theodore roosevelt-第58节

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f　his　life。

I　do　not　know　whether　later；　when　he　found　himself　checked　by　recurrent　illness；　he　regretted　having　chosen　to　encounter　that　ordeal　in　Brazil。　He　was　a　man　who　wasted　no　time　over　regrets。　The　past　for　him　was　done。　The　material　out　of　which　he　wove　his　life　was　the　present　or　the　future。　Days　gone　were　as　water　that　has　flowed　under　the　mill。　Acting　always　from　what　he　regarded　as　the　best　motives　of　the　present；　he　faced　with　equal　heart　whatever　result　they　brought。　So　when　he　found　on　his　return　home　that　some　geographers　and　South　American　explorers　laughed　at　his　story　of　the　River　of　Doubt；　he　laughed；　too；　at　their　incredulity；　and　presently　the　Brazilian　Government；　having　established　the　truth　of　his　exploration　and　named　the　river　after　him；　Rio　Teodoro；　his　laughter　prevailed。　He　took　real　satisfaction　in　having　placed　on　the　map　of　Central　Brazil　a　river　six　hundred　miles　long。

New　York　made　no　festival　for　him　on　this　second　homecoming。　The　city　and　the　country　welcomed　him；　but　not　effusively。　The　American　people；　how　ever；　felt　a　void　without　Roosevelt。　Whether　they　always　agreed　with　him　or　not；　they　found　him　perpetually　interesting；　and　during　the　ten　or　eleven　weeks　when　he　went　into　the　Brazilian　silence　and　they　did　not　know　whether　he　was　alive　or　dead；　they　learned　how　much　his　presence　and　his　ready　speech　had　meant　to　them。　And　so　they　rejoiced　to　know　that　he　was　safe　and　at　home　again　at　Sagamore　Hill。

Roosevelt　insisted；　imprudently；　on　accompanying　his　son　Kermit　to　Madrid；　where　he　was　to　marry　the　daughter　of　the　American　Minister。　He　made　the　trip　to　Spain　and　back；　as　quickly　as　possible；　and　then　he　turned　to　politics。　That　year；　Congress　men　and　several　Governors　were　to　be　elected；　and　Roosevelt　allowed　himself　to　be　drawn　into　the　campaign。　As　I　have　said；　he　was　like　the　consummate　actor　who；　in　spite　of　his　protestations；　can　never　bid　farewell　to　the　stage。　And　now　a　peculiar　obligation　moved　him。　He　must　help　the　friends　who　had　followed　him　eagerly　into　the　conflict　of　1912；　and；　in　helping　them；　he　must　save　the　Progressive　principles　and　drive　them　home　with　still　greater　cogency。　He　delivered　a　remarkable　address　at　Pittsburgh；　he　toured　New　York　State　in　an　automobile；　he　spoke　to　multitudes　in　Pennsylvania　from　the　back　platform　of　a　special　train；　he　visited　Louisiana　and　several　other　States。　But　the　November　elections　disappointed　him。　The　Progressive　Party；　if　not　dead；　had　ceased　to　be　a　real　power　in　politics；　but　Progressivism；　as　an　influence　and　an　ideal；　was　surviving　under　other　forms。

Probably　the　chief　cause　for　this　wane　was　the　putting　into　operation；　by　President　Wilson　and　the　triumphant　Democrats；　of　many　of　the　Progressive　suggestions　which　the　Democratic　Platform　had　also　contained。　The　psychological　effect　of　success　in　politics　is　always　important　and　this　accounted　for　the　cooling　of　the　zeal　of　a　certain　number　of　enthusiasts　who　had　vociferously　supported　Roosevelt　in　1912。　The　falling…off　in　the　vote　measured　further　the　potency　of　Roosevelt's　personal　magnetism；　thousands　voted　for　him　who　would　not　vote　for　other　candidates　professing　his　principles。　Finally；　other　issuesthe　imbroglio　with　Mexico；　for　instancewere　looming　up；　and　exciting　a　different　interest　among　the　American　people。　Before　we　discuss　the　greatest　issue　of　all；　in　which　Theodore　Roosevelt's　career　as　a　patriot　culminated；　we　must　recall　two　or　three　events　which　absorbed　him　at　the　time　and　furnished　evidence　of　vital　import　to　those　who　would　appraise　his　character　fairly。

During　the　campaign　of　1912；　his　enemies　resorted　to　all　sorts　of　slanders；　calumnies；　lies；　ignoble　always；　and　often　indecent；　to　blacken　him。　On　October　12th；　the　Iron　Ore；　a　trade　paper　edited　by　George　A。　Newett　at　Ishpeming；　Michigan；　pubished　this　accusation：　〃Roosevelt　lies　and　curses　in　a　most　disgusting　way；　he　gets　drunk　too；　and　that　not　infrequently；　and　all　of　his　intimates　know　about　it。〃　When　he　was　President；　Roosevelt　had　appointed　Newett　as　postmaster；　but　Newett　stayed　by　the　Republican　Party；　and　did　not　scruple　to　serve　it；　as　he　supposed；　in　this　way。　The　charge　of　drunkenness　spread　so　far　and；　as　usual；　so　many　persons　said　that　where　there　is　much　smoke　there　must　be　some　fire；　that　Roosevelt　determined　to　crush　that　lie　once　for　all。　He　would　not　have　it　stand　unchallenged；　to　shame　his　children　after　he　was　dead；　or　to　furnish　food　for　the　maggots　which　feed　on　the　reputations　of　great　men。　So　he　brought　suit　against　Newett。　His　counsel；　James　H。　Pound；　assembled　nearly　two…score　witnesses；　who　had　known　Roosevelt　since　he　left　College；　men　who　had　visited　him；　had　hunted　with　him；　had　served　with　him　in　the　Spanish　War；　had　been　his　Cabinet　Ministers；　journalists　who　had　followed　him　on　his　campaigning　tours；　detectives；　and　his　personal　body…servant；　General　Leonard　Wood；　and　Jacob　Riis；　and　Dr。　Alexander　Lambert；　who　had　been　his　family　physician　for　a　quarter　of　a　century。　This　cloud　of　witnesses　all　testified　unanimously　that　they　had　never　seen　him　drink　anything　stronger　than　wine；　except　as　a　medicine；　that　he　took　very　little　wine；　and　that　they　had　never　seen　him　drunk。　They　also　declared　that　he　was　not　a　curser　or　blasphemer。

