theodore roosevelt-第26章

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　absurdity　of　it。　Suppose　he　had　said；　for　instance：　〃In　spite　of　the　fact　that　Washington　and　Lincoln　each　kept　a　cow；　they　were　both　peerless　patriots；　therefore；　as　President　Wilson　keeps　a　cow；　he　must　be　a　peerless　patriot。〃　One　fears　that　logic　is　somewhat　neglected　even　in　the　training　of　lawyers　in　our　day。

The　commonest　charge　against　Roosevelt；　and　the　one　which　seemed；　on　the　surface　at　least；　to　be　most　plausible；　was　that　he　was　devoured　by　insatiable　ambition。　The　critical　remarked　that　wherever　he　went　he　was　always　the　central　figure。　The　truth　is；　that　he　could　no　more　help　being　the　central　figure　than　a　lion　could　in　any　gathering　of　lesser　creatures；　the　fact　that　he　was　Roosevelt　decided　that。　He　did　use　the　personal　pronoun　〃I；〃　and　the　possessive　pronoun　〃My；〃　with　such　frequency　as　to　irritate　good　persons　who　were　quite　as　egotistical　as　heif　that　be　egotismbut　who　used　such　modest　circumlocutions　as　〃the　present　writer；〃　or　〃one；〃　to　camouflage　their　self…conceit。　Roosevelt　enjoyed　almost　all　his　experiences　with　equal　zest；　and　he　expressed　his　enjoyment　without　reserve。　He　was　quite　as　well　aware　of　his　foibles　as　his　critics　were；　and　he　made　merry　over　them。　Probably　nobody　laughed　more　heartily　than　he　at　the　pleasantly　humorous　remark　of　one　of　his　boys：　〃Father　never　likes　to　go　to　a　wedding　or　a　funeral；　because　he　can't　be　the　bride　at　the　wedding　or　the　corpse　at　the　funeral。〃

Ambition　he　had；　the　ambition　which　every　healthy…minded　man　ought　to　have　to　deserve　the　good…will　and　approbation　of　his　fellows。　This　he　admitted　over　and　over　again；　and　he　made　no　pretense　of　not　taking　satisfaction　from　the　popularity　his　countrymen　showered　upon　him。　In　writing　to　a　friend　that　he　wished　to　be　a　candidate　in　1904；　he　distinguished　between　the　case　of　Lincoln　in　1864　and　that　of　himself　and　other　Presidential　candidates　for　renomination。　In　1864；　the　crisis　was　so　tremendous　that　Lincoln　must　have　considered　that　chiefly；　irrespective　of　his　own　hopes：　whereas　Roosevelt　in　1904；　like　Jackson；　Grant；　Cleveland；　and　the　other　two…term　Presidents；　might；　without　impropriety；　look　upon　reelection　as；　in　a　measure；　a　personal　tribute。

One　of　my　purposes　in　writing　this　sketch　will　have　failed；　if　I　have　not　made　clear　the　character　of　Roosevelt's　ambition。　He　could　not　be　happy　unless　he　were　busily　at　work。　If　that　work　were　in　a　public　office　he　was　all　the　happier。　But　the　way　in　which　he　accepted　one　office　after　another；　each　unrelated　to　the　preceding；　was　so　desultory　as　to　prove　that　he　did　not　begin　life　with　a　deep…laid　design　on　the　Presidency。　He　got　valuable　political　notoriety　as　an　Assemblyman；　but　that　was；　as　I　have　so　often　said；　because　he　could　not　be　inconspicuous　anywhere。　He　took　the　office　of　Civil　Service　Commissioner；　although　everybody　regarded　that　as　a　commonplace　field　bounded　on　three　sides　by　political　oblivion；　and　only　a　dreamer　could　have　supposed　that　his　service　as　Chief　Police　Commissioner　of　New　York　City　could　lead　to　the　White　House。　Only　when　he　became　Assistant　Secretary　of　the　Navy　can　he　be　said　to　have　come　within　striking　distance　of　the　great　target。　In　enlisting　in　the　Spanish　War　and　organizing　the　Rough　Riders；　he　may　well　have　reflected　that　military　prowess　has　often　favored　a　Presidential　candidacy；　but　even　here；　his　sense　of　patriotic　duty　and　his　desire　to　experience　the　soldier's　life　were　almost　indisputably　his　chief　motives。　As　Governor　of　New　York；　however；　he　could　not　disguise　from　himself　the　fact　that　that　position　might　prove　again；　as　it　had　proved　in　the　case　of　Cleveland；　the　stepping…stone　to　the　Presidency。　On　finding；　however；　that　Platt　and　the　Bosses；　exasperated　by　him　as　Governor；　wished　to　get　rid　of　him　by　making　him　Vice…President；　and　knowing　that　in　the　normal　course　of　events　a　Vice…President　never　became　President；　he　tried　to　refuse　nomination　to　the　lower　office。　And　only　when　he　perceived　that　the　masses　of　the　people；　the　country　over；　and　not　merely　the　Bosses；　insisted　on　nominating　him；　did　he　accept。　This　brief　summary　of　his　political　progress　assuredly　does　not　bear　out　the　charge　that　he　was　the　victim　of　uncontrollable　ambition。

