The Washington herald., 1918-01-23

With his unerring OF the dramatic, Col
Roosevelt has arrived in Washington at the very
moment when his cue sprang out from the lips OF
public opinion.
He rode in on the wings of the popular reac-
ton against a administration which had blund-
cred grievously, which had become smug COM
placent, arrogant dictatorial, and resentul of all
criticism. He is here doubtless, to seize and
squeeze whatever advantage he out of the
present dangerous situation His opportunity is
made to his hand; he does not have to create it.
1t is exactly the kind OF situation in which he is
at his best,
There is no doubt whatever that he has the
car OF the country now. month ago he may
have been a mere "Ebertine of speech" a carping
critic who fast becoming a nuisance to the
sober newspaper readers OF the country and a joke
Washington But not W. How quickly
chickens come home to roost! How easy it is
for officials to overplay their hand!
For months the present trouble has been
brewing. The country has been vaguely conscious
that something wrong; it heard tales about
conditions in the cantonments, and in Washing
ton, which were at first dismissed vicious Ger
man propaganda'-and in fact, it encouraged
by every official outgivng from Washington to
believe them to be enemy-inspired faschood Over
night the veil has been torn away; the mask is
of; it learns that almost the OF these stories
a multitude of personal sources-from relatives in
these camps, from expert observers-but has been
told by the chairman OF the Senate Committee on
Military Affairs that veritablc crisis has arrived
No administration in the entire history OF the
country has been trusted this has been
trusted None has been as Loyalty supported by
all classes and condition OF the population. Lin
colin asked given such immunity from
criticism as that which President Wilson has en-
81 tbo = NJ ~,
ton ever drew such heavy drafts against the al
most limitless funds OF public confidence in it;
none asked much from the American peo-
pie given much; and it not until
the Fuel Administration made an abject comics
sion OF its failure and panic-stricken threw its
burden the people at a OF billions, that the
people began wake up
Americans as a people go from extreme
TO another: so that while last week they
fondly dreaming of President Wilson the
bitter OF world destines. tomorrow they may fool
ishIy jump to the conclusion that he and his
sOciatcs have "botchcd" the whole program
and made the United States a laughing stock in
the eyes OF the world. OF course. neither Col
Roosevelt nor any other prudent c...c will strive
to disseminate the latter idea.
What T. r. will do, what he plans to do
is to put punch into the Congressional drive for
a war cabinet and into the Chamberlain plan for
to become the leader OF the war reorganization"
project; and there is no doubt that the Republi
cans in the House and Senate will be glad to
cept his leadership. The issue is clcan-cut one
since the President has determined on mo COM
promise policy. He might have taken half the
sting out OF the situation by absorbing the criti-
cism and making the best OF it. Instead of that
he went out of his way to make the breach wider
If anything; to make his "sandPatsm' un-
equiyocal possible.
Now, it was just downright "standpatsm"
that gave Col Roosevelt his first great opportunity
in politics. There is just much BOurbonsm in
the administrations attitude towards Congress and
towards the country as there in the "Old
Guard oligarchy in Congress whose sheer wood
en-headcdness finally brought about the collapse
of the old Republican party.
If anybody puncture with satire and rid
iculc the balloon-like King can do wrong"
and "thc Divinity that doth hedge king spirit
Col. Roosevelt can. 1t is safe to assert that he
will take a few cracks at it.