theodore roosevelt-第46章

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evening；　summoned　Senator　Beveridge　and　sent　him　off　with　the　manuscript　of　the　address　to　take　his　place。　Mrs。　Roosevelt　reached　Chicago　by　the　first　train　possible；　and　stayed　with　him　while　he　underwent；　impatiently；　nearly　a　fortnight's　convalescence。　Then；　much　sooner　than　the　surgeons　thought　wise；　although　his　wound　had　healed　with　remarkable　speed；　he　returned　to　Oyster　Bay；　and　on　October　30th　he　closed　his　campaign　by　addressing　sixteen　thousand　persons　in　the　Madison　Square　Garden。　He　spoke　with　unwonted　calm　and　judicial　poise；　and　so　earnestly　that　the　conviction　which　he　felt　carried　conviction　to　many　who　heard　him。　〃I　am　glad　beyond　measure；〃　he　said；　〃that　I　am　one　of　the　many　who　in　this　fight　have　stood　ready　to　spend　and　be　spent；　pledged　to　fight；　while　life　lasts；　the　great　fight　for　righteousness　and　for　brotherhood　and　for　the　welfare　of　mankind。〃

President　Taft　and　the　members　of　his　Cabinet　took　little　or　no　active　part　in　the　campaign。　Indeed；　the　Republicans　seemed　unable　to　arouse　enthusiasm。　They　relied　upon　their　past　victories　and　the　robust　campaign　fund；　which　the　Interests　gladly　furnished。　The　Democratic　candidate　was　Woodrow　Wilson；　Governor　of　New　Jersey；　who　had　been　professor　at　Princeton　University；　and　then　its　president。　As　Governor；　he　had　commended　himself　by　fighting　the　Machine；　and　by　advocating　radical　measures。　As　candidate；　he　asserted　his　independence　by　declaring　that　〃a　party　platform　is　not　a　program。〃　He　spoke　effectively；　and　both　he　and　his　party　had　the　self…complacency　that　comes　to　persons　who　believe　that　they　are　sure　to　win。　And　how　could　their　victory　be　in　doubt　since　the　united　Democrats　had　for　opponents　the　divided　Republicans？　When　Colonel　Roosevelt　was　shot；　Governor　Wilson　magnanimously　announced　that　he　would　make　no　more　speeches。　Roosevelt　objected　to　this；　believing　that　a　chance　accident　to　him；　personally；　ought　not　to　stop　any　one　from　criticising　him　politically。　〃What　ever　could　with　truth　and　propriety　have　been　said　against　me　and　my　cause　before　I　was　shot；　can；〃　he　urged；　〃with　equal　truth　and　equal　propriety；　be　said　against　me　now；　and　it　should　so　be　said；　and　the　things　that　cannot　be　said　now　are　merely　the　things　that　ought　not　to　have　been　said　before。　This　is　not　a　contest　about　any　man；　it　is　a　contest　concerning　principles。〃

At　the　election　on　November　5th；　Wilson　was　elected　by　6；286；000　votes　out　of　15；310；000　votes；　thus　being　a　minority　President　by　two　million　and　a　half　votes。　Roosevelt　received　4；126；000　and　Taft　3；483；000　votes。　The　combined　vote　of　what　had　been　the　Republican　Party　amounted　to　7；609；000　votes；　or　1；323；000　more　than　those　received　by　Mr。　Wilson。　When　it　came　to　the　Electoral　College；　the　result　was　even　more　significant。　Wilson　had　435；　Roosevelt　88；　and　Taft；　thanks　to　Vermont　and　Utah；　secured　8　votes。　Roosevelt　carried　Pennsylvania　the　rock…bound　Republican　State；　Missouri　which　was　usually　Democratic；　South　Dakota；　Washington；　Michigan；　and　eleven　out　of　the　thirteen　votes　of　California。　These　figures；　analyzed　calmly；　after　the　issues　and　passions　have　cooled　into　history；　indicate　two　things。　First；　the　amazing　personal　popularity　of　Roosevelt；　who；　against　the　opposition　of　the　Republican　Machine　and　all　its　ramifications；　had　so　easily　defeated　President　Taft；　the　candidate　of　that　Machine。　And　secondly；　it　proved　that　Roosevelt；　and　not　Taft；　really　represented　a　large　majority　of　what　had　been　the　Republican　Party。　Therefore；　it　was　the　Taft　faction　which；　in　spite　of　the　plain　evidence　given　at　the　choice　of　the　delegates；　and　at　the　Convention　itselfevidence　which　the　Machine　tried　to　ignore　and　suppressit　was　the　Taft　faction　and　not　Roosevelt　which　split　the　Republican　Party　in　1912。

