theodore roosevelt-第35节

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re　the　Czar。　As　it　was　well　known　that　the　Czar　would　refuse　to　receive　such　petitions；　and　would　regard　himself　as　insulted　by　whatever　nation　should　lay　them　before　him　by　official　diplomatic　means；　the　world　wondered　what　Roosevelt　would　do。　He　took　one　of　his　short　cuts；　and　chose　a　way　which　everybody　saw　was　most　obvious　and　most　simple；　as　soon　as　he　had　chosen　it。　He　sent　the　petitions　to　our　Ambassador　at　Petrograd；　accompanying　them　with　a　letter　which　recited　the　atrocities　and　grievances。　In　this　letter；　which　was　handed　to　the　Russian　Secretary　of　State；　our　Government　asked　whether　His　Majesty　the　Czar　would　condescend　to　receive　the　petitions。　Of　course　the　reply　was　no；　but　the　letter　was　published　in　all　countries；　so　that　the　Czar　also　knew　of　the　petitions；　and　of　the　horrors　which　called　them　out。　In　this　fashion　the　former　Ranchman　and　Rough　Rider　outwitted；　by　what　I　may　call　his　straightforward　guile；　the　crafty　diplomats　of　the　Romanoffs。



CHAPTER　XV。　ROOSEVELT　AND　CONGRESS

In　a　previous　chapter　I　glanced　at　three　or　four　of　the　principal　measures　in　internal　policy　which　Roosevelt　took　up　and　fought　through；　until　he　finally　saw　them　passed　by　Congress。　No　other　President；　as　has　been　often　remarked；　kept　Congress　so　busy；　and；　we　may　add；　none　of　his　predecessors　（unless　it　were　Lincoln　with　the　legislation　required　by　the　Civil　War）　put　so　many　new　laws　on　the　national　statute　book。　Mr。　Charles　G。　Washburn　enumerates　these　acts　credited　to　Roosevelt's　seven　and　a　half　years'　administration：　〃The　Elkins　Anti…Rebate　Law　applying　to　railroads；　the　creation　of　the　Department　of　Commerce　and　Labor　and　the　Bureau　of　Corporations；　the　law　authorizing　the　building　of　the　Panama　Canal；　the　Hepburn　Bill　amending　and　vitalizing　the　Interstate　Commerce　Act；　the　Pure　Food　and　Meat　Inspection　laws；　the　law　creating　the　Bureau　of　Immigration；　the　Employers'　Liability　and　Safety　Appliance　Laws；　that　limited　the　working　hours　of　employees；　the　law　making　the　Government　liable　for　injuries　to　its　employees；　the　law　forbidding　child　labor　in　the　District　of　Columbia；　the　reformation　of　the　Consular　Service；　prohibition　of　campaign　contributions　from　corporations；　the　Emergency　Currency　Law；　which　also　provided　for　the　creation　of　the　Monetary　Commission。〃　*

*　C。　G。　Washburn；　128；　129。


Although　the　list　is　by　no　means　complete；　it　shows　that　Roosevelt's　receptive　and　sleepless　mind　fastened　on　the　full　circle　of　questions　which　interested　American　life；　so　far　as　that　is　controlled　or　directed　by　national　legislation。　Some　of　the　laws　passed　were　simply　readjustmentsnew　statutes　on　old　matters。　Other　laws　were　new；　embodying　the　first　attempt　to　define　the　attitude　which　the　courts　should　hold　towards　new　questions　which　had　grown　suddenly　into　great　importance。　The　decade　which　had　favored　the　springing…up　and　amazing　expansion　of　the　Big　Interests；　had　to　be　followed　by　the　decade　which　framed　legislation　for　regulating　and　curbing　these　interests。　Quite　naturally；　the　monopolists　affected　did　not　like　to　be　harnessed　or　controlled；　and；　to　put　it　mildly；　they　resented　the　interference　of　the　formidable　young　President　whom　they　could　neither　frighten；　inveigle；　nor　cajole。

And　yet　it　is　as　evident　to　all　Americans　now；　as　it　was　to　some　Americans　at　the　time；　that　that　legislation　had　to　be　passed；　because　if　the　monopolists　had　been　allowed　to　go　on　unrestrained；　they　would　either　have　perverted　this　Republic　into　an　open　Plutocracy；　in　which　individual　liberty　and　equality　before　the　law　would　have　disappeared；　or　they　would　have　hurried　on　the　Social　Revolution；　the　Armageddon　of　Labor　and　Capital；　the　merciless　conflict　of　class　with　class；　which　many　persons　already　vaguely　dreaded；　or　thought　they　saw　looming　like　an　ominous　cloud　on　the　horizon。　It　seems　astounding　that　any　one　should　have　questioned　the　necessity　of　setting　up　regulations。　And　will　not　posterity　wonder；　when　it　learns　that　only　in　the　first　decade　of　the　twentieth　century　did　we　provide　laws　against　the　cruel　and　killing　labor　of　little　children；　and　against　impure　foods　and　drugs？

