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The Commoner.
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 3a
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President. Roosevelt is a: Republican
It has so come about that honesty is. con
sidered more or less a rolative quality. In an
liprlght man personal honesty Is not meroly a
virtue, but a part of his character and without
which ho Is undone, destroyed. It is no com
pliment to an honorable man to say that he Is
not a thief; that ho should not bo in prison;
and yet, that Is all that being honest means.
If ho bo not honest, ho Is a thief and should be
in prison. Other distinctions are not made by
honest- men.
But tho present age, or, rather, method
of men, and that more particularly allied with
our commercial instincts and system, has quali
fied 'tho term honesty with a meaning synony
mous with any financial success in which posi
tive and criminal dishonesty is , not detected.
Thus Marshall Field was hold up to tho admira
tion of men until, after his death, it was ascer
tained that he had dishonestly and falsely re
turned his property for assessment to avoid the
payment of his honest taxes.
Untruth and successful financial dishonesty,
bo far as the world is concerned, do not wreck
a man's character, b, add a qualified feature
that begets laudation. Thus, when we would
odayt speak of a man's honesty, we must give
it rolation to a particular subject.
A few, however, are left to whom arid rep
specting whom the old definition of honesty will
over remain. To speak of the honesty of- Theo
dore Roosevelt in this old fashioned Bense would
be insulting, hence when we take up the ques
tion of his honesty we must do so with a direct
application of present day methods and asso
ciate the question with a definite- subject.
Therefore, politically, is Theodore Roose
yolt honest? '
';' Passing over the first years of Mb presi
dency as those spent in finishing, as it were,
the McKinley administration, 'We confine ttie in
quiry to his own term, beginning after his elec
tion in 1904.
His attempts during all the years of his
presidency to enforce the laws and to secure
the enactment of statutes that would enable
Mm to punish wrongdoers have been constantly
And successfully opposed. - Ills every effort in
behalf of tho people and tho country has been
defeated by dishonorable political methods that
tfere directly traceable to party purpose, and"
organization, and leadership. His every utter
ance along any and all lines of retrenchment
or, extravagance or other reform in the public
service has been scouted and ridiculed by the
political olomont that has had the legislative
power to thwart his purposes. His every project
looking to a conservation of the peoples' rights
or welfare has been estopped or nullified. Every
prospectively effective law desired by him or the
pcoplo has been amended to worthlessness. His
purposes he has declarod and made known, only
to prompt preparation to meet and overcome
them.
And yet he has unwaveringly and firmly
stood by evory political influence, power and
porson that and who has opposed, obstructed,
side-tracked, interfered with, checked, over
come, thwarted, defeated and destroyed tho pro
jects and purposes of .his administration!
What opposed his "forest reserve policy"
whereby he would preserve the timber of the
forests of the west and northwest from the'
thieves and speculators whose great fortunes
and largo profits have been and are beinK de-
landCyrm th Btealine of tlmbor from Public
His party!
What has opposed his "public land policy"
whereby he would preserve for- the actual hon
est settler tho public lands of the west, from
timber, land, oil, coal and mineral thievery that
has been in unchecked operation for years?
His party! ,,
What opposed his appeal for ah appropria
tion to enable him to hunt down the public
land frauds? 7
"His. party! ' . ' Jte '', , . lw
What (per Mondell amendment prevented
his use of any appropriated- funds, for tho pre
vention, discovery or punishment of land frauds,
and compelled him 'to, dlstrustingly anticipate
opdsltion by congress and withdraw from entry
the forests and public lands that the railroads
and other corporate and individual privilege's
of the public domain had their speculative eyes
upon?
His party!
What, immediately thereafter (and follow
ing a storm of indignation on the. part of the
prospective thieves and their worthy represent
atives in congress) took from the' president the
right to withdraw from entry the forests and
public lands that the plunderers wished to spec
ulate in?
His party!
What has constantly opposed and now op
poses his policy to withhold from the western
railroads and th$ir eastern exploiters and con
stituent organizations the control of practically
all of the coal lands in the Rocky Mountains?
His party U.
What supports the organized press bureaus
and newspaper opposition to his attempts to
check the illegal conduct of the trusts?
His party!
"What stands for the monopoly class?
His party!
What is responsible for the conditions that
permitted the accumulation of such unearned
fortunes as those of the Rockefellers, Carnegie,
Hill, Harriman, Rogers and men of their char
acter and dishonorable methods? K
His party!
What could have prevented such- niethods
and has not?
His party!
What has sought to prevent his every ef
fort to secure an equal standing r before the
courts of the land of. the private, citizen and
the rich corporation? ' "
His pary!
