theodore roosevelt-第30节

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rather　than　threaten　he　tried　to　persuade；　he　was　good…natured　to　everybody；　he　explained　the　reasonableness　of　his　measures；　and　only　when　the　satraps　of　Plutocracy　so　far　lost　their　discretion　as　to　threaten　him；　did　he　bluntly　challenge　them　to　do　their　worst。

The　Interests　had　undeniably　reached　such　proportions　that　unless　they　were　chastened　and　controlled；　the　freedom　of　the　Republic　could　not　survive。　And　yet；　in　justice；　we　must　recall　that　when　they　grew　up　in　the　day　of　small　things；　they　were　beneficial；　their　founders　had　no　idea　of　their　becoming　a　menace　to　the　Nation。　The　man　who　built　the　first　cotton…mill　in　his　section；　or　started　the　first　iron…furnace；　or　laid　the　first　stretch　of　railroad；　was　rightly　hailed　as　a　benefactor；　and　he　could　not　foresee　that　the　time　would　come　when　his　mill；　entering　into　a　business　combination　with　a　hundred　other　mills　in　different　parts　of　the　country；　would　be　merged。　in　a　monopoly　to　strangle　competition　in　cotton　manufacture。　Likewise；　the　first　stretch　of　railroad　joined　another；　and　this　a　third；　and　so　on；　until　there　had　arisen　a　vast　railway　system　under　a　single　management　from　New　York　to　San　Francisco。　Now；　while　these　colossal　monopolies　had　grown　up　so　naturally；　responding　to　the　wonderful　expansion　of　the　population　they　served；　the　laws　and　regulations　which　applied　to　them；　having　been　framed　in　the　days　when　they　were　young　and　small　and　harmless；　still　obtained。　The　clothes　made　for　the　little　boy　would　not　do　for　the　giant　man。　I　have　heard　a　lawyer　complain　that　statutes；　which　barely　sufficed　when　travel　and　transportation　went　by　stage…coach；　were　stretched　to　fit　the　needs　of　the　public　in　its　relation　with　transcontinental　railroads。　This　is　an　exaggeration；　no　doubt；　but　it　points　towards　truth。　The　Big　Interests　were　so　swollen　that　they　went　ahead　on　their　own　affairs　and　paid　little　attention　to　the　community　on　which　they　were　battening。　They　saw　to　it　that　if　any　laws　concerning　them　had　to　be　made　by　the　State　Legislatures　or　by　Congress；　their　agents　in　those　bodies　should　make　them。　A　certain　Mr。　Vanderbilt；　the　president　of　one　of　the　largest　railroad　systems　in　America；　a　person　whose　other　gems　of　wit　and　wisdom　have　not　been　recorded；　achieved　such　immortality；　as　it　is；　by　remarking；　〃The　public　be　damned。〃　Probably　the　president　and　directors　of　a　score　of　other　monopolies　would　have　heartily　echoed　that　impolitic　and　petulant　display　of　arrogance。　Impolitic　the　exclamation　was；　because　the　American　public　had　already　begun　to　feel　that　the　Big　Interests　were　putting　its　freedom　in　jeopardy；　and　it　was　beginning　to　call　for　laws　which　should　reduce　the　power　of　those　interests。

As　early　as　1887　the　Interstate　Commerce　Act　was　passed；　the　earliest　considerable　attempt　to　regulate　rates　and　traffic。　Then　followed　anti…trust　laws　which　aimed　at　the　suppression　of　〃pools；〃　in　which　many　large　producers　or　manufacturers　combined　to　sell　their　staples　at　a　uniform　price；　a　practice　which　inevitably　set　up　monopolies。　The　〃Trusts〃　were　to　these　what　the　elephant　is　to　a　colt。　When　the　United　States　Steel　Corporation　was　formed　by　uniting　eleven　large　steel　plants；　with　an　aggregate　capital　of　11100；000；000；　the　American　people　had　an　inkling　of　the　magnitude　to　which　Trusts　might　swell。　In　like　fashion　when　the　Northern　Pacific　and　the　Great　Northern　Railroads　found　a　legal　impediment　to　their　being　run　by　one　management；　they　got　round　the　law　by　organizing　the　Northern　Securities　Company；　which　was　to　hold　the　stocks　and　bonds　of　both　railroads。　And　so　of　many　other　important　industrial　and　transportation　mergers。　The　most　powerful　financial　promoters　of　the　country；　led　by　Mr。　J。　Pierpont　Morgan；　were　busy　setting　up　these　combinations　on　a　large　scale　and　the　keenest　corporation　lawyers　spent　their　energy　and　wits　in　framing　charters　which　obeyed　the　letter　of　the　laws；　but　wholly　denied　their　spirit。

President　Roosevelt　worked　openly；　with　a　definite　purpose。　First；　he　would　enforce　every　law　on　the　statute　book；　without　exception　in　favor　of　any　individual　or　company；　next；　he　suggested　to　Congress　the　need　of　new　legislation　to　resist　further　encroachments　by　capitalists　in　the　fields　where　they　had　already　been　checked；　finally；　he　pointed　out　that　Congress　must　begin　at　once　to　protect　the　national　resources　which　had　been　allowed　to　go　to　waste；　or　to　be　seized　and　exploited　by　private　concerns。

