theodore roosevelt-第51节

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　to　administer　and　interpret　them。

Every　one　knew　that　the　system　of　party　government　resulted　in　a　Machine；　consisting　of　a　few　men　who　controlled　the　preliminary　steps　which　led　to　the　nomination　of　candidates　and　then　decided　the　election；　so　far　as　their　control　of　the　regular　party　members　could　do　this。　It　would　be　idle；　said　the　advocates　of　these　popular　rights；　to　make　the　best　of　laws　in　behalf　of　the　people　and　allow　them　to　be　enforced　by　representatives　and　judges　chosen；　under　whatever　disguise；　by　the　great　capitalists。　And　so　these　Progressives；　bent　on　trusting　implicitly　the　intelligence；　the　unselfishness；　and　the　honesty　of　the　People；　proposed　three　novel　political　instruments　for　obtaining　the　pure　Democracy　they　dreamed　of。　First；　the　Initiative；　by　which　a　certain　number　of　voters　could　suggest　new　laws；　second；　the　Referendum；　by　which　a　vote　should　be　taken　to　decide　whether　the　People　approved　or　not　of　a　law　that　was　in　operation；　and　third；　the　judicial　Recall；　by　which　a　majority　of　the　voters　could　nullify　a　decision　handed　down　by　a　judge。　This　last　was　often　misnamed　and　misconstrued；　the　〃Recall　of　Judges；〃　but　so　far　as　I　know　very　few　of　the　Progressive　leaders；　certainly　not　Colonel　Roosevelt；　proposed　to　put　the　tenure　of　office　of　a　judge　at　the　mercy　of　a　sudden　popular　vote。

When　Roosevelt　returned　from　Africa；　he　found　that　the　Progressive　movement　had　developed　rapidly；　and　the　more　he　thought　over　its　principles；　the　more　they　appealed　to　him。　To　arrive　at　Social　Justice　was　his　life…long　endeavor。　In　a　speech　delivered　on　August　31；　1910；　at　Ossawatomie；　Kansas；　he　discoursed　on　the　〃New　Nationalism。〃　As　if　to　push　back　hostile　criticism　at　the　start；　he　quoted　Abraham　Lincoln：　〃Labor　is　prior　to；　and　independent　of　capital；　capital　is　only　the　fruit　of　labor　and　could　never　have　existed　but　for　labor。　Labor　is　the　superior　of　capital　and　deserves　much　the　higher　consideration。　Capital　has　its　rights　which　are　as　worthy　of　protection　as　any　other　rights　。。。。　Nor　should　this　lead　to　a　war　upon　the　owners　of　property。　Property　is　the　fruit　of　labor；　property　is　desirable；　it　is　a　positive　good　in　the　world。　Let　not　him　who　is　houseless　pull　down　the　house　of　another；　but　let　him　work　diligently　and　build　one　for　him　self；　thus；　by　example；　showing　that　his　own　shall　be　safe　from　violence　when　built。〃

Not　all　those　who　cry　〃Plato！　Plato！〃　are　Platonists。　So；　not　all　those　who　now　appeal　to　Lincoln's　mighty　name　for　sanction　of　their　own　petty　caprices　and　crazy　creeds；　have　learned　the　first　letter　of　the　alphabet　which　Lincoln　used；　but　Roosevelt；　I　believe；　knew　Lincoln　better；　knew　the　spirit　of　Lincoln　better；　than　any　other　President　has　known　it。　And　Lincoln　would　have　approved　of　most；　if　not　of　all；　of　the　measures　which；　in　that　Ossawatomie　speech；　Roosevelt　declared　must　be　adopted。　Whenever　he　spoke　or　wrote　after　that；　he　repeated　his　arguments　in　defense　of　the　〃New　Nationalism；〃　and　they　sank　deep　into　the　public　conscience。　He　took　no　active　part　in　politics；　as　he　thought；　but　the　country　knew　better　than　he　did　that；　wherever　he　was；　politics　was　active。　Every　one　consulted　him；　his　occasional　speeches　roused　a　storm　of　criticism；　a　dozen　would…be　candidates　in　each　party　sat　on　the　anxious　seat　and　waited　for　his　decision。　So　he　watched　the　year　1910　draw　to　its　close　and　1911　wheel　by；　without　his　giving　the　final　word。　Although　he　was　very　really　the　centre　of　attention；　he　nevertheless　felt　lonely；　and　a　friend　tells　me　of　going　to　Oyster　Bay；　late　in　the　autumn；　and　finding　Roosevelt　in　fact　alone；　as　his　family　were　away；　and　depressed　by　the　thought　that　he　was　cut　off；　probably　forever；　from　throwing　himself　into　work　which　would　be　of　public　benefit。　But　Roosevelt　was　a　fighter；　not　a　sulker；　and　he　was　too　healthy　in　spirit　to　give　way　to　disappointment。

That　he　resented　the　purpose；　as　he　supposed；　of　the　Taft　Administration　to　throw　over　his　policies；　I　do　not　doubt；　although　there　are　letters　in　existence　which　indicate　that　he　still　had　courteous　if　not　friendly　relations　with　President　Taft。　But　what　ate　into　him　more　than　any　personal　resentment　was　his　chagrin　at　seeing　the　Great　Cause；　for　which　he　had　spent　his　life；　neglected　and　denied　by　the　Republican　Party。　Progressivism　seemed　to　be　slowly　in　process　of　suffocation　by　the　Big　Interests　which　it　had　come　into　being　to　protest　against；　to　curb；　and　to　control。

