Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1917-05-10
STILL AFRAID OF ROOSEVELT.

Theodore Roosevelt has been a storm center from babyhood
Ever since children began to lisp his name there has been more or less
apprehension concerning what he was going to do
From the time he was twenty-five years of age politicians and
political newspapers have been scared stiff whenever Teddy's name
has been breathed aloud.
Years and years ago he was made police commissioner of New.
4ork-and at once we heard the cry that the greatest city of Amer
lea would either absorb all the water and the dry land adjoining it
or else thered be war on everything in sight. Nothing that was not.
In the course of time Teddy-wcnt to the front in the Spanish
american war-and we heard again that Roosevelt would do some
thing awful Ills regiment was expected to wade across the Allan
t,e' walk across Europe, continue on to China and Japan, swim across
everything ,l found in its path. Nothing but a Round Robin hap
state in the union-and still his name was something to conjure
with. The state Of New York, said the politicians and the political
states of Europe within a year following Teddy,s inauguration
Nothing but sane things happened!
BY chance, and through the hand of an assassin, Roosevelt was
elevated to the presidency-when all these things were again whs-
shouts Of the people to the effect that Teddy was standing on the
ZIP ~, OFT OF the ne; nose OF Liberty %Enlightening the World and waving his
safe administration is left to tell the story!
The election of 1908 rolled around. and the only thing that
hyenas was the fear that Teddy, as commanderin-ciief Of the
army and the navy, might turn the military arm of the government
loose upon his political enemies. Did anything particularly dis
graceful to the country happen'
t ens for service in Europe, to steady the hand Of the allies and to
#hghten the burdens Of their hearts, but the politicians and political
newspapers spa seem to be hedged about with the same old fear.
Why not let this patriotic American raise a n army division or
Ea t why why not let him and his felow-soldiers risk their lives for the
commander-he asks for the privilege of gathering the men together
an IN such a way as to interfere in no particular with the government, s
- is the opposition based upon the fear that, should the God oil
Hosts preserve the life of this forceful man, he might return to
Anlerlca as a mighty conqueror and again be elevated to the chief
magistry of the land!
IL seems to US that America and Americans ought to be bio
enough and great enough, and should have learned enough from the
taperlehces OF the past generation, to rise above political consdera-
o of personal resentments in such a great crisis.
- We care not whether this citizen or that citizen likes or disHkos
neou 1 roosevelt, II Woodrow Wilson, or Charles Hughes, or
Josephus Daniels-We are Americans and stand for America an5
American rights, both at home and abroad. -
W., nj is not a political contest, nor a Roosevelt contest. a
w VISOR cohtest-lt IS a struggle for the preservation of those liberties
n human rights for which our forefathers fought at Lexinpton
and suffered at Valley Forge and consercated themselves anaw a4
Santiago! noSes ane ~
het us, first of all, be Americans!