The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1912-03-22

''' VI MS 'duuiudNN. OHt VI tue Oll-
er OF these motives--persona ambi
ton for the sake of selfish power, or
his belief that the welfare of the
nation demands it--has induced the
colonel to violate an honored nation
al tradition-he called it wise GUS
tom which limits the presidency to
two tcrms"-and solemn personal
vow.
II II is upon Col Roosevelt's per
sonality that his friends seek to in.
duce the American peopie to break
the third term precedent, then the
campaign must be one of hero.worship
and no hero.worship is substantial
enough TO win an election.
If it is not personality, then we
must accept the colonel's candidacy
as an evidence of his belief that Presi.
dent Taft is unequal to the require
ments of his office and that he. him
self, is the only man in the United
States capable of running this gov
eminent. The colonel has told us il
is not personal ambition that prompts
him to seek a third term-that per.
sonally he would prefer to stay out
OF the fight. The only other lterna-
tive, then, is the theory that he is
convinced he alone among ninety mil.
lions of men, is capable OF handling
the reins Of this repubIc.
The colonel has lately professed
great faith in the people" He
would even change the constitution
so that 1.-The people" could reverse
judicial decisions when decisions did.
mt please majority. But does he
really, down in his heart, have such
overwhelming faith in the people If
he believes that the people are un.
able to find among their Millions one
citizen aside from himself who can
be trusted with the liberties and the
rights of the public? Has he really
such faith il the people when he
deems it necessary to violate the
peoples time honored custom against
giving the presidency more than
twice to any mana wise custom"
at that, he has told us-and to VIC.
late his own sincere pledge, born of
conscientious impulse, in order that
the people may be saved against
choosing any one of their other 3d.
100000 men as their executive head
for four years? If the people can be
trusted with making laws and revers.
ing judicial decisions, can't the people
be trusted to select an honest presi-
dent from their ranks without draft
ing man who has already had that
office as long as he considers it wise
for any man to hold it?
If the republican party is not en-
titled to endorsement at the hands
of the American people for what it
has done during the past four years,
and If the republican party has reach
ed the point where it has only one
individual who is worthy of leader.
ship, then the republican party is not
entitled to the confidence of the peo-
pie and is not entitled to endorse
ment by victory in November, no mat
ter who it's leader
And if America has arrived at the |
point where there is such a short !
age of honest, efficient statesmen that
it is necessary to draft an ex-pres. |
dent, against his will against an
honored national tradition and against |
that eX-president's own personal vow
that he would not be a candidate
again. If this country is that lacking
in reliable public leaders, then party
principles count for naught and our
political system has degenerated into
merely system of individual leaders
with personal followings, regardless of
principles at stake
If it is not the case of merely
personal following, or hero-worship,
but matter of political principles
that the campaign is to be waged
upon, then there is every reason why
the republican party should stand by
the Taft administration and there is
no reason why the republican party |
should confess weakness by forcing
it's former leader, who says he has
no desire for further office or further
honor at the party's hands, back into
the harness. For when it comes to
principles involved, the only great diff |
ferences between the platforms of
Roosevelt and Taft, at present, are
upon international peace and upon the
recall of judicial decisions-neither
one of them presenting any vital crisis
whose solution demands extraordinary
procedure, and in both of which |
President Taft seems to have the bet |
ter of the argument.
AS Senator Beveridge said, Col |
Roosevelt did many good things as
president. 1t Roosevelt is only a per-
sonality, then glory be his for his
achievements. If he was carrying out |
merely the republican platform pied
ges, and with the aid of republican |
congress, then let us even in our ex-