Had　it　allowed　the　preference　of　the　majority　to　express　itself　by　the　nomination　of　Roosevelt；　there　is　every　reason　to　believe　that　he　would　have　been　elected。　For　we　must　remember　that　the　Democratic　Platform　was　hardly　less　progressive　than　that　of　the　Progressives　themselves。　Counting　the　Wilson　and　the　Roosevelt　vote　together；　we　find　10；412；000　votes　were　cast　for　Progressive　principles　against　3；483；000　votes　for　the　reactionary　Conservatives。　And　yet　the　gray　wolves　of　the　Republican　Party；　and　its　Old　Guard；　and　its　Machine；　proclaimed　to　the　country　that　its　obsolescent　doctrines　represented　the　desires　and　the　ideals　of　the　United　States　in　1912！

Although　the　campaign；　as　conducted　by　the　Republicans；　seemed　listless；　it　did　not　lack　venom。　Being　a　family　fight　between　the　Taft　men　and　the　Roosevelt　men；　it　had　the　bitterness　which　family　quarrels　develop。　Mr。　Taft　and　most　of　his　Secretaries　had　known　the　methods　of　Mr。　Roosevelt　and　his　Ministers。　They　could　counter；　therefore；　charges　of　incompetence　and　indifference　by　recalling　the　inconsistencies；　or　worse；　of　Roosevelt's　regime。　When　the　Progressives　charged　the　Taft　Administration　with　being　easy　on　the　Big　Interests；　Attorney…General　Wickersham　resorted　to　a　simple　sum　in　arithmetic　in　order　to　contradict　them；　showing　that　whereas　Roosevelt　began　forty…four　Anti…Trust　suits；　and　concluded　only　four　important　cases　during　his　seven　and　a　half　years　in　office；　under　Taft　sixty…six　new　suits　were　begun　and　many　of　the　old　ones　were　successfully　concluded。　Some　great　cases；　like　that　of　the　Standard　Oil　and　of　the　Railroad　Rates；　had　been　settled；　which　equaled　in　importance　any　that　Roosevelt　had　taken　up。　In　the　course　of　debate　on　the　stump；　each　side　made　virulent　accusations　against　the　other；　and　things　were　said　which　were　not　true　then　and　have　long　since　been　regretted　by　the　sayers。　That　happens　in　all　political　contests。

Roosevelt　himself；　being　the　incarnation；　if　not　indeed　the　cause；　of　the　Progressive　Party；　had　to　endure　an　incessant　volley　of　personal　attack。　They　charged　him　with　inordinate　ambition。　We　heard　how　Mr。　William　Barnes；　Jr。；　the　would…be　savior　of　the　country；　implied　that　Roosevelt　must　be　defeated　in　order　to　prevent　the　establishment　of　monarchy　in　the　United　States。　Probably　Mr。　Barnes；　in　his　moments　of　reflection；　admitted　to　himself　that　he　did　not　really　mean　that；　but　many　campaign　orators　and　editors　repeated　the　insinuation　and　besought　free…born　Americans　not　to　elect　a　candidate　who　would　assume　the　title　of　King　Theodore。　Many　of　his　critics　could　account　for　his　leaving　the　Republican　Party　and　heading　another；　only　on　the　theory　that　he　was　moved　by　a　desire　for　revenge。　If　he　could　not　rule　he　would　ruin。　The　old　allegation　that　he　must　be　crazy　was　of　course　revived。

After　the　election；　the　Republican　Regulars；　who　had　stubbornly　refused；　to　read　the　handwriting　on　the　wall　during　the　previous　four　years；　heaped　new　abuse　upon　him。　They　said　that　he　had　betrayed　the　Party。　They　said　that　he　had　shown　himself　an　ingrate　towards　Taft；　whose　achievements　in　the　Presidency　awoke　his　envy。　And　more　recently；　many　persons　who　have　loathed　the　Administration　of　President　Wilson；　blame　Roosevelt　for　having　brought　down　this　curse　upon　the　country。

