theodore roosevelt-第42节

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ely　telegraphed　the　accused　for　an　explanation。　The　man　replied　that　the　charge　was　true；　whereupon　the　President　at　once　dismissed　him；　not　for　gambling　or　for　drinking；　but　for　trying　to　hide　the　fact　that　he　had　once　been　in　jail。

In　these　days　of　upheaval；　when　the　most　ancient　institutions　and　laws　are　put　in　question；　and　anarchists　and　Bolshevists；　blind　like　Samson；　wish　to　throw　down　the　very　pillars　on　which　Civilization　rests；　the　Family；　the　fundamental　element　of　civilized　life；　is　also　violently　attacked。　All　the　more　precious；　therefore；　will　Theodore　Roosevelt's　example　be；　as　an　upholder　of　the　Family。　He　showed　how　essential　it　is　for　the　development　of　the　individual　and　as　a　pattern　for　Society。　Only　through　the　Family　can　come　the　deepest　joys　of　life　and　can　the　most　intimate　duties　be　transmuted　into　joys。　As　son；　as　husband；　as　father；　as　brother；　he　fulfilled　the　ideals　of　each　of　those　relations；　and；　so　strong　was　his　family　affection；　that；　while　still　a　comparatively　young　man；　he　drew　to　him　as　a　patriarch　might；　not　only　his　own　children；　but　his　kindred　in　many　degrees。　With　utter　truth　he　wrote；　〃I　have　had　the　happiest　home　life　of　any　man　I　have　ever　known。〃　And　that；　as　we　who　were　his　friends　understood；　was　to　him　the　highest　and　dearest　prize　which　life　could　bestow。



CHAPTER　XVIII。　Hits　And　Misses

In　this　sketch　I　do　not　attempt　to　follow　chronological　order；　except　in　so　far　as　this　is　necessary　to　make　clear　the　connection　between　lines　of　policy；　or　to　define　the　structural　growth　of　character。　But　in　Roosevelt's　life；　as　in　the　lives　of　all　of　us；　many　events；　sometimes　important　events；　occurred　and　had　much　notice　at　the　moment　and　then　faded　away　and　left　no　lasting　mark。　Let　us　take　up　a　few　of　these　which　reveal　the　President　from　different　angles。

Since　the　close　of　the　Civil　War　the　Negro　Question　had　brooded　over　the　South。　The　war　emancipated　the　Southern　negroes　and　then　politics　came　to　embitter　the　question。　Partly　to　gain　a　political　advantage；　partly　as　some　visionaries　believed；　to　do　justice；　and　partly　to　punish　the　Southerners；　the　Northern　Republicans　gave　the　Southern　negroes　equal　political　rights　with　the　whites。　They　even　handed　over　the　government　of　some　of　the　States　to　wholly　incompetent　blacks。　In　self…defense　the　whites　terrorized　the　blacks　through　such　secret　organizations　as　the　Ku…Klux　Klan；　and　recovered　their　ascendancy　in　governing。　Later；　by　such　specious　devices　as　the　Grandfathers'　Law；　they　prevented　most　of　the　blacks　from　voting；　and　relieved　themselves　of　the　trouble　of　maintaining　a　system　of　intimidation。　The　real　difficulty　being　social　and　racial；　to　mix　politics　with　it　was　to　envenom　it。

Roosevelt　took　a　man　for　what　he　was　without　regard　to　race；　creed；　or　color。　He　held　that　a　negro　of　good　manners　and　education　ought　to　be　treated　as　a　white　man　would　be　treated。　He　felt　keenly　the　sting　of　ostracism　and　he　believed　that　if　the　Southern　whites　would　think　as　he　did　on　this　matter；　they　might　the　quicker　solve　the　Negro　Question　and　establish　human　if　not　friendly　relations　with　the　blacks。

The　negro　race　at　that　time　had　a　fine　spokesman　in　Booker　T。　Washington；　a　man　who　had　been　born　a　slave；　was　educated　at　the　Hampton　Institute；　served　as　teacher　there；　and　then　founded　the　Tuskegee　Institute　for　teaching　negroes。　He　wisely　saw　that　the　first　thing　to　be　done　was　to　teach　them　trades　and　farming；　by　which　they　could　earn　a　living　and　make　themselves　useful　if　not　indispensable　to　the　communities　in　which　they　settled。　He　did　not　propose　to　start　off　to　lift　his　race　by　letting　them　imagine　that　they　could　blossom　into　black　Shakespeares　and　dusky　Raphaels　in　a　single　generation。　He　himself　was　a　man　of　tact；　prudence；　and　sagacity　with　trained　intelligence　and　a　natural　gift　of　speaking。

To　him　President　Roosevelt　turned　for　some　suggestions　as　to　appointing　colored　persons　to　offices　in　the　South。　It　happened　that　on　the　day　appointed　for　a　meeting　Washington　reached　the　White　House　shortly　before　luncheon　time；　and　that；　as　they　had　not　finished　their　conference；　Roosevelt　asked　him　to　stay　to　luncheon。　Washington　hesitated　politely。　Roosevelt　insisted。　They　lunched；　finished　their　business；　and　Washington　went　away。　When　this　perfectly　insignificant　fact　was　published　in　the　papers　the　next　morning；　the　South　burst　into　a　storm　of　indignation　and　abuse。　Some　of　the　Southern　journals　saw；　in　what　was　a　mere　routine　incident；　a　terrible　portent；　foreboding　that　Roosevelt　planned　to　put　the　negroes　back　to　control　the　Southern　whites。　Others　alleged　the　milder　motive　that　he　was　fishing　for　negro　votes。　The　common　type　of　fire…eaters　saw　in　it　one　of　Roosevelt's　unpleasant　ways　of　having　fun　by　insulting　the　South。　And　Southern　cartoonists　took　an　ignoble；　feeble　retaliation　by　caricaturing　even　Mrs。　Roosevelt。

