The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-09-19
RoosEvELTs NEW NATIoNALIsM

The new nationalism puts the
national need before personal or sec
tional advantage and is inpatient
of the impotence from the over
division of government powers. the
impotence which makes 1t possible
for local selhshness, or for legal
cunning. hired by wealthy special
interests to bring national activi-
ties to a dead lock.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
In paving his way to the presidency
in 1912 Theodore Roosevelt has, since
his return from Africa. been expound-
ing the doctrine Of the new national
ism. To all intents and purposes It
is a device to win back the power
that was once his. The principles it
elucidates and the evils that it strikes
at represents many of the identical
ones which he. during his seven-year
occupancy of the presidency, never
raised hand to raise or to destroy.
New nationalism as put forth by
the former president is aptly defined
in quotation above. 1t hungers for
centralized authority 1t calls for the
subservience Of state sovereignty to
one central federal scource. 1t strikes
| at corporations, whether good or bad.
A defnitive analysis of the new
doctrine shows it to be the collective
opinions Of protest re-issued through
Roosevelt. This gives them the yes
tiges Of originality But they are
merely the antagonistic views of
others drawn from wide sources. mod
flied and so presented by a skillfuI
artist as to give an appearance of
varied scope Mixed with Republican
doctrines are added insurgent tenets.
The radicalism of Hearst has been
drawn upon. the conservatism Of Taft
ara the termed progressiyeness of
| Bryan.
To all has been added the Roose-
veltian theory of Capitalization. Cen
traliaztion to effect the government
supervision of corporations is one of
the reasons advanced fr its existence.
The same Capitalization would, as is
clearly shown in the definition above,
stand as an ever increasing shadow
on state rights. It goes beyond this
and would discard the constitutional
guarantee of the inalienable right 81
local government The liberty of the
individual is threatened. Roosevelt
would converge all authority in one
source in Washington just as the cen
trail sources Of ramfication Of the Rus
sian bureaucratic system is LOGGED in
the cars palace at st. Petersburg.
This Capitalization phase of the new
nationalism breathes omniously of the
empire
To further attract attention TO his
new cult. Roosevelt has added sharp
attacks on the business interests Of
the country. The people are already
in state of unrest and his additions
to the propaganda have served to in
crease it. Now he comes out as the
developer of women suffrage. the in
come tax. and a hundred other doc
trines including the direct primaries.
principles which he never aided when.
as president he had more power than
any other man to further. Why this
late attachment to these percepts ?
The answer may be found in his de-
sire for personal acclamations and his
ambition to once more hold the reins
Of power
Some of the principles new nation
alism advocates are worthy. But
there is great reason to doubt the
faith of their chief exponent. The
many inconsistencies OF Theodore
Roosevelt cannot but lead to the con-
clusion that he is not sincere in his
latest exposition. and that they are
: merely grand stand play to the gal
: lery. His sudden espousal of causes
2 to which he contributed nothing dur.
ing his seven years of the presidency
e puts him in the light of using the
new nationaiism idea as the vehicle
8 to carry him into power.