in no devious way and with
their eyes open. II is unfortunate that
the men and women who are support.
ing Mr.. Roosevelt are blind to conse.
quences. They have been seduced in.
to complaisance by honeyed words.
A third term Is in itself dangerous,
but II Mr.. Roosevelt is permitted to
enjoy third term the injury that will
follow cannot be measured. 1t is con-
ceivable that an emergency might
arise which would warrant sweeping
aside all precedent and the defiance of
the unwritten law so as to continue in
office the one man possessed OF the pc.
culiar qualities to enable them to meet
the crisis, q man of such proved in
tegrity and unselfshness and patriot
ism that there would be no fear of his
covertly seeking to establish dynasty
or to retain his power for life. There
Is no such present emergency to justi.
fy a departure from precedent. Meth
er at home nor abroad does the Re.
public face danger. II Is threatened
neither by invasion nor domestic rev.
olutiOn, except that revolution which
Mr.. Roosevelt has for years endeavor.
ed to bring about by melting class hat
red and inflaming the idle, the disc.
lutte, and the unworthy against the in.
dustrious and those endowed with
greater capacity. There is no particu.
lar kind OF work that Mr.. Roosevelt
can do better than any one else. He
Is not the exceptional man. He was
given seven years in which to prove
his worth, seven unusual years In
which to demonstrate his courage, his
honesty, his capacity as a leader, his
statesmanship. Those seven years
were seven years of dismal failure. He
proved that he had neither courage,
nor honesty, nor capacity for leader.
ship, nor statemanship. He had not
the courage to deal with the greatest
question of his time, the tariff. He
proved his dishonesty in hundred
different ways, from denying the ac.
ceptance of campaign contributions
to denying instructions given to one
of his ambassadors. He proved that
he had no capacity for leadership by
coming into Office with powerful,
militant, and cohesive party behind
him, and going out of Office with his
party In the minority, shattered
into factions, fighting pitifully on
the defensive when not engaged
in fighting among themselves.
He proved his weakness as a
statesman by originating no construc.
tive legislation and leaving no perdur-
able mark on the statute books. He
showed himself to be unstable, unbal-
anced, vain, contemptuous of law, un-
mindful OF obligations, easily nhu.
cnced. weak in the hands OF his
friends, strong only when his passions
were aroused
To put such a man into the Preslden.
cy for third term under the peculiar
circumstances of his election would be
to invite chaos. II would be accepted |
by him DIS the popular mandate to cast |
off even the slight semblance of re-
straint that In the past he found 1t
necessary to assume. II would be an |
invitation to unlicensed corruption and |
terrorism. The present as well as the /
future would have lost It's fears for
him. He would be superior to the
people. the courts, and the COnstitu.
ton. II Mr.. Roosevelt were to be
elected next November he might very |
well say that he was regarded by his |
Iellow-citizens as a greater man than
or Jefferson or Grant, that
he was held In higher esteem than
any OF his predecessors or any other
man who has been connected with the
government from the time of It's estab.
shment, He would feel, and not with
'ut reason, that anything he might see
1t to do would have the approval of
he public. That would be a danger.
)us state of mind for any man: II
would be fatal with man of Mr..
Roosevelt's temperament, He has FIRE.
lucntly shown that he has little re-
'pect for law when the law Is incon.
'enient or interferes with his own pc.
'uliar ideas OF what is right or wrong
'r proper, as he construes propriety,
lie has said that an executive officer
nay do anything that Is not expressly
prohibited by law, instead of being
'uided by the well.established princi.
lie OF law that an executive officer
nay do only that which he is permit.
ed to do by express sanction of the
aw.
Mr., Roosevelt's megalomania, his re.
usal to accept advice unless It chimes
n with his own inclinations. his ex.
RENE and excessive belief In his own
righteousness and wisdom, and his In.
clearance In prOno,lncing avery ono