theodore roosevelt-第53章

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essor　Felix　Frankfurter；　〃and　it　is　rather　more　evil　when　committed　in　the　name　of　a　professed　social　movement。〃　*　Mr。　Frankfurter　was　then　acting；　by　appointment　of　President　Wilson；　as　counsel　to　a　Mediation　Commission；　which　was　dealing　with　recent　crimes　of　the　Industrial　Workers　of　the　World。　Anarchists；　when　arrested；　had　a　suspicious　way　of　professing　that　they　espoused　anarchism　only　as　a　〃philosophical〃　theory。　Roosevelt　branded　several　of　the　palliators　of　these〃the　Hearsts　and　La　Follettes　and　Bergers　and　Hillquits；〃　and　othersas　reactionaries；　as　the　〃Bolsheviki　of　America；〃　who　really　abetted　the　violent　criminals　by　pleading　for　leniency　for　them　on　the　ground　that　after　all　they　were　only　〃philosophical〃　theorists。　Roosevelt　was　not　fooled　by　any　such　plea。　〃When　you；〃　he　told　Mr。　Frankfurter；　〃as　representing　President　Wilson；　find　yourself　obliged　to　champion　men　of　this　stamp　＇the　〃philosophical〃　criminals＇；　you　ought　by　unequivocal　affirmative　action　to　make　it　evident　that　you　are　sternly　against　their　general　and　habitual　line　of　conduct。〃

*　December　19；　1917。　Letter　printed　in　full　in　the　Boston　Herald；　June　6；　1919。


So　Roosevelt　pursued；　without　resting；　his　campaign　to　stimulate　the　patriotic　zeal　of　his　country　men　and　to　rebuke　the　delays　and　blunders　of　the　Administration。　If　any　one　had　said　that　he　was　making　rhetoric　a　substitute　for　warfarethe　accusation　with　which　he　charged　President　Wilsonhe　would　have　replied　that　Wilson　condemned　him　to　use　the　pen　instead　of　the　sword。　Forbidden　to　go　himself；　he　felt　supreme　satisfaction　in　the　going　of　all　his　four　sons；　and　of　his　son…in…law；　Dr。　Richard　Derby。　They　did　honor　to　the　Roosevelt　name。　Theodore；　Jr。；　became　a　Lieutenant…Colonel；　Kermit　and　Archibald　became　Captains；　and　Quentin；　the　youngest；　a　Lieutenant　of　Aviation；　was　killed　in　an　air　battle。

Roosevelt　was　prevented　from　fighting　in　France；　indeed；　but　he　was　gratified　to　learn　from　good　authority　that　his　efforts　in　the　spring　of　1917　to　secure　a　commission　and　lead　troops　over　seas　were　the　immediate　cause　of　the　sending　of　any　American　troops。　President　Wilson；　it　was　reported　had　no　intention；　when　we　went　to　war；　of　risking　American　lives　over　there；　and　the　leisurely　plans　which　he　made　for　creating　and　training　an　army　seemed　to　confirm　this　report。　But　Roosevelt's　insistence　and　the　great　mass　of　volunteers　who　begged　to　be　allowed　to　join　his　divisions；　if　they　were　organized；　awakened　the　President　to　the　fact　that　the　American　people　expected　our　country　to　give　valid　military　support　to　the　Allies；　at　death…grapple　with　the　Hun。　The　visit　in　May；　1917；　of　a　French　Mission　with　Marshal　Joffre　at　its　head；　and　of　an　English　Mission　under　Mr。　Arthur　Balfour；　and　their　plain　revelation　of　the　dire　distress　of　the　French　and　British　armies；　forced　Mr。　Wilson　to　promise　immediate　help；　for　Joffre　and　Balfour　made　him　under　stand　that　unless　help　came　soon；　it　would　come　too　late。　So　President　Wilson；　who　hoped　to　go　down　in　history　as　the　Peacemaker　of　the　World　War；　and　as　the　organizer　of　an　American　Army；　which；　without　shedding　a　drop　of　blood；　had　brought　peace　about；　was　compelled　to　send　the　only　too　willing　American　soldiers；　by　the　hundred　thousand　and　the　million；　to　join　the　Allied　veterans　in　France。