Year　after　year；　the　railroads　furnished　unending　causes　for　legislative　control。　There　were　the　old　laws　which　the　railroad　men　tried　to　evade　and　which　the　President；　as　was　his　duty；　insisted　on　enforcing；　and　still　more　insistent　and　spectacular　were　the　new　problems。　Just　as　three　or　four　hundred　years　ago　the　most　active　and　vigorous　Frenchmen　and　English　men　tried　to　get　possession　of　large　tracts　of　land；　or　even　of　provinces；　and　became　counts　and　dukes；　so　the　Americans　of　our　generation；　who　aspired　to　lead　the　pushing　financier　class；　worked　day　and　night　to　own　a　railroad。　Naturally　one　railroad　did　not　satisfy　a　man　who　was　bitten　by　this　ambition；　he　reached　out　for　several；　or　even　for　a　transcontinental　system。　The　war　for　railroad　ownership　or　monopoly　was　waged　intensely；　and　in　1901　it　nearly　plunged　the　country　into　a　disastrous　financial　panic。　Edward　H。　Harriman；　who　had　only　recently　been　regarded　as　a　great　power　in　the　struggle　for　railroad　supremacy；　clashed　with　James　J。　Hill；　of　Minnesota；　and　J。　P。　Morgan；　a　New　York　banker；　over　the　Northern　Pacific　Railroad。　Their　battle　was　nominally　a　draw；　because　Wall　Street　rushed　in　and；　to　avert　a　nation…wide　calamity；　demanded　a　truce。　But　Harriman　remained；　until　his　death　in　1909；　the　railroad　czar　of　the　United　States；　and　when　he　died；　he　was　master　of　twenty…five　thousand　miles　of　road；　chief　influencer　of　fifty　thousand　more　miles；　besides　steamboat　companies；　banks；　and　other　financial　institutions。　He　controlled　more　money　than　any　other　American。　I　summarize　these　statistics；　in　order　to　show　the　reader　what　sort　of　a　Colossus　the　President　of　the　United　States　had　to　do　battle　with　when　he　undertook　to　secure　new　laws　adequate　to　the　control　of　the　enormously　expanded　railway　problems。　And　he　did　succeed；　in　large　measure；　in　bringing　the　giant　corporations　to　recognize　the　authority　of　the　Nation。　The　decision　of　the　Supreme　Court　in　the　Northern　Securities　case；　by　which　the　merger　of　two　or　more　competing　roads　was　declared　illegal；　put　a　stop　to　the　practice　of　consolidation；　which　might　have　resulted　in　the　ownership　of　all　the　railroads　in　the　United　States　by　a　single　person。　Then　followed　the　process　of　〃unscrambling　the　omelet；〃　to　use　J。　P。　Morgan's　phrase；　in　order　to　bring　the　companies　already　illegally　merged　within　the　letter　of　the　law。　Probably　a　lynx…eyed　investigator　might　discover　that　in　some　of　the　efforts　to　legalize　operations　in　the　future；　〃the　voice　was　Jacob's；　but　the　hands　were　the　hands　of　Esau。〃

The　laws　aimed　at　regulating　transportation；　rates；　and　rebates；　certainly　made　for　justice；　and　helped　to　enlighten　great　corporations　as　to　their　place　in　the　community　and　their　duties　towards　it。　Roosevelt　showed　that　his　fearlessness　had　apparently　no　bounds；　when　in　1907　he　caused　suit　to　be　brought　against　the　Standard　Oil　Company　in　Indianaa　branch　of　a　monopoly　which　was　popularly　supposed　to　be　above　the　lawfor　receiving　a　rebate　from　a　railroad　on　the　petroleum　shipped　by　the　Company。　The　judge　who　tried　the　case　gave　a　verdict　in　favor　of　the　Government；　but　another　judge；　to　whom　appeal　was　made；　reversed　the　decision；　and　finally　at　a　re…trial；　a　third　judge　dismissed　the　indictment。　〃Thus；〃　says　Mr。　Ogg；　〃a　good　case　was　lost　through　judicial　blundering。〃　*

*　Ogg；　50。


But　the　greatest　of　Roosevelt's　works　as　a　legislator　were　those　which　he　carried　through　in　the　fields　of　conservation　and　reclamation。　He　did　not　invent　these　issues；　he　was　only　one　of　many　persons　who　understood　their　vast　importance。　He　gives　full　credit　to　Mr。　Gifford　Pinchot　and　Mr。　F。　H。　Newell；　who　first　laid　these　subjects　before　him　as　matters　which　he　as　President　ought　to　consider。　He　had　himself　during　his　days　in　the　West　seen　the　need　of　irrigating　the　waste　tracts。　He　was　a　quick　and　willing　learner；　and　in　his　first　message　to　Congress　（December　1；　1901）　he　remarked：　〃The　forest　and　water　problems　are　perhaps　the　most　vital　internal　problems　of　the　United　States。〃　Years　later；　in　referring　to　this　part　of　his　work；　he　said：

'The　idea　that　our　natural　resources　were　inexhaustible　still　obtained；　and　there　was　as　yet　no　real　knowledge　of　their　extent　and　condition。　The　relation　of　the　conservation　of　national　resources　to　the　problems　of　national　welfare　and　national　efficiency　had　not　yet　dawned　on　the　public　mind。　The　reclamation　of　arid　public　lands　in　the　West　was　still　a　matter　for　private　enterprise　alone；　and　our　magnificent　river　system；　with　its　superb　possibilities　for　public　usefulness；　was　dealt　with　by　the　National　Government　not　as　a　unit；　but　as　a　disconnected　series　of　pork…barrel　problems；　whose　only　real　interest　was　in　their　effect　on　the　reelection　or　defeat　of　a　Congressman　here　and　therea　theory　which；　I　regret　to　say；　still　obtains。'*

*　Autobiography；　p。　430。


The　public　lands　saved　mounted　to　millions　of　acres。　The　long…standing　practice　of　stealing　these　lands　was　checked　and　put　a　stop　to　as　rapidly　as　possible。　Individuals　and　private　companies　had　bought　for　a　song　great　tracts　of　national　property；　getting