Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-13

| minds, one OF the most wonderful
bodies, one of the most wonderful nerv-
GUS systems this country or any other
ever has seen. Put before the stand
pat man the full tale of the days
works of this one man, the vast range
Of his activities, and he will turn away
! from you as did the countryman after
| long study of the camel in the me-
! nagerie. There amt no such ami
NAL" said he. For the stand-pat man
there amt no such a animal as Roose-
| velt
1t is urged against Theodore Roose-
welt that he Is a self-seeker and that
! he is an egotist. One imagines that
any man succeeding under the great
law of survival is obliged to be some
| what of an egotist. Any great man
| is obliged to be something of an ego
tist. Look on the front page for the
name of the man who has forged for
ward, who leads where others follow.
Perhaps you will adjust yourself to a
new definition Of the term "egotism."
You do not call the tall tree egotism.
But as to the selflshness, the little
self seeking which is charged against
Theodore Roosevelt. It is idle to pay
attention to that sort of thing. Since
it is charged in mere assertion sup
pose we argue about that, and do not
retaliate in like weak assertion.
On La Toilette.
Many of us were present at the fatal
Philadelphia banquet on February 2,
1912 when Senator Robert M. La Fol-
lette, in the parlance OF the day, blew
up" If we do not care to be so flip
pant, let us call unfortunate and un-
happy that two hours address in the
wee sma' hours. at the end Of which
we saw the bowed and broken figure
Of a man who had aspired to lead the
new progressive thought of his time.
1t Is not fair to ask whether the speak
er or his listeners made the more I'M
fortunate, the more discourteous flg-
ure. But at the end of it all, there
was bowed and broken figure OF
whom many said in sadness, That Is
not presidential timber now
Before February 2, 1912, Colonel
Roosevelt, with many others, was of
the belief that Senator La Toilette
was the natural leader of the progress
sive movement of this country. After
February 2. 1912. Colonel Roosevelt
and everybody else knew that under
such leadership that cause could not
win. But the cause was there, the
need for 1t to win was as great as ever.
Do you perchance know of any other
man who better than Colonel Roose-
welt himself, could have stepped from
the sidelines and gotten into the game
at this crisis?
When Senator La Toilette at the
Taft convention in Chicago showed
what many frankly called personal
vindictiveness against Roosevelt, what
many frankly called dog-in-the-
manager attitude, he really hurt no one
so much as himself. although he did
not help, but wounded, the Progress
sive cause in which he had labored so
long. He did what he could to give
another man his proving. He gave
another man full opportunity whether
to hide behind the door, or whether
to come out in the street and meet
his trouble. Roosevelt came out into
the street.
When Governor Hadley discovered
that 1t takes more than a silvern voice
and set of clean cut, classic features
to make great man; when Borah of
Idaho, concluded that reforms ought to
be made inside and not outside of the
old party; when Cummins of Iowa, did
not come through; and when Deneen
of Illinois, agonized at finding a fence
both sides of which he could not &C.
cupy-chose the worse side-when all |
these weak kneed folks did these
Weakened things after the outrage
of the Taft convention-the people of
this country concluded that that might
be politics, but that It was not govern
ment. So they started a new party.
The stand pat folk Of both the old par
ties cannot understand 1t. They can
not understand that a party can be
governed by principle and not by
policy alone. But the world moves
just the same.
Republic an Experiment.
AS against the leader of this new
party at the current date 1t is urged
that he seeks to be a dictator. The
assertion Is not true. II 1t were true,
would the dictatorship OF an honest
and courageous man be worse than the
Of cunning and avarici-
GUS oligarchy? The former might do
for you and me, the latter
would do nothing. If this were Roose-
veltland and not America l would as
ieve live In 1t as though 1t were Kuhn
Loeb-land or Rock efellerland or Har-
rimanland or Morganland. Choose as
you like for your own self
Great Britain still considers the
American republic an experiment. II
hat republic IL to be governed after
he fashion of the Taft convention.
Great Britain Is right. II we are to
De ruled from Wall street and not from
Great Britain IL right.
The underlying principle OF this repub-
ic ia the idea Of the old town meeting
n which the majority ruled. II the
majority Is not to rule in America.
hen Great Britain is right, and this
'epublic is an experiment. and 1t has
allied. II We are to be governed by
'uch rules as the men who dominated n
he Taft convention at Chicago. then
treat Britain is right. and this repub-
ic has failed. II
But, because there are many men
n America Whn ara mot u,oal