These　various　opinions　and　charges　seem　to　me　to　be　mistaken；　and　in　the　foregoing　chapters；　if　I　have　truly　divined　Theodore　Roosevelt's　character；　every　reader　should　see　that　his　action　in　entering　the　field　for　the　Republican　nomination　in　1912；　and　then　in　founding　the　Progressive　Party；　was　the　perfectly　natural　culmination　of　his　career。　Some　one　said　that　he　went　off　at　a　tangent　in　1912。　Some　one　else　has　said　better　that　this　tangent　was　a　straight　line　leading　back　to　1882；　when　he　sat　in　the　New　York　Assembly。　Remember　that　the　love　of　Justice　was　from　boyhood　his　leading　principle。　Remember　that；　after　he　succeeded　in　having　a　law　passed　relieving　the　miserably　poor　cigar…makers　from　the　hideous　conditions　under　which　they　had　to　work；　a　judge　declared　the　law　unconstitutional；　thereby　proving　to　Roosevelt　that　the　courts；　which　should　be　the　citadels　of　justice；　might　and　did；　in　this　case；　care　more　for　the　financial　interests　of　landowners　than　for　the　health；　life；　and　soul　of　human　beings。　That　example　of　injustice　was　branded　on　his　heart；　and　he　resolved　to　combat　the　judicial　league　with　in　humanity；　wherever　he　met　it。　So　Abraham　Lincoln；　when；　at　the　age　of　twenty…two　he　first　saw　a　slave　auction　in　New　Orleans；　said；　in　indignant　horror；　to　his　companion；　John　Hanks：　〃If　I　ever　get　a　chance　to　hit　that　thing　＇meaning　slavery＇　I'll　hit　it　hard。〃　Exactly　thirty　years　later；　Abraham　Lincoln；　as　President；　was　hitting　that　thingslaveryso　hard　that　it　perished。　Roosevelt's　experience　as　Assemblyman；　as　Civil　Service　Commissioner；　as　Police　Commissioner；　as　Governor；　and　as　President；　had　confirmed　his　belief　that　the　decisions　of　the　courts　often　stood　between　the　People　and　Justice。

Especially　in　his　war　on　the　Interests　was　he　angered　at　finding　corporate　abuses；　and　even　criminal　methods；　comfortably　protected　by　an　upholstery　of　favoring　laws。　With　that　tact　and　willingness　to　compromise　on　non…essentials　in　order　to　gain　his　essential　object；　which　mark　him　as　a　statesman；　he　used　the　Republican　Party；　naturally　the　party　of　the　plutocrats　who　controlled　the　Interests；　just　as　long　as　he　could。　Then；　when　the　Republican　Machine　rose　against　him；　he　quitted　it　and　founded　the　Progressive　Party；　to　be　the　instrument　for　carrying　on　and　completing　the　great　reforms　he　had　at　heart。　Here　was　no　desertion；　no　betrayal；　here　was；　first　of　all；　common　sense；　if　the　road　no　longer　leads　towards　your　goal；　you　leave　it　and　take　an　other。　No　one　believed　more　sincerely　than　Roosevelt　did；　in　fealty　to　party。　In　1884　he　would　not　bolt；　because　he　hoped　that　the　good　which　the　Republican　principles　would　accomplish　would　more　than　offset　the　harm　which　the　nomination　of　Blaine　would　inflict。　But　in　1912；　the　Republicans　cynically　rejected　his　cause　which　he　had　tried　to　make　the　Republican　cause；　and　then；　as　in　1884；　he　held　that　the　cause　was　more　important　than　the　individual；　and　he　followed　this　idea　loyally；　lead　where　it　might。

In　trying　thus　to　state　Roosevelt's　position　fairly；　I　do　not　mean　to　imply　that　I　should　agree　with　his　conclusions　in　regard　to　the　Recall　of　the　Judicial　Decisions；　and　the　experiments　which　have　already　been　made　with　the　Referendum　and　Initiative　and　Direct　Primaries　are　so　unsatisfactory　that　Roosevelt　himself　would　probably　have　recognized　that　the　doubts；　which　many　of　us　felt　when　he　first　proposed　those　measures；　have　been　justified。　But　I　wish　to　emphasize　my　admiration　for　the　large　consistency　of　his　career；　and　my　conviction　that；　with　out　his　crowning　action　in　1912；　he　would　have　failed　to　be　the　moral　force　which　he　was。　If　ambition；　if　envy；　if　a　selfish　desire　to　rule；　had　been　the　motives　which　guided　him；　he　would　have　lain　low　in　1912；　for　all　his　friends　and　the　managers　of　the　Republican　Party　assured　him　that　if　he　would　stand　aside　then；　he　would　be　unanimously　nominated　by　the　Republicans　in　1916。　But　he　could　not　be　tempted。



CHAPTER　XXIII。　THE　BRAZILIAN　ORDEAL

〃They　will　be　throwing　rotten　apples　at　me　soon；〃　Theodore　had　said　to　his　sister；　on　the　day　when　New　York　went　frantic　in　placing　him　among　the　gods。　His　treatment；　after　he　championed　Progressivism；　showed　him　to　be　c