Show r ROOSEVELT'S WORDS PRESIDENTS PRESIDENT'S UTTERANCES MALICIOUSLY MALICiOUSLY MAS MA- MA MISCONSTRUED S I j- j i Ludicrous Attempt by a Self En I t Democratic Leader to Make Maket t IQ u a Safe Man Appear ni n. to the the the Country Pulitzers Country Pulitzers Pulitzer's Letter I Ii t i 4 t. t S Chicago Tribune I The New v York World is probably the most enthusiastic Parker paper in the country To an extent it is striking the keynote of Yf the Parker chorus in the I Rast east ast Two of its editorials are to be reprinted and circulated by the Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- I cratic crItic committee as campaign docu docu- ments n These two editorials are in the I form of ot open letters addressed by Joseph i Pulitzer editor o of the World to Theodore Theodore Theo Thee dore done Roosevelt The first one occupied a page the page the second nearly two pages The he third may take up three pages In the words of ot Mr Pulitzer The paramount issue of this campaign is not as ds yo jou OU would have Jave it free trade or free silver but YOU YOURSELF Theo Theo Theodore dore Roosevelt This issue is forced I Upon the country by your unusual temperament tem tem- and talent your talent your own strong able ambitious resourceful militant passionate personality your versatile and surprising genius S This issue was framed by the World in its first letter July 30 30 1904 1004 But as that document did not seem to frighten anybody body to Parker the hot blood of or strong desire denied mounted to the brain rain of Mr Pulitzer and his emotions ravished this judgment His rus second letter let let- ter the ten the one two pages long printed on August 23 is 23 is addressed to Theodore Roosevelt Candidate for President of ot the United States and the Western Hem Hem- The headlines ask if the PresIdent President Pres Free ident is a military megalomaniac megalomania He lIe lIei i is accused of a monomania to be the grand lord protector of the two Amer Amer- A Gibbet of Folly Fony This This letter is interesting interesting first first because because be be- 1 cause ause the World is generally recognized as the chief Parker spokesman second as an exhibition of that gibbet of folly to which partisan zeal un tempered by common sense sense can on occasions elevate a aman man ordinarily so level headed as J Joseph Jo 0 seph Pulitzer j Roo Roosevelt's evelt's record contends the World clearly indicates that his return to p power pow pw w- w er r would be vested with the ruin of or our ur free institutions It proceeds to examine all his despotic procedures and Unconstitutional usurpations seriatim But it unquestionably omits much that make its case stronger For ina instance in- in stance tance a nee it does not show how the d lent nt thas has increased the standing army s p that it has become a menace to the thel l liberties of the citizens For in fact tact Curing during President Roosevelt's administration tion the army has bas been diminished not Increased 1 It does not prove how the ambitious costly and bloody wars conducted during the he present administration were begun not as the constitution des by an act of Congress but at the dic- dic tt th t-th F For r Infract there has lias been no no war war of Yf any sort sort President Roosevelt's administration i Al Always for Peace Pence It does not even show how the President President President dent has brought the country to the verge verge of a desperate war war which was prevented only by the retreat of the threatened it might c which he as b have ve proved against its favored President President President dent Cleveland For in fact tact the President President President Pres Pres- ident has at no time brought the country near near a war His efforts and those of his Secretary of State have been consistently consistently consist consist- directed toward the peace of the world world and the circumscribing of the area of ot hostilities once wars have begun It S J It does not show how President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt had used either corruption or force to influence elections in any State so abasing the principle of Qt local self gov nor how bow he has deposed a recalcitrant recalcitrant recalcitrant re re- governor or dissolved a hostile hostile hos hoe tile State assembly assembly- after the fashion of ot certain reconstruction Presidents For he has done none of these things It It does not show how he influenced judicial decisions s. s reversed a decree of court or suspended a judge who had striven to limit the presidential tion This is ds always the first symptom of ot the dissolution of constitutional gov gov- But President Roosevelt has not been guilty of ot it It does not show how when the legislature legislature legislature leg leg- maintaining its independence refused to divest itself of its authority and humbly accept the advice of ot the theman theman theman man on horseback be he filled the halls of ot the lawmakers with bayonets overawed the tribunes of the people dissolved the sitting