I　do　not　intend　to　take　up　in　chronological　sequence；　or　in　detail；　Roosevelt's　battles　to　secure　proper　legislation。　To　do　so　would　require　the　discussion　of　legal　and　constitutional　questions；　which　would　scarcely　fit　a　sketch　like　the　present。　The　main　things　to　know　are　the　general　nature　of　his　reforms　and　his　own　attitude　in　conducting　the　fight。　He　aimed　directly　at　stopping　abuses　which　gave　a　privileged　few　undue　advantage　in　amassing　and　distributing　wealth。　The　practical　result　of　the　laws　was　to　spread　justice；　and　equality　throughout　the　country　and　to　restore　thereby　the　true　spirit　of　Democracy　on　which　the　Founders　created　the　Republic。　He　fought　fairly；　but　warily；　never　letting　slip　a　point　that　would　tell　against　his　opponents；　who；　it　must　be　said；　did　not　always　attack　him　honorably。

At　first；　they　regarded　the　President　as　a　headstrong　young　man　he　was　the　youngest　who　had　ever　sat　in　the　Presidential　chair　who　wished　to　have　his　own　way　in　order　to　show　the　country　that　he　was　its　leader。　They　did　not　see　that　ideals　which　dated　back　to　his　childhood　were　really　shaping　his　acts。　He　had　seen　law　in　the　making　out　West；　he　had　seen　law；　and　especially　corporation　law；　in　the　making　when　he　was　in　the　New　York　Assembly　and　Governor　of　New　York；　he　knew　the　devices　by　which　the　Interests　caused　laws　to　be　made　and　passed　for　their　special　benefit；　or　evaded　inconvenient　laws。　But　he　suffered　no　disillusion　as　to　the　ideal　of　Law；　the　embodiment　and　organ　of　Justice。　Legal　quibbles；　behind　which　designing　and　wicked　men　dodged；　nauseated　him；　and　he　made　no　pretense　of　wishing　to　uphold　them。

The　champions　of　the　Interests　found　out　before　long　that　the　young　President　was　neither　headstrong　nor　a　mere　creature　of　impulse；　but　that　he　followed　a　thoroughly　rational　system　of　principles；　and　so　they　had　to　abandon　the　notion　that　the　next　gust　of　impulse　might　blow　him　over　to　their　side。　They　must　take　him　as　he　was；　and　make　the　best　of　it。　Now；　I　must　repeat；　that；　for　these　gentlemen；　the　very　idea　that　anybody　could　propose　to　run　the　American　Government；　or　to　organize　American　Society；　on　any　other　standard　than　theirs；　seemed　to　them　preposterous。　The　Bourbon　nobles　in　France　and　in　Italy　were　not　more　amazed。　when　the　Revolutionists　proposed　to　sweep　them　away　than　were　the　American　Plutocrats　of　the　Rooseveltian　era　when　he　promoted　laws　to　regulate　them。　The　Bourbon　thinks　the　earth　will　perish　unless　Bourbonism　governs　it；　the　American　Plutocrat　thought　that　America　existed　simply　to　enrich　him。　He　clung　to　his　rights　and　privileges　with　the　tenacity　of　a　drowning　man　clinging　to　a　plank；　and　he　deceived　himself　into　thinking　that；　in　desperately　trying　to　save　himself　and　his　order；　he　was　saving　Society。

Most　tragic　of　all；　to　one　who　regards　history　as　the　revelation　of　the　unfolding　of　the　moral　nature　of　mankind；　was　the　fact　that　these　men　had　not　the　slightest　idea　that　they　were　living　in　a　moral　world；　or　that　a　new　influx　of　moral　inspiration　had　begun　to　permeate　Society　in　its　politics；　its　business；　and　its　daily　conduct。　The　great　ship　Privilege；　on　which　they　had　voyaged　with　pomp　and　satisfaction；　was　going　down　and　they　knew　it　not。



CHAPTER　XIII。　THE　TWO　ROOSEVELTS

I　do　not　wish　to　paint　Roosevelt　in　one　light　only；　and　that　the　most　favorable。　Had　no　other　been　shed　upon　him；　his　Administration　would　have　been　too　bland　for　human　belief；　and　life　for　him　would　have　palled。　For　his　inexhaustible　energy　hungered　for　action。　As　soon　as　his　judgment　convinced　him　that　a　thing　ought　to　be　done　he　set　about　doing　it。　Recently；　I　asked　one　of　the　most　perspicacious　members　of　his　Cabinet；　〃What　do　you　consider　Theodore's　dominant　trait〃　He　thought　for　a　while；　and　then　replied；　〃Combativeness。〃　No　doubt　the　public　also；　at　least　while　Roosevelt　was　in　office；　thought　of　him　first　as　a　fighter。　The　idea　that　he　was　truculent　or　pugnacious；　that　he　went　about　with　a　chip　on　his　shoulder；　that　he　loved　fighting　for　the　sake　of　fighting；　was；　however；　a　mistake。　During　the　eight　years　he　was　President　he　kept　the　United　States　out　of　war；　not　only　that；　he　settled　long…standing　causes　of　irritation；　such　as　the　dispute　over　the　Alaskan　Boundary；　which　might；　under　provocation；　have　led　to　war。　Even　more　than　this；　without　striking　a　blow；　he　repelled　the　persistent　attempts　of　the　German　Emperor　to　gain　a　foothold　on　this　continent；　he　repelled　those　snakelike　attacks　and　forced　the　Imperial　Bully；　not　merely　to　retreat　ignominiously　but　to　arbitrate。　And　in　foreign　affairs；　Roosevelt　shone　as　a　peacemaker。　He　succeeded　in　persuading　the　Russian　Czar　to　come　to　terms　with　the　Mikado　of　Japan。　And　soon　after；　when　the　German　Emperor　threatened　to　make　war　on　France；　a　letter　from　Roo