theodore roosevelt-第46节

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riman's　help　in　1904；　but　this　charge　also　was　never　sustained。

At　the　election　on　November　8；　Roosevelt　had　a　majority　of　nearly　two　million　and　a　half　votes　out　of　thirteen　million　and　a　half　cast；　thus　securing　by　large　odds　the　greatest　popular　majority　any　President　has　had。　The　Electoral　College　gave　him　336　votes　and　Parker　140。　That　same　evening；　his　victory　being　assured；　he　dictated　the　following　statement　to　the　press：　〃The　wise　custom　which　limits　the　President　to　two　terms；　regards　the　substance　and　not　the　form；　and　under　no　circumstances　will　I　be　a　candidate　for　and　accept　the　nomination　for　another。〃　Those　who　heard　this　statement；　or　who　had　talked　the　matter　over　with　Roosevelt；　under　stood　that　he　had　in　mind　a　renomination　in　1908；　but　many　persons　regarded　it　as　his　final　renunciation　of　ever　being　a　candidate　for　the　Presidency。　And　later；　when　circumstances　quite　altered　the　situation；　this　〃promise〃　was　revived　to　plague　him。

》From　March　4；　1905；　he　was　President　〃in　his　own　right。〃　Behind　him　stood　the　American　people；　and　he　was　justified　in　regarding　himself；　at　that　time；　as　the　most　popular　President　since　Washington。　The　unprecedented　majority　of　votes　he　had　received　at　the　election　proved　that；　and　proved　also　that　the　country　believed　in　〃his　policies。〃　So　he　might　go　ahead　to　carry　out　and　to　extend　the　general　reforms　which　he　had　embarked　on　against　much　opposition。　No　one　could　question　that　he　had　a　mandate　from　the　people；　and　during　his　second　term　he　was　still　more　aggressive。

Now；　however；　came　the　little　rift　which　widened　and　widened　and　at　last　opened　a　great　chasm　between　Roosevelt　and　the　people　on　one　side　and　the　Machine　dominators　of　the　Republican　Party　on　the　other。　For　although　Roosevelt　was　the　choice　of　the　Republicans　and　of　migratory　voters　from　other　parties；　although　he　was；　in　fact；　the　idol　of　millions　who　supported　him；　the　Republican　Machine　insisted　on　ruling。　Before　an　election；　the　Machine　consents　to　a　candidate　who　can　win；　but　after　he　has　been　elected　the。　Machine　instinctively　acts　as　his　master。　A　strong　man；　like　President　Cleveland；　may　hold　out　against　the　Bosses　of　his　party；　but　the　penalty　he　has　to　pay　is　to　find　himself　bereft　of　support　and　his　party　shattered。　This　might　have　happened　in　Roosevelt's　case　also；　if　he　had　not　been　more　tactful　than　Cleveland　was　in　dealing　with　his　enemies。

He　now　had　to　learn　the　bitter　knowledge　of　the　trials　which　beset　a　President　whose　vision　outsoars　that　of　the　practical　rulers　of　his　party。　In　the　House　of　Representatives　there　was　a　little　group　led　by　the　Speaker；　Joseph　G。　Cannon；　of　Illinois；　who　controlled　that　part　of　Congress　with　despotic　arrogance。　In　the　Senate　there　was　a　similar　group　of　political　oligarchs；　called　the　Steering　Committee；　which　decided　what　questions　should　be　discussed；　what　bills　should　be　killed；　and　what　others　should　be　passed。　Aldrich；　of　Rhode　Island；　headed　this。　A　multi…millionaire　himself；　he　was　the　particular　advocate　of　the　Big　Interests。　Next　came　Allison；　of　Iowa；　an　original　Republican；　who　entered　Congress　in　1863　and　remained　there　for　the　rest　of　his　life；　a　hide…bound　party　man；　personally　honest　and　sufficiently　prominent　to　be　〃talked　of〃　for　Vice　President　on　several　occasions。　He　was　rather　the　peacemaker　of　the　Steering　Committee；　having　the　art　of　reconciling　antagonists　and　of　smoothing　annoying　angles。　A　little　older；　was　Orville　H。　Platt；　the　Senator　from　Connecticut　who　died　in　1905；　and　was　esteemed　a　model　of　virtue　among　the　Senators　of　his　time。　As　an　offset　to　the　men　of　threescore　and　ten　and　over　was　Albert　J。　Beveridge；　the　young　Senator　from　Indiana；　vigorous；　eloquent；　fearless；　and　radical；　whose　mind　and　heart　were　consecrated　to　Roosevelt。　Beveridge；　at　least；　had　no　ties；　secret　or　open；　with　the　Trusts；　or　the　Interests；　or　Wall　Street；　on　the　contrary；　he　attacked　them　fiercely；　and　among　other　Anti…Trust　legislation　he　drove　through　the　Meat　Inspection　Bill。　How　he　managed　to　get　on　with　the　gray　wolves　of　the　Committee　it　would　be　interesting　to　hear；　but　we　must　rid　ourselves　of　the　notion　that　those　gray　wolves　sought　personal　profit　in　money　by　their　steering。　None　of　them　was　charged　with　using　his　position　for　the　benefit　of　his　purse。　Power　was　what　those　politicians　desired；　Power；　which　gave　them　the　opportunity　to　make　the　political　tenets　of　their　party　prevail。　Orville　Platt；　or　Allison；　regarded　Republicanism　with　al　most　religious　fanaticism；　and　we　need　not　search　far　in　history　to　find　fanatics　who　were　personally　very　good　and　tender…hearted　men；　but　who　would　put　heretics　to　death　with　a　smile　of　pious　satisfaction。

