theodore roosevelt-第9节

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us　interests。　In　the　convention；　and　in　the　committee　meetings；　and　in　the　incessant　parleys　which　prepare　the　work　of　a　convention；　Roosevelt　fought　unwaveringly　against　Blaine。　The　better　element　made　Senator　George　F。　Edmunds　their　candidate；　and　Roosevelt　urged　his　nomination　on　all　comers。　When　the　convention　met；　Mr。　Lodge；　of　Massachusetts；　nominated　J。　R。　Lynch；　a　negro　from　Mississippi；　to　be　temporary　chairman；　thereby　heading　off　Powell　Clayton；　a　veteran　Republican　〃war…horse〃　and　office…holder。　Roosevelt　had　the　honorand　it　was　an　honor　for　so　young　a　manto　make　a　speech；　which　proved　to　be　effective；　in　Lynch's　behalf；　and　when　the　vote　was　taken；　Lynch　was　chosen　by　424　to　384。　This　first　victory　over　the　Blaine　Machine；　the　Edmunds　men　hailed　as　a　good　omen。

Roosevelt　was　chairman　of　the　New　York　State　delegation。　The　whirling　days　and　nights　at　Chicago　confirmed　his　position　as　a　national　figure；　but　he　strove　in　vain　in　behalf　of　honesty。　The　majority　of　the　delegates　would　not　be　gainsaid。　They　had　come　to　Chicago　resolved　to　elect　James　G。　Blaine；　and　no　other；　and　they　would　not　quit　until　they　had　accomplished　this。　Pleas　for　morality　and　for　party　concord　fell　on　deaf　ears；　as　did　warnings　of　the　comfort　which　Blaine's　nomination　would　give　to　their　enemies。　His　supporters　packed　the　great　convention　hall；　and　when　his　name　was　put　in　nomination；　there　followed　a　riot　of　cheers；　which　lasted　the　better　part　of　an　hour；　and　foreboded　his　success。

As　had　been　predicted；　Blaine's　nomination　split　the　Republican　Party。　Many　of　the　better　element　came　out　for　Grover　Cleveland；　the　Democratic　candidate；　who；　as　Governor　of　New　York；　had　displayed　unfailing　courage；　integrity；　and　intelligence。　Others　again；　disgusted　with　many　of　the　principles　and　leaders　of　both　parties；　formed　themselves　into　a　special　group　or　party　of　Independents。　They　were　hateful　alike　to　the　Bosses　who　controlled　the　Republican　or　Democratic　organization；　and　Charles　A。　Dana；　of　the　New　York　Sun；　who　took　care　never　to　be　〃on　the　side　of　the　angels；〃　derisively　dubbed　them　〃mugwumps〃a　title　which　may　carry　an　honorable　meaning　to　posterity。

I　was　one　of　these　Independents；　and　if　I　cite　my　own　case；　it　is　not　because　it　was　of　any　importance　to　the　public；　but　because　it　was　typical。　During　the　days　of　suspense　before　the　Chicago　Convention　met；　the　proposed　nomination　of　Blaine　weighed　upon　me　like　a　nightmare。　I　would　not　admit　to　myself　that　so　great　a　crime　against　American　ideals　could　be　committed　by　delegates　who　represented　the　standard　of　any　political　party；　and　were　drawn　from　all　over　the　country。　I　cherished；　what　seems　to　me　now　the　sadly　foolish　dream；　that　with　Roosevelt　in　the　convention　the　abomination　could　not　be　done。　I　thought　of　him　as　of　a　paladin　against　whom　the　forces　of　evil　would　dash　themselves　to　pieces。　I　thought　of　him　as　the　young　and　dauntless　spokesman　of　righteousness　whose　words　would　silence　the　special　pleaders　of　iniquity。　I　wrote　him　and　besought　him　to　stand　firm。

There　followed　the　days　of　suspense　when　the　newspapers　brought　news　of　the　wild　proceedings　at　the　convention；　and　for　me　the　shadow　deepened。　Then　the　telegraph　reported　Blaine's　triumphant　nomination。　I　waited；　we　all　waited；　to　learn　what　the　delegates　who　opposed　him　intended　to　do。　One　morning　a　dispatch　in　the　New　York　Tribune　announced　that　Roosevelt　would　not　bolt。　That　very　day　I　had　a　little　note　from　him　saying　that　he　had　done　his　best　in　Chicago；　that　the　result　sickened　him；　that　he　should；　however；　support　the　Republican　ticket；　but　he　intended　to　spend　most　of　the　summer　and　autumn　hunting　in　the　West。

I　was　dumfounded。　I　felt　as　Abolitionists　felt　after　Webster's　Seventh　of　March　speech。　My　old　acquaintance；　our　trusted　leader；　whose　career　in　the　New　York　Assembly　we　had　watched　with　an　almost　holy　satisfaction；　seemed　to　have　strangely　abandoned　the　fundamental　principles　which　we　and　he　had　believed　in；　and　he　had　so　nobly　upheld。　Whittier's　poem　〃Ichabod〃　seemed　to　have　been　aimed　at　him；　especially　in　its　third　stanza：

〃Oh；　dumb　be　passion's　stormy　rage；　When　he　who　might　Have　lighted　up　and　led　his　age；　Falls　back　in　night。〃

Amid　the　lurid　gleams　and　heat　of　such　a　disappointment；　men　cannot　see　clearly。　They　impute　wrong　motives；　base　motives；　to　the　backslider。　In　their　wrath；　they　assume　that　only　guilt　can　account　for　his　defection。

