Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-11-21
THE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL

HE KOUSEVELl MEMOkIAL
This country has an abundanc,
Of statues to public men, nearl.
every city of any size being embel
Iished by least one, but of al
those already erected, or which ma,
be erected. none will surpass in in
terest and significance the proposed
memorial to Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt has stamped himself
upon the minds of American people
in a way that few Americans have
During his life he was the subject
of torrents of criticism, just or un-
just, all of which today is like the
insubstantial vision Of pageant
faded. Very graciously, and proper
ly, we remember only the things
which made Roosevelt particularly
dear to vast proportion of our
people. A warm blooded man, Of
strong likes and dislikes, he made
fervid friends and bitter enemies.
The enemies are forgotten and their
enmities have passed like a watch
in the night
We think of Roosevelt today as
ism. We remember that he was a
fullblOoded American from crown to
sole, and for that Americanism he
worked, thought. strove and made
enemies. In man nothing counted
with him so much as unqualified
devotion to America; nothing was
so objectionable as slackness, doubt
OF disparagement of the greatness
OF the country, it's height of ideal
ism. and its glorious mission to the
rest of the world. Anything detri-
mental to America aroused his
Burning wrath. Any attempt to put
personal interests above those of the
Nation stamped maan hopelesly
on Roosevelt's black books. He was
reGIIy at any instant to fight for the
coc.t.rry against even the world, If
necessary, and his readiness to fight
kept him from having to fight He
never hesitated a moment to tell
the German ambassador that If his
Imperial master" infringed upon
the Monroe Doctrine before his war
ships reached the waters of Venezu
ella Admiral Dewey would be there
with the entire American fleet to
defend our weaker sister.
We have had 26 Presidents who
have come and gone, few of them
leaving a definite impression upon
the minds of their countrymen,
Roosevelt has made an impression
that will live along with that
left by Washington. John Adams.
Jackson, Lincoln and Grant. This
deep impression made by Roosevelt
is not due entirely to the Presi-
dency Even had he not filled with
would still have gone into history
as a great American, leaving MEM
cries that would class him with
such Great Commoners as Blaine,
Henry Clay. Hamilton and Webster.
Roosevelt was a man who shaped
public opinion as well as led it
He was great in many departments
of effort, and his virility of mind
and body made him everywhere
stand out above the red-blooded
Americans of whom he was the ex-
ample, like Saul above his fellows.
Americans have every reason to b.
proud of Roosevelt He illustrated
the best of our race to the world,
and if every man and woman who
hung upon Roosevelt's words and
loved and admired him should con-
tribute single brick to the pro-
posed memorial 1t would make a
mountain that would "o'ertop old
Pelion."
This country will go on un-
checked in its path to still higher
greatness so long as we have such
men as Theodore Roosevelt to lead
and inspire us.-The National Tri-
hume