Roosevelt's　task　was　to　persuade　the　Steering　Committee　to　support　him　in　as　many　of　his　Radical　measures　as　he　could。　They　had　done　this　during　his　first　Administration；　partly　because　they　did　not　see　whither　he　was　leading。　Senator　Hanna；　then　a　member　of　the　Steering　Committee；　attempted　to　steady　all　Republicans　who　seemed　likely　to　be　seduced　by　Roosevelt's　subversive　novelties　by　telling　them　to　〃stand　pat；〃　and；　as　we　look　back　now；　the　Senator　from　Ohio　with　his　stand…pattism　broom　reminds　us　of　the　portly　Mrs。　Partington　trying　to　sweep　back　the　inflowing　Atlantic　Ocean。　During　the　second　Administration；　however；　no　one　could　plead　ignorance　or　surprise　when　Roosevelt　urged　on　new　projects。　He　made　no　secret　of　his　policies；　and　he　could　not　have　disguised；　if　he　would；　the　fact　that　he　was　thorough。　By　a　natural　tendency　the　〃Stand…Patters〃　drew　closer　together。　Similarly　the　various　elements　which　followed　Roosevelt　tended　to　combine。　Already　some　of　these　were　beginning　to　be　called　〃Insurgents；〃　but　this　name　did　not　frighten　them　nor　did　it　shame　them　back　into　the　fold　of　the　orthodox　Republicans。　As　Roosevelt　continued　his　fight　for　reclamation；　conservation；　health；　and　pure　foods；　and　governmental　control　of　the　great　monopolies；　the　opposition　to　him；　on　the　part　of　the　capitalists　affected；　grew　more　intense。　What　wonder　that　these　men；　realizing　at　last　that　their　unlimited　privileges　would　be　taken　away　from　them；　resented　their　deprivation。　The　privileged　classes　in　England　have　not　welcomed　the　suggestion　that　their　great　landed　estates　shall　be　cut　up；　nor　can　we　expect　that　the　American　dukes　and　marquises　of　oil　and　steel　and　copper　and　transportation　should　look　forward　with　meek　acquiescence　to　their　own　extinction。

Nevertheless；　there　is　no　politics　in　politics；　and　so　the　gray　wolves　who　ran　the　Republican　Party；　knowing　that　Roosevelt；　and　not　themselves；　had　the　determining　popular　support　of　the　country；　were　too　wary　to　block　him　entirely　as　the　Democrats　had　done　under　Cleveland。　They　let　his　bills　go　through；　but　with　more　evident　reluctance；　only　after　bitter　fighting。　And　as　they　were　nearly　all　church　members　in　good　standing；　we　can　imagine　that　they　prayed　the　Lord　to　hasten　the　day　when　this　pestilent　marplot　in　the　White　House　should　retire　from　office。　Trusting　Roosevelt　so　far　as　to　believe　that　he　would　stand　by　his　pledge　not　to　be　a　candidate　in　1908；　they　cast　about　for　a　person　of　their　own　stripe　whom　they　could　make　the　country　accept。

But　Roosevelt　himself　felt　too　deeply　involved　in　the　cause　of　Reform；　which　he　had　been　pushing　for　seven　years；　to　allow　his　successor　to　be　dictated　by　the　Stand…Patters。　So　he　sought　among　his　associates　in　the　Cabinet　for　the　member　who；　judging　by　their　work　together；　would　most　loyally　carry　on　his　policies；　and　at　length　he　decided　upon　William　H。　Taft；　his　Secretary　of　War。　〃Root　would　make　the　better　President；　but　Taft　would　be　the　better　candidate；〃　Theodore　wrote　to　an　intimate；　and　that　opinion　was　generally　held　in　Washington　and　elsewhere。　Mr。　Root　had　so　conducted　the　Department　of　State；　since　the　death　of　John　Hay；　that　many　good　judges　regarded　him　as　the　ablest　of　all　the　Secretaries　of　that　Department；　and　Roosevelt　himself　went　even　farther。　〃Root；〃　he　said　to　me；　〃is　the　greatest　intellectual　force　in　American　public　life　since　Lincoln。〃　But　in　his　career　as　lawyer；　which　brought　him　to　the　head　of　the　American　Bar；　he　had　been　attorney　for　powerful　corporations；　and　that　being　the　time　when　the　Government　was　fighting　the　Corporations；　it　was　not　supposed　that　his　candidacy　would　be　popular。　So　Taft　was　preferred　to　him。

The　Republican　Machine　accepted　Taft　as　a　candidate　with　composure；　if　not　with　enthusiasm。　Anyone　would　be　better　than　Roosevelt　in　the　eyes　of　the　Machine　and　its　supporters；　and　perhaps　they　perceived　in　Secretary　Taft　qualities　not　wholly　unsympathetic。　They　were　probably　thankful；　also；　that　Roosevelt　had　not　demanded　more。　He　allowed　the　〃regulars〃　to　choose　the　nominee　for　Vice…President；　and　he　did　not　meddle　with　the　make…up　of　the　Republican　National　Committee。　One　of　his　critics；　Dean　Lewis；　marks　this　as　Roosevelt's　chief　political　blunder；　because　by　leaving　the　Republican　National　Committee　in　command　he　virtually　predetermined　the　policy　of　the　next　four　years。　Only　a　very　strong　President　with　equal　zeal　and　fighting　quality　could　win　against　the　Committee。　In　1908　he　had　them　so　docile　that　he　might　have　changed　their　membership；　and　changed　the　ru