Roosevelt's　Ananias　Club　caught　the　imagination　of　the　country；　but　not　always　favorably。　Those　whom　he　elected　into　it；　for　instance；　did　not　relish　the　notoriety。　Others　thought　that　it　betokened　irritation　in　him；　and　that　a　man　in　his　high　position　ought　not　to　punish　persons　who　were　presumably　trustworthy　by　branding　them　so　conspicuously。　In　fact；　I　suppose；　he　sometimes　applied　the　brand　too　hastily；　under　the　spur　of　sudden　resentment。　The　most…open　of　men　himself；　he　had　no　hesitation　in　commenting　on　anybody　or　any　topic　with　the　greatest　indiscretion。　For　he　took　it　for　granted　that　even　the　strangers　who　heard　him　would　hold　his　remarks　as　confidential。　When；　therefore；　one　of　his　hearers　went　outside　and　reported　in　public　what　the　President　had　said；　Roosevelt　disavowed　it；　and　put　the　babbler　in　the　Ananias　class。　What　a　President　wishes　the　public　to　know；　he　tells　it　himself。　What　he　utters　in　private　should；　in　honor；　be　held　as　confidential。

When　I　say　that　Roosevelt　was　astonishingly　open；　I　do　not　mean　that　he　blurted　out　everything；　for　he　always　knew　the　company　with　whom　he　talked；　and　if　there　were　any　among　them　with　whom　it　would　be　imprudent　to　risk　an　indiscretion；　he　took　care　to　talk　〃for　safety。〃　With　him；　a　secret　was　a　secret；　and　he　could　be　as　silent　as　an　unopened　Egyptian　tomb。　Certain　diplomatic　affairs　he　did　not　lisp；　even　to　his　Secretary　of　State。　So　far　as　appears；　John　Hay　knew　nothing　about　the　President's　interviews　with　the　German　Ambassador　Holleben；　which　forced　William　II　to　arbitrate。　And　he　sometimes　prepared　a　bill　for　Congress　with　out　consulting　his　Cabinet；　for　fear　that　the　stock　jobbers　might　get　wind　of　it　and　bull　or　bear　the　market　with　the　news。

Before　passing　on；　I　must　remark　that　some　cases　of　apparent　mendacity　or　inaccuracy　on　the　part　of　a　Presidentespecially　if　he　were　as　voluble　and　busy　as　Rooseveltmust　be　attributed　to　forgetfulness　or　misunderstanding　and　not　to　wilful　lying。　A　person　coming　from　an　interview　with　him　might　construe　as　a　promise　the　kindly　remarks　with　which　the　President　wished　to　soften　a　refusal。　The　promise；　which　was　no　promise；　not　being　kept；　the　suppliant　accused　the　President　of　faithlessness　or　falsehood。　McKinley；　it　was　said；　could　say　no　to　three　different　seekers　for　the　same　office　so　balmily　that　each　of　them　went　away　convinced　that　he　was　the　successful　applicant。　Yet　McKinley　escaped　the　charge　of　mendacity　and　Roosevelt；　who　deserved　it　far　less；　did　not。

In　his　writings　and　speeches；　Roosevelt　uttered　his　opinions　so　candidly　that　we　need　not　fall　back　on　breaches　of　confidence　to　explain　why　his　opponents　were　maddened　by　them。　Plutocrats　and　monopolists　might　well　wince　at　being　called　〃malefactors　of　great　wealth；〃　〃the　wealthy　criminal　class。〃　Such　expressions　had　the　virtue；　from　the　point　of　view　of　rhetoric；　of　being　so　descriptive　that　any　body　could　visualize　them。　They　stung；　they　shed　indefinable　odium　on　a　whole　class；　and；　no　doubt；　this　was　just　what　Roosevelt　intended。　To　many　critics　they　seemed　cruel；　because；　instead　of　allowing　for　exceptions；　they　huddled　all　plutocrats　together；　the　virtuous　and　the　vicious　alike。　And　so　with　the　victims　of　his　phrase；　〃undesirable　citizens。〃　I　marvel　rather；　however；　that　Roosevelt；　given　his　extraordinary　talent　of　flashing　epithets　and　the　rush　of　his　indignation　when　he　was　doing　battle　for　a　good　cause；　displayed　as　much　moderation　as　he　did。　Had　he　been　a　demagogue；　he　would　have　roused　the　masses　against　the　capitalists　and　have　goaded　them　to　such　a　pitch　of　hatred　that　they　would　have　looked　to　violence；　bloodshed；　and　injustice；　as　the　remedy　they　must　apply。