We　see　plainly　enough　now　that　we　misjudged　Roosevelt。　We　assumed　that　because　he　was　with　us　in　the　crusade　for　pure　politics；　he　agreed　with　us　in　the　estimate　we　put　on　party　loyalty。　Independents　and　mugwumps　felt　little　reverence　and　set　even　less　value　on　political　parties；　which　we　regarded　simply　as　instruments　to　be　used　in　carrying　out　policies。　If　a　party　pursued　a　policy　contrary　to　our　own；　we　left　it　as　we　should　leave　a　train　which　we　found　going　in　the　wrong　direction。　There　was　nothing　sacred　in　a　political　party。

In　assuming　that　Roosevelt　must　have　coincided　with　us　in　these　views；　we　did　him　wrong。　For　he　held　then；　and　had　held　since　he　first　entered　politics；　that　party　transcended　persons；　and　that　only　in　the　gravest　case　imaginable　was　one　justified　in　bolting　his　party　because　one　disapproved　of　its　candidate。　He　did　not　respect　Blaine；　on　the　contrary；　he　regarded　Blaine　as　a　bad　man：　but　he　believed　that　the　future　of　the　country　would　be　much　safer　under　the　control　of　the　Republican　Party　than　under　the　Democratic。　This　doctrine　exposes　its　adherents　to　obvious　criticism；　if　not　to　suspicion。　It　enables　persons　of　callous　consciences　to　support　bad　platforms　and　bad　candidates　without　blushing；　but　after　all；　who　shall　say　at　what　point　you　are　justified　in　bolting　your　party？　The　decision　must　rest　with　the　individual。　And　although　it　was　hard　for　the　bolting　Independents　in　1884　to　accept　the　tenet　that　party　transcends　persons；　it　was　Roosevelt's　reason；　and　with　him　sincere。　Some　of　his　colleagues　in　the　better　element　who　had　struggled　as　he　had　to　defeat　Blaine；　and　then；　almost　effusively；　exalted　Blaine　as　their　standard…bearer；　were　less　fortunate　than　he　in　having　their　sincerity　doubted。　George　William　Curtis；　Carl　Schurz；　Charles　Francis　Adams；　and　other　Independents　of　their　intransigent　temper　formed　a　Mugwump　Party　and　this　turned　the　scale　in　electing　Grover　Cleveland　President。

There　used　to　be　much　discussion　as　to　who　persuaded　Roosevelt；　although　he　detested　Blaine；　to　stand　by　the　Republicans　in　1884。　Those　were　the　days　when　very　few　of　his　critics　understood　that；　in　spite　of　his　youth；　he　had　already　thought　for　himself　on　politics　and　had　reached　certain　conclusions　as　to　fundamental　principles。　These　critics　assumed　that　he　must　have　been　won　over　by　Henry　Cabot　Lodge；　with　whom　he　had　been　intimate　since　his　Harvard　days；　and　who　was　supposed　to　be　his　political　mentor。　The　truth　is；　however；　that　Roosevelt　had　formed　his　own　opinion　about　bolting；　and　that　he　and　Lodge；　in　discussing　possibilities　before　they　went　to　the　Chicago　Convention；　had　independently　agreed　that　they　must　abide　by　the　choice　of　the　party　there。　They　held；　and　a　majority　of　men　in　similar　position　still　hold；　that　delegates　cannot　in　honor　abandon　the　nominee　chosen　by　the　majority　in　a　convention　which　they　attend　as　delegates。　If　the　rule；　〃My　man；　or　nobody；〃　were　to　prevail；　there　would　be　no　use　in　holding　conventions　at　all。　And　after　that　of　1884；　George　William　Curtis；　one　of　the　chief　leaders　of　the　Independents；　admitted　that　Roosevelt；　in　staying　with　the　Republican　Party；　played　the　game　fairly。　While　Curtis　himself　bolted　and　helped　to　organize　the　Mugwumps；　Roosevelt；　after　his　trip　to　the　West；　returned　to　New　York　and　took　a　vigorous　part　in　the　campaign。　Nevertheless；　Roosevelt's　decision；　in　1884；　to　cleave　to　the　Republican　Party　disappointed　many　of　us。　We　thought　of　him　as　a　lost　leader。　Some　critics　in　their　ignorance　were　inclined　to　impute　false　motives　to　him；　but　in　time；　the　cloud　of　suspicion　rolled　away　and　his　action　in　that　crisis　was　not　laid　up　against　him。　The　election　of　Cleveland　relieved　him　of　seeming　perfunctorily　to　uphold　Blaine。



CHAPTER　IV。　NATURE　THE　HEALER

A　perfect　biography　would　show　definitely　the　interaction　between　mind　and　body。　At　present　we　can　only　guess　what　this　interaction　may　be。　In　some　cases　the　relations　are　evident；　but　in　most　they　are　vague　and　often　unsuspected。　The　psychologists；　whose　pretensions　are　so　great　and　whose　actual　results　are　still　so　small；　may　perhaps　lead；　an　age　or　two　hence；　to　the　desired　knowledge。　But　the　biographer　of　today　must　beware　of　adopting　the　unripe　formulas　of　any　immature　science。　Nevertheless；　he　must　watch；　study；　and　record　all　the　facts　pertaining　to　his　subject；　although　he　cannot　explain　them。　Theodore　Roosevelt　was　a　wonderful　example　of　the　partnership　of　mind　and　body；　and　any　one　who　writes　his　biography　in　detail　will　do　well　to　pay　great　heed　to　this　intricate　interlocking。　I　can　do　no　more　than　allude　to　it　here。　We　have　seen　that　Roosevelt　from　his　earliest　days　had　a　quick　mind；　happily　not　precocious；　and　a　weak　body　which　prevented　him　from　taking　part　in　normal　physical　activity　and　the　play　and　sport　of