theodore roosevelt-第61节

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and　in　poetry。　We　remember　that　the　Witchcraft　Delusion　obsessed　our　ancestors。　It　is　not　impossible；　therefore；　that　between　194　and　1918　the　American　people　passed　through　a　stage　in　which　it　threw　logic　to　the　winds。　This　would　account　at　least　for　its　infatuation　for　President　Wilson；　in　spite　of　his　undisguised　inconsistencies　and　appalling　blunders。　A　people　who　thought　logic　ally　and　kept　certain　principles　steadily　before　it；　could　hardly　otherwise　have　tolerated　Mr。　Wilson's　〃too…proud…to…fight〃　speech；　and　his　message　to　Germany　after　the　sinking　of　the　Lusitania；　or　his　subsequent　endeavor　to　make　the　Americans　think　that　there　was　no　choice　between　the　causes　for　which　the　Allies　and　the　Teutons　were　fighting。　Was　it　not　he　who　said　that　Europe　was　war…mad；　and　that　America　had　better　mind　her　own　business；　and　look　the　other　way？　Did　he　not　declare　that　we　were　forced　into　war；　and　then　that　we　were　not？　That　a　President　of　the　United　States　should　assert　or　even　insinuate　these　things　during　the　great　War　for　Humanity　…and　by　Humanity　I　mean　every　trait；　every　advance　which　has　lifted　men　above　the　level　of　the　beast；　where　they　originated；　to　the　level　of　the　human　with　its　potential　ascent　to　heights　undreamed　ofis　amazing　now：　what　will　it　be　a　generation　hence？

Roosevelt　watched　impatiently　while　these　strange　phases　passed　before　him。　He　listened　angrily　at　the　contradictory　utterances。　He　felt　the　ignominy　of　our　country's　being　at　such　a　depth。　He　knew　Germany　too　well　to　suppose　that　she　could　be　deterred　by　President　Wilson's　messages。　He　saw　something　comic　in　shaking　a　long　fore…finger　and　saying；　〃Tut；　tut！　I　shall　consider　being　very　harsh；　if　you　commit　these　outrages　three　more　times。。〃　To　shake　your　fist　at　all；　and　then　to　shake　your　finger；　seemed　to　Roosevelt　almost　imbecile。　Cut　off　from　serving　the　cause　of　American　patriotism　in　any　public　capacity；　Roosevelt　struggled　to　take　his　part　by　writing。　Every　month　in　the　Outlook；　and　subsequently　in　the　Metropolitan　Magazine；　he　gave　vent　to　his　pent…up　indignation。　The　very　titles　of　some　of　his　papers　reveal　his　animus：　〃Fear　God　and　Take　Your　Own　Part〃；　〃A　Sword　for　Defense〃；　〃America　First：　A　Phrase　or　a　Fact？〃；　〃Uncle　Sam's　Only　Friend　is　Uncle　Sam〃；　〃Dual　Nationality〃；　〃Preparedness。〃　In　each　of　these　he　poured　forth　with　unflagging　vehemence　the　fundamental　verities　on　which　our　American　society　should　rest。　He　showed　that　it　was　not　a　mere　competition　in　letter…writing　between　the　honey…worded　Mr。　Wilson　and　the　sophisticated　Bernstorff　or　the　Caliban…sly　Bethmann　Hollweg；　but　that　God　was　in　the　crisis；　and　that　no　adroitness　of　phrase　or　trick　of　diplomacy　could　get　rid　of　Him。　He　showed　that　there　could　not　be　two　kinds　of　Americans：　one　genuine；　which　believed　wholly　and　singly　in　the　United　States；　and　the　other　cunning　and　mongrel；　which　swore　allegiance　to　the　United　Stateslip　serviceand　kept　its　allegiance　to　Germanyheart　service。　He　lost　no　opportunity　to　make　his　illustrations　clear。　On　resigning　as　Secretary　of　State　after　the　sinking　of　the　Lusitania；　because　President　Wilson　insisted　on　mildly　calling　Germany's　attention　to　that　crime；　Mr。　Bryan　addressed　a　large　audience　of　Germans。

Then　Roosevelt　held　him　up　to　the　gaze　of　the　American　people　as　a　man　who　had　no　true　Americanism。　Lest　I　should　be　suspected　of　misinterpreting　or　exaggerating　Roosevelt's　opinion　of　President　Wilson；　during　the　first　two　years　of　the　war；　I　quote　two　or　three　passages；　taken　at　random；　which　will　prove；　I　hope；　that　I　have　summarized　him　truly。　He　says；　for　instance：

Professional　pacifists　of　the　type　of　Messrs。　Bryan；　Jordan；　and　Ford；　who　in　the　name　of　peace　preach　doctrines　that　would　entail　not　merely　utter　infamy；　but　utter　disaster　to　their　own　country；　never　in　practice　venture　to　denounce　concrete　wrong　by　dangerous　wrongdoers　。。。。　These　professional　pacifists；　through　President　Wilson；　have　forced　the　country　into　a　path　of　shame　and　dishonor　during　the　past　eighteen　months。　Thanks　to　President　Wilson；　the　most　powerful　of　Democratic　nations　has　refused　to　recognize　the　binding　moral　force　of　international　public　law。　Our　country　has　shirked　its　clear　duty。　One　outspoken　and　straightforward　declaration　by　this　government　against　the　dreadful　iniquities　perpetrated　in　Belgium；　Armenia；　and　Servia　would　have　been　worth　to　humanity　a　thousand　times　as　much　as　all　that　the　professional　pacifists　have　done　in　the　past　fifty　years　。。。。　Fine　phrases　become　sickening　when　they　represent　nothing　whatever　but　adroitness　in　phrase　making；　with　no　intention　of　putting　deeds　behind　the　phrases。