After　listening　to　this　mass　of　evidence　for　a　week；　Newett　begged　to　withdraw　his　charge　and　to　apologize；　and　he　confessed　that　he　had　nothing　but　hearsay　on　which　to　base　his　slanders。　Then　Roosevelt　addressed　the　court　and　asked　it　not　to　impose　damages　upon　the　defendant；　as　he　had　not　prosecuted　the　libeler　with　the　intention　of　getting　satisfaction　in　money。　He　wrote　one　of　his　sisters　from　Marquette；　where　the　trial　was　held：　〃I　deemed　it　best　not　to　demand　money　damages；　the　man　is　a　country　editor；　and　while　I　thoroly*　depise　him；　I　do　not　care　to　seem　to　persecute　him。〃　（May　31；　1913。）

*　I　copy　〃thoroly；〃　as　he　wrote　it；　as　a　reminder　that　Roosevelt　practiced　the　spelling　reform　which　he　advocated。


Roosevelt　had　to　undergo　one　other　trial；　this　time　as　defendant。　The　managers　of　the　Republican　Party…and　the　Interests　behind　them；　not　content　with　blocking　his　way　to　the　nomination　in　1912；　wished　utterly　to　destroy　him　as　a　political　factor；　for　they　still　dreaded　that；　as　a　Progressive；　he　might　have　a　triumphant　resurrection　and　recapture　the　confidence　of　the　American　people。　To　accomplish　their　purpose　they　wished　to　discredit　him　as　a　reform　politician；　and　as　a　leader　in　civic　and　social　welfare。

Roosevelt　himself　gave　the　occasion　for　their　on　slaught　upon　him。　In　supporting　Harvey　D。　Hinman；　the　Progressive　candidate　for　the　Governor　of　New　York　in　1914；　he　declared　that　William　Barnes；　Jr。；　who　managed　the　Republican　Machine　politics　in　that　State；　had　a　bi…partisan　alliance　with　the　Democratic　Machine　in　the　interest　of　crooked　politics　and　crooked　business。　Mr。　Barnes；　in　whose　ears　the　word　〃Boss〃　sounded　obnoxious　as　applied　to　himself；　brought　suit　for　libel；　and　it　came　to　trial　at　Syracuse　on　April　19；　1915。　Mr。　Barnes's　counsel；　Mr。　Ivins；　peered　into　every　item　of　Mr。　Roosevelt's　political　career　with　a　microscope。　Mr。　Barnes　had；　of　course；　all　the　facts；　all　the　traditions　that　his　long　experience　at　Albany　could　give　him。　And　as　he　dated　back　to　Boss　Platt's　time；　he　must　have　heard；　at　first　hand　from　the　Senator；　his　relations　with　Roosevelt　as　Governor。　But　the　most　searching　examination　by　Mr。　Barnes　brought　him　no　evidence；　and　cross…examination；　pursued　for　many　days；　brought　him　no　more。　When　it　became　Roosevelt's　turn　to　reply；　he　showed　how　the　Albany　Evening　Journal；　Mr。　Barnes's　organ；　had　profited　by　illegal　political　advertising。　He　proved　the　existence　of　the　bi…partisan　alliance　with　the　Democratic　Machine；　and　showed　its　effects　on　legislation　and　elections。　After　deliberating　two　days；　the　jury　brought　in　a　verdict　in　favor　of　Roosevelt。

The　trial；　which　had　lasted　two　months；　and　cost　Roosevelt　52；000　（so　expensive　is　it　for　an　honest　man　to　defend　his　honesty　against　hostile　politicians！）　decided　two　things：　first；　that　Mr。　Barnes　was　a　Boss；　and　had　used　crooked　methods；　and　next；　that　Theodore　Roosevelt；　under　the　most　intense　scrutiny　which　his　enemies　could　employ；　was　freed　from　any　suspicion　of　dishonest　political　methods　or　acts。　As　William　M。　Ivins；　attorney　for　Mr。　Barnes；　left　the　New　York　Constitutional　Convention　to　try　the　case　at　Syracuse；　he　said　with　un　concealed　and　alluring　self…satisfaction　to　Mr。　Root：　〃I　am　going　to　nail　Roosevelt's　hide　to　the　barn　door。〃　Mr。　Root　replied：　〃Be　sure　it　is　Roosevelt's　and　not　some　other　hide　that　is　nailed　there。〃



CHAPTER　XXIV。　PROMETHEUS　BOUND

The　event　which　put　Roosevelt's　patriotism　to　the　final　test；　and；　as　it　proved；　evoked　all　his　great　qualities　in　a　last　display；　was　the　outbreak　of　the　Atrocious　World　War　in　August；　1914。　By　the　most　brutal　assault　in　modern　times；　Germany；　and　her　lackey　ally；　Austria；　without　notice；　overran　Belgium　and　Northeastern　France；　and　devastated　Serbia。　The　other　countries；　especially　the　United　States；　were　too　startled　at　first　to　understand　either　the　magnitude　or　the　possible　implications　of　this　war。　On　August　18th；　President　Wilson　issued　the　first　of　his　many　v