theodore roosevelt-第25章

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Trusts〃　were　to　these　what　the　elephant　is　to　a　colt。　When　the　United　States　Steel　Corporation　was　formed　by　uniting　eleven　large　steel　plants；　with　an　aggregate　capital　of　11100；000；000；　the　American　people　had　an　inkling　of　the　magnitude　to　which　Trusts　might　swell。　In　like　fashion　when　the　Northern　Pacific　and　the　Great　Northern　Railroads　found　a　legal　impediment　to　their　being　run　by　one　management；　they　got　round　the　law　by　organizing　the　Northern　Securities　Company；　which　was　to　hold　the　stocks　and　bonds　of　both　railroads。　And　so　of　many　other　important　industrial　and　transportation　mergers。　The　most　powerful　financial　promoters　of　the　country；　led　by　Mr。　J。　Pierpont　Morgan；　were　busy　setting　up　these　combinations　on　a　large　scale　and　the　keenest　corporation　lawyers　spent　their　energy　and　wits　in　framing　charters　which　obeyed　the　letter　of　the　laws；　but　wholly　denied　their　spirit。

President　Roosevelt　worked　openly；　with　a　definite　purpose。　First；　he　would　enforce　every　law　on　the　statute　book；　without　exception　in　favor　of　any　individual　or　company；　next；　he　suggested　to　Congress　the　need　of　new　legislation　to　resist　further　encroachments　by　capitalists　in　the　fields　where　they　had　already　been　checked；　finally；　he　pointed　out　that　Congress　must　begin　at　once　to　protect　the　national　resources　which　had　been　allowed　to　go　to　waste；　or　to　be　seized　and　exploited　by　private　concerns。

I　do　not　intend　to　take　up　in　chronological　sequence；　or　in　detail；　Roosevelt's　battles　to　secure　proper　legislation。　To　do　so　would　require　the　discussion　of　legal　and　constitutional　questions；　which　would　scarcely　fit　a　sketch　like　the　present。　The　main　things　to　know　are　the　general　nature　of　his　reforms　and　his　own　attitude　in　conducting　the　fight。　He　aimed　directly　at　stopping　abuses　which　gave　a　privileged　few　undue　advantage　in　amassing　and　distributing　wealth。　The　practical　result　of　the　laws　was　to　spread　justice；　and　equality　throughout　the　country　and　to　restore　thereby　the　true　spirit　of　Democracy　on　which　the　Founders　created　the　Republic。　He　fought　fairly；　but　warily；　never　letting　slip　a　point　that　would　tell　against　his　opponents；　who；　it　must　be　said；　did　not　always　attack　him　honorably。

At　first；　they　regarded　the　President　as　a　headstrong　young　man　he　was　the　youngest　who　had　ever　sat　in　the　Presidential　chair　who　wished　to　have　his　own　way　in　order　to　show　the　country　that　he　was　its　leader。　They　did　not　see　that　ideals　which　dated　back　to　his　childhood　were　really　shaping　his　acts。　He　had　seen　law　in　the　making　out　West；　he　had　seen　law；　and　especially　corporation　law；　in　the　making　when　he　was　in　the　New　York　Assembly　and　Governor　of　New　York；　he　knew　the　devices　by　which　the　Interests　caused　laws　to　be　made　and　passed　for　their　special　benefit；　or　evaded　inconvenient　laws。　But　he　suffered　no　disillusion　as　to　the　ideal　of　Law；　the　embodiment　and　organ　of　Justice。　Legal　quibbles；　behind　which　designing　and　wicked　men　dodged；　nauseated　him；　and　he　made　no　pretense　of　wishing　to　uphold　them。

The　champions　of　the　Interests　found　out　before　long　that　the　young　President　was　neither　headstrong　nor　a　mere　creature　of　impulse；　but　that　he　followed　a　thoroughly　rational　system　of　principles；　and　so　they　had　to　abandon　the　notion　that　the　next　gust　of　impulse　might　blow　him　over　to　their　side。　They　must　take　him　as　he　was；　and　make　the　best　of　it。　Now；　I　must　repeat；　that；　for　these　gentlemen；　the　very　idea　that　anybody　could　propose　to　run　the　American　Government；　or　to　organize　American　Society；　on　any　other　standard　than　theirs；　seemed　to　them　preposterous。　The　Bourbon　nobles　in　France　and　in　Italy　were　not　more　amazed。　when　the　Revolutionists　proposed　to　sweep　them　away　than　were　the　American　Plutocrats　of　the　Rooseveltian　era　when　he　promoted　laws　to　regulate　them。　The　Bourbon　thinks　the　earth　will　perish　unless　Bourbonism　governs　it；　the　American　Plutocrat　thought　that　America　existed　simply　to　enrich　him。　He　clung　to　his　rights　and　privileges　with　the　tenacity　of　a　drowning　man　clinging　to　a　plank；　and　he　deceived　himself　into　thinking　that；　in　desperately　trying　to　save　himself　and　his　order；　he　was　saving　Society。