What haS stood for the longest h'our.s of
service and lowest wages, of labor? '
His party!
What has refused to declare for legal in
terpretation the three conclusive and exclusive
purposes for which an injunction may issue?
His party?
What stands for judicial legislation?
His party?
What, in every Instance where the claims
of the rights of tho people have clashed with
those of organized wealth, has sided with the
latter and against the former, contrary to his
earnest efforts in behalf of the former?
His party!
What has held up the high tariff on the
plea of its aid to American labor, and then held
labor down and deprived it of the benefit?
His party?
What most bitterly denounces his policy of
opposition to the issue of "printing press" rail
road stock and his protection of the public? .
His party!
What, for seventeen years, refused the peo
ple relief from poisoned foods and medicines
and opposed every effort to compel manufactur
ers of food stuffs and medicines to keep poison
out of their goods? ;
His party!
What opposed the pure food law and en
deavored to continue the right to poison food
products?
His party!
What did "Uncle Joe" represent when Tie
kept his foot upon pure food legislation?
His party!
What has stood by "Uncle Joe" in his
friendship for the "system?"
His party!
What, when President Roosevelt interfered,
"played horse" with him and the "poor food'
law and amended it to worthlessness?
His party!
What intended, under "Uncle Joe's" guid
ance, that such legislation should be worthless?
His party!
Whatuphold the beef trust in Its untruth
ful, dishonest and corrupt and corrupting meth
ods in its dealings with the government?
His party!
What gave the beef trust a "whitewash"
and an "immunity hath?" '
His party! ' ''
. t What gave tho heef trust a '"'clean bill of
health" for every bone arid shred of meat "it
issues without the least power in the govern
ment to prevent it frorii selling the people im
pure meats? "
His party!
What so amended Senator Beveridge'g
amendment affecting" the ' products of the beef
trust that the statute is. nothing more than a
government endorsement of such products?
His party!
What is responsible for. conditions that
have made E. H. Harrima'n's methods possible?,
' His party!
What is responsible , for creating in tho
mind of young America the desire for dishon
orably acquired wealth?"
His party!
What has given to the world the opinion
that our business methods are disreputable and
that 'we are corrupt? -
His party! . j
What considers honest men like himself
an interfering and hindering nuisance, because
they will not subscribe to the methods of a
Belmont, a Ryan or a Morgan or Harriman?
His party!
What has stood constantly in the path ofl
and prevented any relief legislation for the peo
ple, that steel truBtfortunes may be augmented?!
His party!
What is responsible for tho fact that Amer
ican manufacturers are sold cheaper in foreign
countries than here at home?
His party!
'' What has denied it "with conscious knowl
edge of its being true? '
- His party! '
What has sustained the combination of
railroads and other corporate influences until
they hold the law in contempt and are said
to control the courts?
'His party!
- What opposed him in the settlement of tho
coal strike, several years- ago, and : sustained
Mr. Baer when he insulted the president in the
vulgar attempt, evidently, to provoke' him to re
sentment? , v , .. '
His party! ', ,1 -
What has most hindered his, effort in tho
prosecution of railroads and others "for viola
tions of the rebate law?
His party!
What most interfered with his purpose to
prosecute the Standard Oil arid laughs at any
idea that, a judgment against, it will be sustained
on appeal; or that, if sustained, there will be
any running amuck the owners of political
funds?
His party!
, What has given life and' encouragement to
every .predatory organization that .the law now,
threatens and the people condemn? .
His party!
What stands for money as against man?
His party!
What is opposed to him in .'congress?
His party!
What sustains the railroad combine in its
war upon and to delay the construction of the
Panama canal?
His party!
What vulgarly, through a subsidized press,
anticipates that the supreme court will stultify
itself -at the demands of expediency or tho
-exigencies of party politics?
His party!
Wherefore, does not Theodore Roosevelt,
as a party man, fail to represent. the republican
party?
If yes, is Theodore Roosevelt an1 honest
man in proclaiming himself a republican in faco
of the facts that his party had been in absolute
control of every department of the government
during the entire time of his presidency; that
his labors have been constant in behalf of the
people; and that he has accomplished absolutely
nothing' to relieve or benefit the people because
of the chicanery and opposition of the repub
lican party? As his greatest and only success
ful opposition has come from the republican
party the question remains: What party does
Theodore Roosevelt represent as between the re
publican party that has constantly and effective
ly opposed him, and the democratic party that
opposed him at the polls but has, by vjrtue of
the integrity of its principles, stood ty and sup
ported him in whatever he has advqeate'd that
was for the good and well being of th?. people?
Is Theodore Roosevelt a member in good
standing of the party of whim "Uncle Joe" 1
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