Evening star., 1936-09-26
few examples Of serenity and toler.

lew exhmpaes OF seteluty anu tolet'
ance":
Hatred Of entrenched sreed."
''Unscrupulous money changers.
"Their own stubbornness and their
own incompetence.
"Cowardly cloak"
"Enslayement Of the public.s
Manufactured. poisonous fear that
Is being spread subtly."
II an confident the Congress n
ready to wage Increasing warfare"
shscked Gen. Jshnssn.
Little wonder that one Of Mr.. Roose.
veit's own loyal supporters. Gen. Hugh
johnson. was shocked by the Presi-
dents violence on that occasion. Gen.
johnson. In . signed Newspaper ar.
ticle, described that address to Con-
sress ~ - rabble-rouser ;. deliberate
appeal TO passion the Joy OF every
advocate Of class hatred here and In
Russia =. makes him chief Of the
factions Of discontent."
OF all the disservices that critics
can charge against Mr.. Rooseyelt's
presidency. to the country and to
himself, the least explainable Is his
stirring up Of group hostility. class
consciousness. He did not need to.
When he took ONCE. March I. 1898,
every group and practically every in
dividual was eager to uphold the
Presidents hands. Confidence and
trust and hope sursed up to him from
the country. II there were any who
withheld friendship, they were obliged
to be silent. for the popular feryor In
behalf Of the President would have
crucified any dissenter. The news
paper files OF March 3, 1893, stand -
permanent records Of the national
unity. Historians who read them will
say that no President, not even Lin.
coin at the beginning Of Civil War.
nor Wilson at the beginning Of for
eign war. had such complete trust
from all the people.
Why, and how. did Mr.. Roosevelt
forfeit this priceless asset. to himself
and the country? How did 1t come
about that at the close OF Mr.. Roose.
velts term. the campaign for his re-
election found the American electo-
rate, for the first time. divided hori.
zontally into class-conscious strata?
Time Must Decide.
These are question which future
scholars will answer. and by their an
swers fix Mr.. Roosevelt's place In his
tory. No explanation can rest on self
interest on Mr.. Roosevelt's part, Tor
self-interest would have dictated that
he keep the popular affection that he
had. 1t is possible historians may find
some OF the explanation In some OF
the advisers Mr.. Roosevelt had close
to him. When the universal bank
closing came, . few days after Mr..
Roosevelt was in ONCE. I suspect that
some of his advisers saw in that
paralysis OF the existing order Q
chance to make America over accord
ing to their own pattern. which was
the pattern of socialism. They wished
Mr.. Roosevelt to keep the banks closed,
keep the old American system para
ly1ed, and on the ruin erect the kind
of social system they dreamed. That
program necessarily included the stir
ring up of class hatred. for revolution
OF that kind must be accompanied by
class consciousness and rest on class
support. Apparently Mr.. Roosevelt
would not 60 so far as revolution. but
went far enough to become q spokes-
man Of class feeling.
But this explanation can only be
partial at best. and may be wholly
wrong. Adequate explanation must
wait for time and must include con.
sideration Of some qualities Of Mr..
Roosevelt's personal temperament.
(Copyright. 1850