The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1912-03-15

A Politicians Undoins.
Louisville Courier-Journal: Already
the third term candidate is perspiring
in an attempt to prop up his Column
bus platform His speech to the
Massachusetts legislature is a desper-
ate effort to throw a more favorable
light on his Columbus speech In
stead of the Columbus war whoop raj
lying to him new cohorts. he has
quickly found that it is driving from
him old friends and repelling support
which otherwise he could have had.
Declaring that he is happy" because
he is in "a straight out fight" again,
the valiant rough rider. within twenty
four hours after getting into the sad
die, is fighting on the defensive.
1t is losing fight, as he will real
ize long before the republican ma
tional convention meets. If he had
half the confidence in the people
which he processes to have when he
urges that they shall perform the
functions of the judiciary, he would
have realized that before entering the
fight and would never have entered
it,
The peoples qualifications for self
government are not such as to enable
them to dispense with constitutions
and courts, but they are such as to
insure. that they will put down any
such apostle of mob rule as Theodore
Roosevelt has come to be.
No man in all the history of Ameri-
can politics ever made a worse blum
der than he has made in launching
this new issue of his. AS a blunder
IN principle 1t is fatal to any pre-
tensions of his to craftsmanship of
the first rank and kills that conf.
dence in him which had survived his
many other erratic performances and
outbreaks. And it is no less a blum
der tactcally, for already it has
weakened instead of strengthened
him. 1t was not necessary for him
10 put forth this new issue to hold the
support of the hoboes and sand lot
tiers of his party, and by putting it
forth he has alienated an element
among the prOgressives, and among
even the conservatives who had been
attracted to him by his aggressive
methods, but who will not follow him
in his latest and widest excursion in
to folly. By concocting such an is
sue for his new entry into politics he
has gained nothing and lost much.
instead of going into his campaign
under the conditions which he an.
nounced not long ago were the only
conditions which could induce him to
consider another nomination - the
manifestation of general and imper
ative conviction that he was the one
best man best fitted to do the "job'
OF governing the country at this Juno
ture-he goes into ii committed tC
TWO issues, either of which would in
sure his crushing defeat even by {
less meritOrious antagonist than he
has in President Taft. On one O
these issues, that of the third term, he
must fight on the defensive through
out. II he had no other handicap
that would be sufficient to put an emf
to him. He would have made a mucl
better race. however, if he had no
Matched up his new issue of mob law
On that his party, however favorabl,
1t might be inclined to him otherwise
T is bound 10 repudiate him. There il
not enough populism in its ranks t,
| swing it to the leadership of a maj
who now out-Iierods the widest o
= populists. The republican part
knows that to nominate Roosevelt OF
, the platform which he has propose,
would mean the end of the republican
Il. party. He may commit harikari witt
his new weapon, if he chooses, bu
2 the republican party Is not ready t
sign suicide pact with him.
Mr.. Roosevelt has been considere,
r a master politician; in the past he ha
} often proved such; but he has stun
=. bled to his undoing in this instance
His spectacular plunge into the cam
: paign with his new issue is merely
} godsend to the man he wishes to dc
2 feat. Thousands and thousands o
\ republicans who would have give
4 President Taft but lukewarm supper
;. for denomination will now pull OF
D their coats and go to work for him a
9 the only salvation OF their party iron
|, destruction by the new Rooseveltism