Most　tragic　of　all；　to　one　who　regards　history　as　the　revelation　of　the　unfolding　of　the　moral　nature　of　mankind；　was　the　fact　that　these　men　had　not　the　slightest　idea　that　they　were　living　in　a　moral　world；　or　that　a　new　influx　of　moral　inspiration　had　begun　to　permeate　Society　in　its　politics；　its　business；　and　its　daily　conduct。　The　great　ship　Privilege；　on　which　they　had　voyaged　with　pomp　and　satisfaction；　was　going　down　and　they　knew　it　not。



CHAPTER　XIII。　THE　TWO　ROOSEVELTS

I　do　not　wish　to　paint　Roosevelt　in　one　light　only；　and　that　the　most　favorable。　Had　no　other　been　shed　upon　him；　his　Administration　would　have　been　too　bland　for　human　belief；　and　life　for　him　would　have　palled。　For　his　inexhaustible　energy　hungered　for　action。　As　soon　as　his　judgment　convinced　him　that　a　thing　ought　to　be　done　he　set　about　doing　it。　Recently；　I　asked　one　of　the　most　perspicacious　members　of　his　Cabinet；　〃What　do　you　consider　Theodore's　dominant　trait〃　He　thought　for　a　while；　and　then　replied；　〃Combativeness。〃　No　doubt　the　public　also；　at　least　while　Roosevelt　was　in　office；　thought　of　him　first　as　a　fighter。　The　idea　that　he　was　truculent　or　pugnacious；　that　he　went　about　with　a　chip　on　his　shoulder；　that　he　loved　fighting　for　the　sake　of　fighting；　was；　however；　a　mistake。　During　the　eight　years　he　was　President　he　kept　the　United　States　out　of　war；　not　only　that；　he　settled　long…standing　causes　of　irritation；　such　as　the　dispute　over　the　Alaskan　Boundary；　which　might；　under　provocation；　have　led　to　war。　Even　more　than　this；　without　striking　a　blow；　he　repelled　the　persistent　attempts　of　the　German　Emperor　to　gain　a　foothold　on　this　continent；　he　repelled　those　snakelike　attacks　and　forced　the　Imperial　Bully；　not　merely　to　retreat　ignominiously　but　to　arbitrate。　And　in　foreign　affairs；　Roosevelt　shone　as　a　peacemaker。　He　succeeded　in　persuading　the　Russian　Czar　to　come　to　terms　with　the　Mikado　of　Japan。　And　soon　after；　when　the　German　Emperor　threatened　to　make　war　on　France；　a　letter　from　Roosevelt　to　him　caused　William　to　reconsider　his　brutal　plan；　and　to　submit　the　Moroccan　dispute　to　a　conference　of　the　Powers　at　Algeciras。

Instead　of　the　braggart　and　brawler　that　his　enemies　mispainted　him；　I　saw　in　Roosevelt；　rather；　a　strong　man　who　had　taken　early　to　heart　Hamlet's　maxim　and　had　steadfastly　practiced　it：

〃Rightly　to　be　great　Is　not　to　stir　without　great　argument；

But　greatly　to　find　quarrel　in　a　straw　When　honour's　at　the　stake。〃

He　himself　summed　up　this　part　of　his　philosophy　in　a　phrase　which　has　become　a　proverb：　〃Speak　softly；　but　carry　a　big　stick。〃　More　than　once　in　his　later　years　he　quoted　this　to　me；　adding；　that　it　was　precisely　because　this　or　that　Power　knew　that　he　carried　a　big　stick；　that　he　was　enabled　to　speak　softly　with　effect。

No　man　of　our　time　better　deserved　the　Nobel　Peace　Prize　than　did　he。　The　fallacy　that　Roosevelt；　like　the　proverbial　Irishman　at　Donnybrook　Fair；　had　rather　fight　than　eat；　spread　through　the　country；　and　indeed　throughout　the　world；　and　had　its　influence　in　determining　whether　men　voted　for　him　or　not。　His　enemies　used　it　as　proof　that　he　was　not　a　safe　President；　but　they　took　means　much　more　malignant　than　this　to　discredit　and　destroy　him。　When　the　Big　Interests　discovered　that　they　could　not　silence　him；　they　circulated　stories　of　all　kinds　that　would　have　rendered　even　the　archangel　Gabriel　suspect　to　some　worthy　dupes。