Persons　who　do　not　penetrate　beneath　the　flickering　surfaces　of　life；　regard　these　last　years　of　Roosevelt's　as　an　anticlimax　which　he　passed　in　eclipse；　as　if　they　were　the　eight　lean　and　overshadowed　years；　following　the　splendid　decade　in　which　as　Governor　and　President　he　had　the　world's　admiration　and　consent。　But　this　view　wholly　misconceives　him。　It　takes　a　man　who　had　proved　himself　to　be　the　greatest　moral　force　in　the　public　life　of　the　world；　and　drops　him　when　he　steps　down　from　the　seat　of　power。　Now；　of　course；　Theodore　Roosevelt　did　not　require　to　walk　on　a　high　platform　or　to　sit　in　the　equivalent　of　a　throne　in　order　to　be　Roosevelt；　and　if　we　would　read　the　true　meaning　of　his　life　we　must　understand；　that　the　years　which　followed　1910　were　the　culmination　and　crown　of　all　that　went　before。　He　was　a　fighter　from　the　days　when；　as　a　little　boy；　he　fought　the　disease　which　threatened　to　make　his　existence　puny　and　crippled。　He　was　a　fighter；　and　from　his　vantage…ground　as　President；　he　fought　so　valiantly　that　the　world　took　notice　and　he　brought　new　ideals　into　the　hearts　of　the　American　people。　He　was　just　as　brave　and　resourceful　and　tenacious　a　fighter　when　he　led　the　forlorn　hope；　as　when　he　marched　at　the　head　of　the　Nation　in　his　campaigns　against　corruption　and　the　mercenaries　of　Mammon。　During　these　later　years　he　gave　up　everything　…　his　ease；　his　probable　restoration　to　power；　the　friendships　that　were　very　dear　to　him；　even　his　party　which　no　longer；　as　he　thought；　followed　the　path　of　righteousness；　or　desired　righteous　ends　…　for　the　Cause　to　which　he　had　been　dedicated　since　youth。　Analyze　his　acts　at　any　period；　and　you　will　find　that　they　were　determined　by　his　loyalty　to　that　Cause。

And　how　could　so　great　a　soul　exercise　itself　to　the　full；　except　by　grappling　with　adversity？　The　prosperous　days　seemed　to　fit　him　like　a　skin；　but　only　in　these　days　of　apparent　thwarting　and　disappointment　could　he　show　himself　equal　to　any　blows　of　Fate。　At　first　he　struggled　magnificently　against　crushing　odds；　asking　no　allowances　and　no　favors。　He　founded　and　led　the　Progressive　Party　and；　in　1912；　received　the　most　amazing　popular　tribute　in　our　history。　And　he　would　have　pushed　on　his　work　for　that　party　had　not　the　coming　of　the　World　War　changed　his　perspective。　Thenceforth；　he　devoted　himself　to　saving　civilization　from　the　reptilian　and　atrocious　Hun；　that　was　a　task；　in　comparison　with　which　the　fortune　of　a　political　party　sank　out　of　sight。

His　work　demanded　of　him　to　rouse　his　country　men　from　the　apathy　and　indifference　which　a　timid　Administration　breathed　upon　it；　and　from　the　lethargic　slumber　into　which　the　pro…Germans　drugged　it。　During　four　years；　his　was　the　one　voice　in　the　United　States　which　could　not　be　silenced。　He　was　listened　to　everywhere。　Men　might　agree　with　him　or　not；　but　they　listened　to　him；　and　they　trusted　him。　Never　for　a　moment　did　they　suspect　that　he　was　slyly　working　for　the　enemy；　or　for　special　interests　here　or　abroad。

He；　the　supreme　American；　spoke　for　America　and　for　the　civilization　which　he　believed　America　fulfilled。　His　attacks　on　the　delays　and　the　incompetence；　on　the　faint…heartedness　and　contradictions　of　the　Administration　had　no　selfish　object。　His　heart　was　wrenched　by　the　humiliation　into　which　the　honor　of　the　United　States　had　been　dragged。　The　greatest　patriotic　service　which　he　could　render　was　to　lift　it　out　of　that　slough；　and　he　did。　The　best　evidence　that　he　was　right　lies　in　the　fact　that　President　Wilson；　tardily；　reluctantly；　adopted；　one　by　one；　Roosevelt's　demands。　He　rejected　Preparedness；　when　it　could　have　been　attained　with　comparative　leisure；　he　accepted　it；　when　it　had　to　be　driven　through　at　top　speed。　And　so　of　the　other　vitally　necessary　things。　He　ceased　to　warn　Americans　that　they　must　be　neutral　〃even　in　thought〃；　he　ceased　to　comfort　them　by　the　assurance　that　a　nation　may　be　〃too　proud　to　fight〃；　he　ceased　to　extol　the　〃justice　and　humanity　of　the　Germans。〃　That　he　suffered　these　changes　was　owing　to　the　fact　that　American　public　opinion；　largely　influenced　by　Roosevelt's　word　and　example；　would　not　tolerate　them　any　more。　And　President　Wilson；　when　he　can；　follows　public　opinion。

