The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-11-22
BY JAMES MORGAN

EDITH KERMIT CT
| AT the outset of the Roosevelt's adj
mlnlstration a fearful citizen begged
the Rough Rider not to permit his
fighting spirit to plunge the country
INTO an international war. What"
the president exclaimed. "A war, and
| cooped up here in the White House?
| Never"
Many forgot the first half of the old
motto that Roosevelt made his own.
Speak softly and carry a big stick"
| NO man ever had a simpler faith in
the efficacy of first talking it over"
man fashion, with an adversary
| whether senator or an ambassador.
The meddlesome German Kaiser
| was the earliest to feel the big stick"
to see if it was only stuffed with
straw. Germany and a Tory govern
ment of England were on the point OF
! selzlng territory as a security for some
! claims against Venezuelan citizens,
! when Roosevelt succeeded in disSuad-
! ing England from such a step, but he
| tailed to induce Germany to arbitrate
the matter. Thereupon he told the
German ambassador that unless the
Berlin government consented to arbi-
| tration in 10 days, he would send Ad-
! miral Dewey to stop the Germans
from landing in Venezuela. The am
b2ssador protesting that the Kaiser
would not back down now, Roosevelt
replied that he was not arguing with
him. but was simply telling him what
would happen.
After waiting a week without an
answer from Berlin. he told the am
! baSsador that he was going to cut the
limit to nine days and that unless Ger
many agreed in 48 hours to arbitrate,
; Dewey would sail. In SO hours the
amba ssador came back with mess
age announcing that Germany consent
ed. and the president, chuckling be-
hind straight face, publicly praised
the Kaiser to the skies as devoted
| friend of the great principle of abri-
! tration.
Europe was as quick as America to
see that there was a strong man in
the White House. Although as intense
ly American as any president, Roose-
welt was also man of the great
world, who interested foreigners hard
ly less than he interested his own
people, the Kaiser alone rivaling him
in international celebrity. Il saw two
! tremendous forces Of nature while |
was gone John Morley said on his re-
turn to England from America. One
was Niagara Falls and the other the
president of the United States. and
am not sure which is the more won
derful."
Germany replaced her ambassador
at Washington with an old personal
friend of the president. and the Kaiser
sent his brother, Prince Henry, to
this country on an errand OF prOnA-
4, i i.
patched distinguished embassy and
also chose for ambassador, NJ. Juaser-
and, who could not only talk books
with Roosevelt but who could also
qualify for the Tennis Cabinet"
which took the place in this athletic
administ ration of the Kitchen Cabi-
net" England cast aside her ira ined
diplomats to send TO Washington
James Bryce. the hest-lked English
man in America. Meanwhile, Emper
ors and Kings entered into personal
correspondence with the republican
magistrate as if he were an intimate
of the royal circle.
In good time Roosevelt EMPLOYED
the influence OF his unique position
before the world to bring to an end
the RuSsO-Japanese war. Shrewdly
choosing the right moment to step in,
with a common sense and simple di
RICHNESS that a friend would use in
bringing together two Guarrelng
neighborS. Afterward he steered the
peace conference at Port mouth
against its will steadily toward a peace
OF reconciliation an impatient Russian
declaring that his steel wrist" ham
mered out a treaty that neither of the
Powers wanted at that time and that
"the terrible American presidential
StrenuoSO-waS capable of locking the
ConfereeS into a room and starving
them into submission
Instead of starting a war. the big
stick" stopped the only great war that
broke out in the period of its sway
Not a cloud appeared even momen-
tarily on our own horizon in the seven
years and a half of Rooseyelt's admin
istration. And the special trophy OF
his presidency was not a military
medal but the Nobel prize, which was
awarded to him in 1906 as the worlds
foremost peacemaker.
The one suspicion of a stain on the
big stick" was incurred in Roosevelt's
dealings with Colombia over right OF
way for an !sthmian canal through the
state of Panama. A dictator of Co
lombia, after agreeing TO cede us the
canal strip for $1O.O00000, broke his
agreement in desire to get more.
Roosevelt was not to be stopped in
constructing the canal any more than
a Union Pacific locomotive was stop
ped by the rope which the Indians
drew across the track. irer he had
! drafted a message to congress, propos-
| ing the taking of the necessary land
| regardless Of the government of Bo-
gotta, the State of Panama, which was
anxious to have the canal constructed
and was eager to gather in the S10,-