They　threw　doubts；　for　instance；　on　his　sanity；　and　one　heard　that　the　〃Wall　Street　magnates〃　employed　the　best　alienists　in　the　country　to　analyze　everything　the　President　did　and　said；　in　the　hope　of　accumulating　evidence　to　show　that　he　was　too　unbalanced　to　be　President。　Not　content　with　stealing　away　his　reputation　for　mental　competence；　they　shot　into　the　dark　the　gravest　charges　against　his　honor。　A　single　story；　still　believed；　as　I　know；　by　persons　of　eminence　in　their　professions；　will　illustrate　this。　When　one　of　the　great　contests　between　the　President　and　the　Interests　was　on；　he　remembered　that　one　of　their　representatives　in　New　York　had　damaging；　confidential　letters　from　him。　Hearing　that　these　might　be　produced；　Roosevelt　telephoned　one　of　his　trusty　agents　to　break　open　the　desk　of　the　Captain　of　Industry　where　they　were　kept；　and　to　bring　them　to　the　White　House；　before　ten　o'clock　the　following　morning。　This　was　done。　To　believe　that　the　President　of　the　United　States　would　engage　in　a　vulgar　robbery　of　the　jimmy　and　black…mask　sort　indicates　a　degree　of　credulity　which　even　the　alienists　could　hardly　have　expected　to　encounter　outside　of　their　asylums。　It　suggests　also；　that　Baron　Munchausen；　like　the　Wandering　Jew　Ahasuerus；　has　never　died。　Does　any　one　suppose　that　the　person　whose　desk　was　rifled　would　have　kept　quiet？　Or　that；　if　the　Interests　had　had　even　reasonably　sure　evidence　of　the　President's　guilt；　they　would　not　have　published　it？　To　set　spies　and　detectives　upon　him　with　orders　to　trail　him　night　and　day　was；　according　to　rumor；　an　obvious　expedient　for　his　enemies　to　employ。

I　repeat　these　stories；　not　because　I　believe　them；　but　because　many　persons　did；　and　such　gossip；　like　the　cruel　slanders　whispered　against　President　Cleveland　years　before；　gained　some　credence。　Roosevelt　was　so　natural；　so　unguarded；　in　his　speech　and　ways；　that　he　laid　himself　open　to　calumny。　The　delight　he　took　in　establishing　the　Ananias　Club；　and　the　rapidity　with　which　he　found　new　members　for　it；　seemed　to　justify　strong　doubts　as　to　his　temper　and　taste；　if　not　as　to　his　judgment。　The　vehemence　of　his　public　speaking；　which　was　caused　in　part　by　a　physical　difficulty　of　utterancethe　sequel　of　his　early　asthmatic　troubleand　in　part　by　his　extraordinary　vigor；　created　among　some　of　the　hearers　who　did　not　know　him　the　impression　that　he　must　be　a　hard　drinker；　or　that　he　drank　to　stimulate　his　eloquence。　After　he　retired　from　office；　his　enemies；　in　order　to　undermine　his　further　political　influence；　sowed　the　falsehood　that　he　was　a　drunkard。　I　do　not　recall　that　they　ever　suggested　that　he　used　his　office　for　his　private　profitthere　are　some　things　too　absurd　for　even　malice　to　suggestbut　he　had　reason　enough　many　times　to　calm　himself　by　reflecting　that　his　Uncle　Jimmy　Bulloch；　the　best　of　men；　believed　just　such　lies；　and　the　most　atrocious　insinuations；　against　Mr。　Gladstone。

Of　course；　nearly　all　public　men　have　to　undergo　similar　virulent　defamation。　I　have　heard　a　well…known　publicist；　a　lawyer　of　ability；　argue　that　both　George　Washington　and　Abraham　Lincoln　did　not　escape　from　what　seems　now　incredible　abuse；　and　that　they　were；　nevertheless；　the　noblest　of　men　and　peerless　patriots；　and　then　he　went　on　to　argue　that　President　Woodrow　Wilson　has　been　the　target　of　similar　malignity；　and　to　leave　you　to　conclude　that　consequently　Wilson　is　in　the　same　class　with　Washington　and　Lincoln。　If　he　had　put　his　thesis　in　a　different　form；　the　publicist　might　have　seen　himself；　as　his　hearers　did；　the　absurdity　of　it。　Suppose　he　had　said；　for　instance：　〃In　spite　of　the　fact　that　Washington　and　Linco