The　President　did　not　reply　publicly。　As　his　invitation　to　Booker　Washington　was　wholly　unpremeditated；　he　was　surprised　by　the　rage　which　it　caused　among　Southerners。　But　he　was　clear…sighted　enough　to　understand　that；　without　intending　it；　he　had　made　a　mistake；　and　this　he　never　repeated。　Nothing　is　more　elusive　than　racial　antipathy；　and　we　need　not　wonder　that　a　man　like　Roosevelt　who；　although　he　was　most　solicitous　not　to　hurt　persons'　feelings　and　usually　acted；　unless　he　had　proof　to　the　contrary；　on　the　assumption　that　everybody　was　blessed　with　a　modicum　of　good…will　and　common　sense；　should　not　always　be　able　to　foresee　the　strange　inconsistencies　into　which　the　antipathy　of　the　white　Southerners　for　the　blacks　might　lead。　A　little　while　later　there　was　a　religious　gathering　in　Washington　of　Protestant…Episcopal　ministers。　They　had　a　reception　at　the　White　House。　Their　own　managers　made　out　a　list　of　ministers　to　be　invited；　and　among　the　guests　were　a　negro　archdeacon　and　his　wife；　and　the　negro　rector　of　a　Maryland　parish。　Although　these　persons　attended　the　reception；　the　Southern　whites　burst　into　no　frenzy　of　indignation　against　the　President。　Who　could　steer　safely　amid　such　shoals？　*　The　truth　is　that　no　President　since　Lincoln　had　a　kindlier　feeling　towards　the　South　than　Roosevelt　had。　He　often　referred　proudly　to　the　fact　that　his　mother　came　from　Georgia；　and　that　his　two　Bulloch　uncles　fought　in　the　Confederate　Navy。　He　wished　to　bring　back　complete　friendship　between　the　sections。　But　he　understood　the　difficulties；　as　his　explanation　to　Mr。　James　Ford　Rhodes；　the　historian；　in　1905；　amply　proved。　He　agreed　fully　as　to　the　folly　of　the　Congressional　scheme　of　reconstruction　based　on　universal　negro　suffrage；　but　he　begged　Mr。　Rhodes　not　to　forget　that　the　initial　folly　lay　with　the　Southerners　themselves。　The　latter　said；　quite　properly；　that　he　did　not　wonder　that　much　bitterness　still　remained　in　the　breasts　of　the　Southern　people　about　the　carpet…bag　negro　regime。　So　it　was　not　to　be　wondered　at　that　in　the　late　sixties　much　bitterness　should　have　remained　in　the　hearts　of　the　Northerners　over　the　remembrance　of　the　senseless　folly　and　wickedness　of　the　Southerners　in　the　early　sixties。　Roosevelt　felt　that　those　persons　who　most　heartily　agreed　that　as　it　was　the　presence　of　the　negro　which　made　the　problem；　and　that　slavery　was　merely　the　worst　possible　method　of　solving　it；　we　must　therefore　hold　up　to　reprobation；　as　guilty　of　doing　one　of　the　worst　deeds　which　history　records；　those　men　who　tried　to　break　up　this　Union　because　they　were　not　allowed　to　bring　slavery　and　the　negro　into　our　new　territory。　Every　step　which　followed；　from　freeing　the　slave　to　enfranchising　him；　was　due　only　to　the　North　being　slowly　and　reluctantly　forced　to　act　by　the　South's　persistence　in　its　folly　and　wickedness。

*　Leupp；231。


The　President　could　not　say　these　things　in　public　because　they　tended；　when　coming　from　a　man　in　public　place；　to　embitter　people。　But　Rhodes　was　writing　what　Roosevelt　hoped　would　prove　the　great　permanent　history　of　the　period；　and　he　said　that　it　would　be　a　misfortune　for　the　country；　and　especially　a　misfortune　for　the　South；　if　they　were　allowed　to　confuse　right　and　wrong　in　perspective。　He　added　that　his　difficulties　with　the　Southern　people　had　come　not　from　the　North；　but　from　the　South。　He　had　never　done　anything　that　was　not　for　their　interest。　At　present；　he　added；　they　were；　as　a　whole；　speaking　well　of　him。　When　they　would　begin　again　to　speak　ill；　he　did　not　know；　but　in　either　case　his　duty　was　equally　clear。　*

*　February　20；　1905。


Inviting　Booker　Washington　to　the　White　House　was　a　counsel　of　perfection　which　we　must　consider　one　of　Roosevelt's　misses。　Quite　different　was　the　voyage　of　the　Great　Fleet；　planned　by　him　and　carried　out　without　hitch　or　delay。

We　have　seen　that　from　his　interest　in　American　naval　history；　which　began　before　he　left　Harvard；　he　came　to　take　a　very　deep　interest　in　the　Navy　itself；　and　when　he　was　Assistant　Secretary；　he　worked　night　and　day　to　complete　its　preparation　for　entering　the　Spanish　War。　From　the　time　he　became　President；　he　urged　upon　Congress　and　the　country　the　need　of　maintaining　a　fleet　adequate　to　ward　off　any　dangers　to　which　we　might　be　exposed。　In　season　and　out　of　season　he　preached；　with