After　the　American　messages　in　regard　to　the　sinking　of　the　Lusitania　had　brought　no　apology；　much　less　any　suggestion　of　redress；　Roosevelt　said：　Apparently　President　Wilson　has　believed　that　the　American　people　would　permanently　forget　their　dead　and　would　slur　over　the　dishonor　and　disgrace　to　the　United　States　by　that　basest　of　all　the　base　pleas　of　cowardly　souls　which　finds　expression　in　the　statement：　〃Oh；　well；　anyhow　the　President　kept　us　out　of　war！〃　The　people　who　make　this　plea　assert　with　quavering　voices　that　they　〃are　behind　the　President。〃　So　they　are；　well　behind　him。　The　farther　away　from　the　position　of　duty　and　honor　and　hazard　he　has　backed；　the　farther　behind　him　these　gentry　have　stoodor　run。

Finally；　Roosevelt　stated　with　deadly　clearness　the　position　into　which　Wilson's　vacillating　policy　had　driven　us：

The　United　States　has　not　a　friend　in　the　world。　Its　conduct；　under　the　leadership　of　its　official　representatives；　for　the　last　five　years　and；　above　all；　for　the　last　three　years；　has　deprived　it　of　the　respect　and　has　secured　for　it　the　contempt　of　every　one　of　the　great　civilized　nations　of　mankind。　Peace　treaties　and　windy　Fourth…of…July　eloquence　and　the　base　materialism　which　seeks　profit　as　an　incident　to　the　abandonment　of　duty　will　not　help　us　now。　For　five　years　our　rulers　at　Washington　have　believed　that　all　this　people　cared　for　was　easy　money；　absence　of　risk　and　effort；　and　sounding　platitudes　which　were　not　reduced　to　action。　We　have　so　acted　as　to　convince　other　nations　that　in　very　truth　we　are　too　proud　to　fight；　and　the　man　who　is　too　proud　to　fight　is　in　practice　always　treated　as　just　proud　enough　to　be　kicked。　We　have　held　our　peace　when　our　women　and　children　were　slain。　We　have　turned　away　our　eyes　from　the　sight　of　our　brother's　woe。

〃He　kept　us　out　of　war；〃　was　a　paradoxical　battle…cry　for　one　who　in　a　very　short　time　thereafter　wished　to　pose　as　the　winner　of　the　greatest　war　in　history。

But　the　battle…cry；　it　turned　out；　was　used　chiefly　for　political　purposes。　The　year　1916　was　a　Presidential　year　and　his　opponents　suspected　that　every　thing　President　Wilson　had　done　at　home　or　abroad　had　been　planned　by　him　with　a　view　to　the　effect　which　it　might　have　on　his　reelection。　Politicians　of　all　parties　saw　that　the　war　was　the　vital　question　to　be　decided　by　the　political　campaign。　For　the　Democrats；　Wilson　was；　of　course；　the　only　candidate；　but　the　Republicans　and　the　Progressives　had　their　own　schism　to　settle。　First　of　all；　they　must　attempt　to　reunite　and　to　present　a　candidate　whom　both　factions　would　support；　if　they　did　not；　the　catastrophe　of　1912　would　be　repeated；　and　Wilson　would　again　easily　win　against　two　warring　Progressive　and　Republican　candidates。　The　elections　in　194　showed　that　the　Progressive　Party　was　disintegrating。　Should　its　leaders　strive　now　to　revive　its　strength　or　should　they　bow　to　the　inevitable；　combine　with　the　Republicans　on　a　satisfactory　candidate；　and　urge　all　the　Progressives　as　a　patriotic　duty　to　support　him？

All　depended　on　Roosevelt's　decision。　After　reflection；　he　consented　to　run　for　nomination　by　the　Progressives。　It　soon　became　plain；　however；　that　the　Republicans　would　not　take　him　back。　The　Machine　did　not　want　him　on　any　terms：　many　of　the　Republicans　blinding　themselves　to　the　fact　that；　as　the　number　of　votes　cast　in　1912　proved；　Taft　and　not　he　had　split　the　Republican　Party；　held　Roosevelt　responsible　for　the　defeat　in　that　year。　One　heard　also　of　some　Republicans　who；　for　lack　of　a　better　reason；　opposed　Roosevelt　because；　they　said；　that　Roosevelt　having　put　Taft　into　the　Presidency；　ought　not　to　have　〃gone　back〃　on　him。　Yet　these　same　persons；　if　they　had　taken　a　partner　into　their　firm　to　carry　on　a　certain　policy；　and　had　found　him　pursuing　a　different　one；　would　hardly　have　argued　that　they　were　in　loyalty　bound　to　continue　to　support　this　partner　as　long　as　he　chose。　The　consideration　which　weighed　with　a　much　larger　number；　however；　was　that　Roosevelt　had　so　antagonized　the　German　vote　and　the　Pacifist　vote　and　all　the　other　anti…American　votes；　that　he　might　not　be　a　winning　candidate。　Accordingly；　the　Republicans　sought　for　somebody　who　would　please　everybody；　and　yet　would　have　enough　personal　strength　to　be　a　leader。　They　pitched　on　Charles　E。　Hughes；　former　Governor　of　New　York　State；　and　then　a　Justice　of　the　Supreme　Court　of　the　United　States。　The　unwisdom　of　going　to　the　Supreme　Bench　for　a　standard…bearer　was　immediately　apparent；　because　all　the　proprieties　prevented　justice　Hughes　from　expressing　any　opinion　on　politica