Roosevelt　took　personal　pleasure　in　the　bridging　of　the　chasm　which　had　opened　between　him　and　his　former　party　intimates。　On　neither　side　was　there　recantation；　but　they　could　unite　again　on　the　question　of　the　War　and　America's　duty　towards　it；　which　swallowed　up　partisan　grievances。　Many　of　the　old　time　Republicans　who　had　broken　politically　from　Roosevelt　in　1912；　remained　devoted　personal　friends；　and　they　tried　to　reunite　him　and　the　discordant　fragments。　One　of　these　friends　was　Colonel　Robert　Bacon；　whom　every　one　loved　and　trusted；　a　born　conciliator。　He　it　was　who　brought　Roosevelt　and　Senator　Root　together；　after　more　than　five　years'　estrangement。　He　gave　a　luncheon；　at　which　they　and　General　Leonard　Wood　met；　and　they　all　soon　fell　into　the　old…time　familiarity。　Roosevelt　urged　vehemently　his　desire　to　go　to　France；　and　said　that　he　would　go　as　a　private　if　he　could　not　lead　a　regiment；　that　he　was　willing　to　die　in　France　for　the　Cause。　At　which　Mr。　Root；　with　his　characteristic　wit；　said：　〃Theodore；　if　you　will　promise　to　die　there；　Wilson　will　give　you　any　commission　you　want；　tomorrow。〃

Roosevelt　never　fully　recovered　from　the　infection　which　the　fever　he　caught　in　Brazil　left　in　his　system。　It　manifested　itself　in　different　ways　and　the　one　thing　certain　was　that　it　could　not　be　cured。　He　paid　little　attention　to　it　except　when　it　actually　sent　him　to　bed。　In　the　winter　of　1918；　it　caused　so　serious　an　inflammation　of　the　mastoid　that　he　was　taken　to　the　hospital　and　had　to　undergo　an　operation。　For　several　days　his　life　hung　by　a　thread。　But；　on　his　recovery；　he　went　about　as　usual；　and　the　public　was　scarcely　aware　of　his　lowered　condition。　He　wrote　and　spoke；　and　seemed　to　be　acting　with　his　customary　vigor。　That　summer；　however；　on　July　14th；　his　youngest　son；　Quentin；　First　Lieutenant　in　the　95th　American　Aero　Squadron；　was　killed　in　an　air　battle　near　Chambray；　France。　The　lost　child　is　the　dearest。　Roosevelt　said　nothing；　but　he　never　got　over　Quentin's　loss。　No　doubt　he　often　asked；　in　silence；　why　he；　whose　sands　were　nearly　run；　had　not　been　taken　and　the　youth；　who　had　a　lifetime　to　look　forward　to；　had　not　been　spared。　The　day　after　the　news　came；　the　New　York　State　Republican　Convention　met　at　Saratoga。　Roosevelt　was　to　address　it；　and　he　walked　up　the　aisle　without　hesitating；　and　spoke　from　the　platform　as　if　he　had　no　thoughts　in　his　heart；　except　the　political　and　patriotic　exhortation　which　he　poured　out。　He　passed　a　part　of　the　summer　with　his　daughter；　Mrs。　Derby；　on　the　coast　of　Maine；　and　in　the　early　autumn；　at　Carnegie　Hall；　he　made　his　last　public　speech；　in　behalf　of　Governor　Whitman's　candidacy。　A　little　after　this；　he　appeared　for　the　last　time　in　public　at　a　meeting　in　honor　of　a　negro　hospital　unit。　In　a　few　days　another　outbreak　of　the　old　infection　caused　his　removal　to　the　Roosevelt　Hospital。　The　date　was　November　11th；the　day　when　the　Armistice　was　signed。　He　remained　at　the　hospital　until　Christmas　Eve；　often　suffering　acutely　from　inflammatory　rheumatism；　the　name　the　physicians　gave　to　the　new　form　the　infection　took。　He　saw　his　friends　for　short　intervals；　he　followed　the　news；　and　even　dictated　letters　on　public　subjects；　but　his　family　understood　that　his　marvelous　physical　strength　was　being　sadly　exhausted。　He　longed　to　be　taken　home　to　Sagamore　Hill；　and　when　his　doctor　allowed　him　to　go　home；　he　was　greatly　cheered。

To　spend　Christmas　there；　with　his　family；　even　though　he　had　to　spend　it　very　quietly；　delighted　him。　For　ten　days　he　seemed　to　be　gaining；　he　read　much；　and　dictated　a　good　deal。　On　January　5th；　he　reviewed　a　book　on　pheasants　and　wrote　also　a　little　message　to　be　read　at　the　meeting　of　the　American　Defense