imprisoned the ringleaders As Asis Asis is well known the terrorizing of the legislature is the twin forerunner with the control of the judiciary in the downfall downfall down down- fall tall of free institutions S Una Hae Done Hone None of ml It does not show how the President annulled the right of free speech and imposed imposed Imposed im im- posed a vexatious censorship upon the press The Worlds World's own articles are living living liv liv- ing log proof that he has done none of this It does not show how like the greatest greatest great great- est eat of our x residents he has under the plea of national duress suspended the writ of ot habeas corpus the corpus the very spirit or of civil libert liberty For President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt has not suspended the writ of ot habeas corpus Thus the record shows hows President Roosevelt has his in no single way even exceeded his constitutional functions He lie has not turned his face tace facein facein in the direction of a single one of Gf that set of actions whereby the usurpers of history have established themselves in an power on the ruins of freedom Nevertheless Nevertheless Nevertheless Nev Nev- the World reiterates that b by his bis record it can prove Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roost velt to be a man dangerous to the liberties lib lib- lib lib- cIties of his country How can this proof be wrought In a simple way By y passing over in iu silent contempt his record as a thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- constitutional and patriotic President President President Pres Pres- ident by picking out of ot their contexts some SonIc of the things he lie has said taking said taking one paragraph from one speech another paragraph from a different speech by taking one sentence from a paragraph h here re another sentence from a paragraph U there ere even by iy taking a phrase from a as s here another phrase from a sentence there by then weaving these thes different paragraphs hs sentences sentences sen son and phrases into a single fabric fabric charges the World is truly huly indicative of the whole character o the man Roosevelt In Ia pursuance of ot this plan the World 1 j J i 1 S. S has carefully picked out of their settings settings set set- tings tinge the twenty-six twenty most bellicose a absolutist ab absolutist ab- ab b- b imperialistic sayings of ot which President Roosevelt has ever delivered himself These are the quintessence of ot othis his bloodthirsty expressions ns Nothing that he has said aid has ever gone gane farther on oil the roa road to military despotism than these six twenty things J x Parte Argument Of Ot course as every reasonable being being be be- ing knows such ex parte argument is not fair It were easy by choosing cout out all nil of ot Jeffersons Jefferson's say sayings on one side to prove him an ardent expansionist or by picking of all his writings on the theother theother theother other side to prove him a bigoted con con- He lie could be shown up as asa asa a n protectionist if all that he be said in favor of that principle were collected together together to to- gether while all that he lie said against it were Vere omitted Or by reversing the process process process pro pro- cess it could readily be demonstrated demonstrate that he was an an absolute and perpetual free trader It could be shown that he ic was a practical anarchist advocating a 1 revolution every twenty years that the tree of ot liberty might be kept well watered w with blood Or by omitting this class of his writings and combining the opposite class he could be represented as as constantly enjoining implicit obedience obedience obedi obedi- ence once to the law It is useless to multiply examples By such a narrow scheme of special pleading plead- plead lug ing ng the wise man could be shown a fool because wise men sometimes are foolish fool fool- ish sh The most foolish man could be shown a sage because foolish men sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times are sensible The gutter drunkard drunkard drunkard drunk drunk- ard could be proved a teetotaler for behas he lie helas has las occasional periods of complete so so- briety Such a a method is wholly false The V World orld knows it and resorted to it only because its case was weak It you would judge what kind of a President Roosevelt would make the fairest airest method is to consider what kind of ot a President he has made But if you for some reason which it is not easy to o conceive cOnceive refuse this test and prefer prefer prefer pre pre- fer to judge him on what he hat haa said do 10 not read merely stray words and sentences gathered and arranged by his enemies In all fairness read these words in their proper contexts Read as much of Roosevelt's writings as you have time for You A will Aill ill find them the expressions expressions expressions not of a bloody and despotic intellect intellect intellect intel intel- lect but of a clean strong honest mind instinct with patriotism |