But　Roosevelt　was　farthest　removed　from　the　Revolutionists　of　the　vulgar；　red…handed　class。　He　consecrated　his　life　to　prevent　Revolution。　All　his　action　in　the　conflict　between　Labor　and　Capital　aimed　at　conciliation。　He　told　the　plutocrats　their　defects　with　brutal　frankness；　and　if　he　promoted　laws　to　curb　them；　it　was　because　he　realized；　as　they　did　not；　that；　unless　they　mended　their　ways；　they　would　bring　down　upon　themselves　a　Socialist　avalanche　which　they　could　not　withstand。　What　set　the　seal　of　consecration　on　his　work　was　his　treatment　of　Labor　with　equal　justice。　Unlike　the　demagogue；　he　did　not　flatter　the　〃horny…handed　sons　of　toil〃　or　obsequiously　do　the　bidding　of　railroad　brotherhoods；　or　pretend　that　the　capitalist　had　no　rights；　and　that　all　workingmen　were　good　merely　because　they　worked。　On　the　contrary；　he　told　them　that　no　class　was　above　the　law；　he　warned　them　that　if　Labor　attempted　to　get　its　demands　by　violence；　he　would　put　it　down。　He　ridiculed　the　idea　that　honest　citizenship　depends　on　the　more　or　less　money　a　man　has　in　his　pocket。　〃A　man　who　is　good　enough　to　shed　his　blood　for　his　country；〃　Roosevelt　said　in　a　Fourth…of…July　speech　at　Springfield；　Illinois；　in　1903；　〃is　good　enough　to　be　given　a　square　deal　afterward。　More　than　that　no　man　is　entitled　to；　and　less　than　that　no　man　shall　have。〃

That　phrase；　〃a　square　deal；〃　stuck　in　the　hearts　of　the　American　people。　It　summed　up　what　they　regarded　as　Roosevelt's　most　characteristic　trait。　He　was　the　man　of　the　square　deal；　who　instinctively　resented　injustice　done　to　those　who　could　not　protect　themselves；　the　friend　of　the　underdog；　the　companion　of　the　self…reliant　and　the　self…respecting。　It　is　under　this　aspect　that　Roosevelt　seems　most　likely　to　live　in　popular　history。

So；　from　the　time　he　became　President；　the　public　was　divided　into　believing　that　there　were　two　Roosevelts。　His　enemies　made　almost　a　monster　of　him；　denouncing　and　fearing　him　as　violent；　rash；　pugnacious；　egotistical；　ogreish　in　his　mad；　hatred　of　Capital；　and　Capitalists　condemned　him　as　hypocritical；　cruel；　lying；　and　vindictive。　The　other　side；　however；　insisted　on　his　courage；　he　was　a　fighter；　but　he　always　fought　to　defend　the　weak　and　to　uphold　the　right；　he　was　equally　unmoved　by　Bosses　and　by　demagogues；　in　his　human　relations　he　regarded　only　what　a　man　was；　not　his　class　or　condition；　he　had　a　great　hearted；　jovial　simplicity；　a　far…seeing　and　steadfast　patriotism；　he　preached　the　Square　Deal　and　he　practiced　it；　even　more　than　Lincoln　he　was　accessible　to　every　one。



CHAPTER　XIV。　THE　PRESIDENT　AND　THE　KAISER

During　the　first　years　of　Roosevelt's　Administration　he　had　to　encounter　many　conditions　which　existed　rather　from　the　momentum　they　had　from　the　past　than　from　any　living　vigor　of　their　own。　It　was　a　time　of　transition。　The　group　of　politicians　dating　from　the　Civil　War　was　nearly　extinct；　and　the　leaders　who　had　come　to　the　front　after　1870　were　also　much　thinned　in　number；　and　fast　dropping　off。　Washington　itself　was　becoming　one　of　the　most　beautiful　cities　in　the　world；　with　its　broad　avenues；　seldom　thronged；　its　circles　and　squares；　whose　frequenters　seemed　never　busy；　its　spirit　of　leisure；　its　suggestion　of　opulence　and　amplitude；　and　of　a　not　too　zealous　or　disturbing　hold　on　reality。　You　still　saw　occasionally　a　tiny　cottage　inhabited　by　a　colored