There　were　other　leaders　in　this　Cause；　the　most　prominent　being　Senator　La　Follette；　of　Wisconsin。　He　had　caught　up　very　early　some　of　Bryan's　demagogic　doctrines；　which　he　had　softened　a　good　deal　and　made　palatable　to　the　Republicans　of　his　State。　Then　he　had　stood　out　as　a　Liberal　in　Congress；　and　from　Liberal　he　became　Insurgent；　and　now　that　the　Insurgents　were　being　defined　as　Progressives；　he　led　the　Progressives　in　Congress。　The　same　spirit　was　permeating　the　Democrats；　only　the　hide…bound　Regular　Republicans　appeared　not　to　notice　that　a　new　day　had　dawned。　〃Uncle　Joe〃　Cannon；　their　Speaker　of　the　House；　reveled　in　his　Bourbonism；　made　it　as　obnoxious　as　he　could；　and　then　was　swept　away　by　the　enraged　Liberals。

By　the　summer　of　1911　the　discussion　of　possible　candidates　grew　more　heated。　Roosevelt　still　kept　silent；　but　he　told　his　intimates　that　he　would　not　run。　He　did　not　wish　to　be　President　again；　especially　at　the　cost　of　an　internecine　struggle。　I　believe　that　he　was　sincere；　so　is　the　consummate　actor　or　the　prima　donna；　whom　the　world　applauds；　sincere　in　bidding　farewell　to　the　stage　forever。　Nevertheless；　which　of　them　is　conscious　of　the　strength　of　the　passion；　which　long　habit；　and　supremacy；　and　the　intoxication　of　success　have　evoked；　dwells　in　them？　Given　the　moment　and　the　lure；　they　forget　their　promise　of　farewell。

By　this　time　the　politicians　began　to　foresee　that　the　dissension　in　the　Republican　Party　would　make　it　difficult　to　choose　a　candidate　who　could　win。　Every　President　desires　to　be　reelected　if　he　can　be；　not　necessarily　because　he　is　greedy　of　power；　but　because　reelection　is　equivalent　to　public　approval　of　his　first　term。　Mr。　Taft；　therefore；　stood　out　as　the　logical　candidate　of　the　Conservatives。　The　great　majority　of　the　Progressives　desired　Roosevelt；　but；　since　he　would　say　neither　yes　nor　no；　they　naturally　turned　to　Senator　La　Follette。　And　La　Follette　launched　a　vigorous　campaign　for　the　nomination　and　was　undoubtedly　gaining　ground　except　in　the　East；　where　some　of　his　views　had　been　regarded　as　too　extreme　even　for　the　Liberals。　To　his　great　misfortune；　in　a　speech　at　Philadelphia　on　February　2；　1912；　he　showed　signs　of　a　temporary　mental　collapse　and；　although　his　friends　protested　that　this　mishap　was　not　serious；　much　less　permanent；　he　never　got　back　into　the　running。

Meanwhile；　Roosevelt's　nearest　zealots　not　only　urged　upon　him　the　duty　of　coming　out　squarely　as　the　Progressive　aspirant；　but　they　set　up　throughout　the　country　their　propaganda　for　him。　He　received　letters　by　the　bushel　and　every　letter　appealed　to　his　patriotism　and　to　his　sense　of　duty。　The　Progressives　were　in　dead　earnest。　They　believed　that　the　country；　if　not　civilization；　had　reached　a　crisis　on　the　outcome　of　which　would　depend　the　future　health　and　peace　of　Society。　They　had　a　crusade；　not　a　mere　political　campaign；　ahead　of　them；　and　they　could　not　believe　that　Roosevelt；　their　peerless　champion；　would　fail　them。

The　average　person；　who　calmly　sits　back　in　his　easy…chair　and　passes　his　verdict　on　the　acts　of　great　men；　does　not　always　allow　for　the　play　of　emotions　which　may　have　influenced　them。　What　sort　of　reaction　must　appeals　like　these　have　stimulated？　How　can　the　unimaginative　man；　who　has　never　been　urged　by　his　fellow　townspeople　to　be　even　Trustee　of　the　Town　library　or　graveyard；　put　himself　in　the　place　of　a　Leader；　who　is　told　by　millions　of　persons；　possibly　fanatics　but　not　flatterers；　that　the　destiny　of　the　Nation　depends　upon　his　listening　to　their　entreaties？

Everything　conspired　to　win　Roosevelt　over：　La　Follette　being　eliminated；　there　was　no　other　Progressive　whom　the　majority　would　agree　upon。　The　party　spoke　with　only　one　voice；　and　uttered　only　one　name。　And；　presently；　the　Governors　of　seven　StatesBass　of　New　Hampshire；　Hadley　of　Missouri；　Osborn　of　Michigan；　Glasscock　of　West　Virginia；　Carey　of　Wyoming；　Aldrich　of　Nebraska；　and　Stubbs　of　Kansasissued　an　appeal　to　him　which　seemed　to　give　an　official　stamp　to　the　popular　entreaties。　Roosevelt's　enemies　insinuated　that　the　seven　Governors　had　been　moved　to　act　at　his　own　instigation；　and　they　tried　to　belittle　the　entire　movement　as　a　〃frame…up；〃　in　the　common　phrase　of　the　day。　No　doubt　he　was　consulted　in　the　general　direction　of　the　campaign；　no　doubt；　being　a　very　alert　student　of　political　effects；　he　suggested　many　things；　but　the　rush　of　enthusiasts　to　him　was　genuine　and　spontaneous。

I　happened　to　spend　the　evening　of　February　25；　1912；　with　him　at　the　house　of　Judge　Robert　Grant　in　Boston。　Judge　Grant　and　I　were　not　politicians；　and　I；　at　least；　had　never　voted　for　a　Republican　Presidential　candidate。　But　both　of　us　were　very　old　personal　friends　of　the　Colonel；　and　for　five　hours　we　three　talked　with