Show FAREWELL TO ROOSEVELT With Theodore retirement tomorrow ends one of the most spectacular lar careers the White House has ever known terminating a period of contro controversy controversy versy ersy of of agitation and unrest un nfl unequalled unequalled equalled in times of peace since the na nation nation nation tion was founded Possibly no preel president dent with tho thu exception of Andrew Jackson ever evor aroused such bitter antagonism or such unstinted adoration in a conflict with the representatives of the people in congress himself never disdained so contemptuously or successfully the constitutional limita limitations limitations limitations which were meant to prevent ex executive executive executive encroachment on the legislative and judicial branches of government Like Jackson It is impossible for a par partisan partisan to judge him fairly at close range either r as friend or as foe and the par parallel parallel might be carried further with the declaration that history is unlikely ever everto everto everto to give a perfect judgment of him be because Ruse cause his personality is contradictory his actions BO sO o often the result of im impulse impulse Impulse pulse and his achievements to be weighed only in the scale s ale of political prejudice One thing is certain the whole coun COUll country try friends and foes oes alike welcome the prospect of his retirement Even a torchlight procession with frequent dynamite explosions fire alarms and ambulance calls call can be prolonged un unduly undUly unduly duly and friends them themselves themselves selves had grown to dread his hi unx unexpectedness unexpectedness his volubility and his hla bel belligerency Ii As for his foes they the had reached the frame of mind that die dis distorted vision and made Hinde them see things at night From tile the purely commercial and financial standpoint int the country is Isk blessed by his retirement and that k seem to be the determining factor in Judgment of public affairs nowadays It has been good fortune to be antagonized by b the particular in interests most heartily hated by the mass massof massof massof of the people Many Man approved his ac action action tion thin who had little HUle sympathy with his party or his personal methods because they enjoyed the punishment of the themen themen themen men he lie marked for prosecution He had the further good fortune to come rome into office in time to reap the result of the agitation first begun by Mr Bryan in int t which resulted in a sound public j sentiment against the abuse of power by aggregations of or capital capitala a sentiment L which enabled Ela led him to compel congressional congressional action in spite of his party lead leaders leaders leaders ers rather than with their approval He became vice vico president during Hannas s day when the reign of the trusts was supreme and capital was dominant in n nevery every branch of government he sue me uc In securing great reforms against the tho desire of the most powerful of his hist t party associates and he closes his om official dill cia career with the knowledge that his party as an organization Is hostile to his policies glad of ot his departure t In suppressing rebating forwarding pure pure fOOd rood legislation and limiting the spoliation of oC tho the public domain he has done a great work ven his bitterest enemies concede that much If he could r have retired with these achievements and az the minor accomplishments which went with them there could have ben been b cn ho no question about the value of his service service i ice Ic to the people Against these th e stand tand his constant and in the long Jong run dan dangerous dangerous dangerous defiance of ot the constitutional limitations of his office his hi persistent of or a bureaucratic system in independent Independent Independent dependent of or legislative restraint which wilt will continue as a menace to the tue Integ Integrity Integrity integrity rity of the nation his autocratic deft defiance ance anee an e of or established law and the ag aggrandizement aggrandizement of the executive at the tho sacrifice of every Overy established cst principle of or free government The Panama revolution and the sub subsequent subsequent subsequent sequent establishment ot of the republic by American arms the tho discharge of ot the colored soldiers rs the inauguration of a forestry system by executive order which places pr s an immense domain be beyond yond ond the power of the people to t secure either Justice or common consideration tho the suggestion born of or desirer desire that the central government should assume con constitutional constitutional rights retained by the states stages p r because b states had failed to ad administer adist minister ster the trust retained by them all aJI l these are instances only of his the theory thery ory ry the federal government should At c the individual state stat whenever 4 i te O U Judgment of the executive cx the thet I t f fJ J l I lJ J G a result re lt he ho deemed desirable could be at attained attained tamed no otherwise The closing two years of his admin administration adminIstration administration hove have been a a disappointment to his friends a failure in the opinion of his opponents When hen he emerged from the Mississippi swamps during the panic of 1907 1901 he h had an opportunity to calm the t e frenzy frenz of a people distracted by fear tear and the unknown terrors of a sudden crisis Instead of reassurance nce he gave them additional cause for panic Unable to forget the personal factor seeing in the crisis nothing but butan butan butan an attack on himself failing falling to recognize recognize recognize nize the gravity of the situation he be began began began gan a war dance chant of destruction for his enemies and stampeded the most conservative of his friends friend as an well as the staid financiers of ot two conti continents continents continents The disastrous sequel is still felt Since then he has struggled helplessly in the hands of a recalcitrant congress led by men of oC his own own party part and his legislative l program has been marked only by chagrin and negation He named Taft as his successor accomplishing accomplishing accomplishing It by b the unlimited d use UEe of fed federal federal eral oral patronage with methods which in his earlier reform days day he had de denounced denounced denounced most blest savagely in other men Indeed this was characteristic of ot his entire career that the end sought justi justified justified fied fled the means used for on no other ground could one explain his affiliation with the men of his party his support of them at horned homer hom when they represented all ho had most viciously assailed in his public preachments on political moral morality morality ity It His objection to the interference of federal officials in politics so often announced was as archaic in practice as the laws of the and in the use of or the tho appointive power to secure legislation he outran In zeal the most wicked of all ail au the executives he had ever criticised for that abuse Roosevelt retires retiro from a great stage but it need not be supposed he will go into obscurity Unless his tempera temperament temperament temperament ment and habits of life have been mis misjudged mIsjudged misjudged judged he will be more conspicuous as asa asa asa a private citizen than he has been as a president No theatrical manager ap approaches approaches approaches him in a perception of dramatic ic opportunity and the possibilities of manufactured publicity From the rough rider costume down to the melo melodramatic melodramatic melodramatic dramatic ride he has the greatest of all show showmen showmen showmen men in press agent skill chill and his plans for the future so far as revealed indi indicate Indicate cate cute that he will continue to be the most conspicuous if not the most roost valuable valuable valuable able of o all aU American citizens |