g THE SUXDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 21. 1909.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT a great
man or a sham? la ha a hero or a
humbug? Theaa ara tha questions
submitted to the readers of Tha Sunday
Oregonian for their answer.
There Is a cloud of witnesses to either
characterization. Mr. Jamea Bryca has
praised him as the greatest President
since Washington. Mr. Edward Harrl
man haa denounced him as the moat
dangerous man that ever occupied the
Presidential chair. Between these two
extremes all sorts of Intermediate shadea
of opinion have been expressed by friends
and foes. ,
What verbal compromise. If any, would
succinctly sum up his virtues and his
fallings?
Mr. Roosevelt's three most characteris
tic sayings are "the strenous life." "the
square deal- and the "big stlofc." His
admirers hold that he has embodied all
three before the world. Are they right
or wrong?
Concerning his strenuoslty there can be
no Question. He Is the most active, the
most energetic, the most forceful of all
our present-day statesmen. But are his
activities always directed Into proper
channels? Is his energy utilized or
wasted? Is hit force always or usually
exerted on the right aide?
Hae he given a aquara deal to his foes
as well as to his friends, given It alike
to the business man, the politician, the
private individual, the general public?
Haa he wielded the big atloK-to the
benefit of the countries and the peoples
under our patronage?
Of his personal popularity there can be
no more doubt than of his strenuoslty.
But Is the good feeling which he createa
born of unqualified admiration .and re
spect? Or Is there a burlesque side to his
character which appeals gratefully to our
aense of humor? In other words. Is the
Nation's darling a spoiled child?
. Or Is he a massive, many aided, full
grown man who Imposes himself upon us
by sheer force of hie Intellect, his vir
tues and his dominating personality?
OPINIONS OF
CRITICS
THE greatest President since Washing-ton.
James Bryce.-
Theodore Roosevelt has borne him
self well in the Presidential chair. He
has done his duty as he saw It. fear
lessly, wisely and Impartially. In so
doing; he has offended many million
aires, a legion of snobs and a multi
tude of fools. Boston Pilot.
I have seen two tremendous works
of nature. One Is Niagara Fnlls and
the other Is the President of the United
States, and I am not suro which Is
the more wonderful. John Morley.
-
Take Mr. Gladstone. Mr. Rhodes.
Lord Charles Beresford and John
Burns. Boll them down until you get
the residuum essence Into an Ameri
can Dutchman, and you have some
thing .like the new President 6f the
United States. English Review of Re
views. The American President Is by far
the most interesting personage In all
the world of the present day. Berlin
Deutsche Tases Zeitung.
The President has not. since he has
been In the Whltehouse. established
for himself a reputation for accuracy,
and this fact will put the public on
guard against a too precipitate con
demnation of those whom he accuses.
Baltimore Sun.
At this moment President Roosevelt
la probably the most Interesting po
litical figure In the world. London
Spectator (1902).
He la the true statesman of the 20th
century, and as such deserves well of
his country and of all parts of the
plol.e. Baron D'Estournelles de Con
stant. Here Is a President acting as a
benevolent despot, waiving the laws of.
the United States an it suits him and
when it suits him. Could personal rule,
executive usurpation and the utmost
possibilities of corrupt and Irresponsi
ble, dictatorship further go? Albany
Argus.
r
It Is Impossible to avoid the suspi
cion that In respect of certain peculi
arities of temper and language the
President is treated as more or less
of a Joke, shall we say. a laughing
stock? In 'Washington. Milwaukee
Sentinel.
President Roosevelt. in hunting
through various American jungles, .has
struck big game. But tho public likes
hint because he is not afraid of the
biggest of them and because he holds
his duty to the people paramount.
Troy Times.
' .
The country ha seen Presidents,
many of them, who have been out of
sympathy with the policies of their Con
gresses, but wo doubt whether the coun
try lias even seen a President, who, like
Mr. Roosevelt, has made himself so of
fensive to his legislative bodies. It Is a
pity. New Haven Journal-Courier.
That Theodore Roosevelt has abused
his office; that his natural qualities
have led to the most alarming and la
mentable consequences; that his un
bridled lust of sclf-aggrandlzcment and
love of publicity threaten the stability.
If ,iot the very existence, of the politi
cal structure In which he holds offlce
n ih., fpt do not Justify or ex
cuse the Congress of the United .States
In adding Its efforts to ni io nummm.
.1 v- uinvDlL without Its aid.
I n,.n...m I. h. . hero or . I f MA I H Tl Ij . J KfiTVtJ JTaSiSj ' Wfl tfJHl Z 0 ' " v M I
haa done all that is necessary to de-
fffMf "WE A HEEO OK A-MUMBU? tfl
III I 11 Uriii HSSIH mm-m mm-- , '
I'r'l fill I Mill MM K f E1-. I X H H CB :M W 3 IH&jaH H Wa"li BWHi. RnF H B W A 4 m A m. 111 1 It HIT
grade and dishonor the. American Na
tion. Now York Sun.
From Colfege Presi
dents and Professors
of History.
Dt
AVID STARR JORDAN, president of
:he Leland Stanford. Jr.. University
"Roosevelt will have a very high place
In American history, first, from his
strenuous efforts for tho conservation
of our domain and Its forests. Its ani
mals and Ms products: second, from the
high moral standards he has Incul
cated and carried Into practice; third,
because he has been personally Immune
to all questions of fear and favor:
fourth, he haa actually done things and
set a high standard "of activity, for
others; fifth, he has made mistakes
plenty of them and corrected most of
them, while other men would have
been hesitating for fear of being mis
understood. His Influence on posterity
will be large an clearly marked. He
Is a man who sees our political and
social life In times of action, and he
has done Just as much as many could
to set us to thinking right as a Na
tion, and to think right Is to act
right. Roosevelt l certainly one of
the great men of our time."
Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of
the University of California "You ask
whether Theodore Roosevelt Is really
a great President? The range of his
Intelligence and of his Intelligent Inter
ests certainly surpasses that of any
of his predecessors. His mind Is quick,
acquisitive, singularly retentive and
accurate. As an. Intellectual force he
ranks alone with Jefferson. In the ap- I
plication of moral discriminations -to
public life and the Inspiration of moral
enthusiasm regarding public duty he
may well prove to be the greatest
preacher and doer of political right
eousness that America has ever had.
National Irrigation, the Panama Canal,
the husbanding of National resources,
the- Russian-Japanese peace. all are
aggressive works that look towards'
greatness, while the setting of Govern
ment regulation to block the path of
Government ownership and the ad
vancement of his party Into a fore
ground where It could combat social
revolution have made htm In the larger
perspective the great conservative force
or his day. In a measure that is really
great he loves his country and Is not
afraid." .
Professor Henry Wade Rogers, dean
of the law department of Yale Univer
sity "It Is' usually exceedingly difficult
to undertake to predict at the time 'of
a statesman's retirement from office
Just what estimate history will ulti
mately place upon his services. The
opinion entertained of Mr. Cleveland by
his opponents at the time of his death
was quite different from that which
was entertained by them when he left
the White House. The Judgment placed
on Andrew Johnson now is not at all
that of the majority of the people at
the time of his retirement.. The fact
that a man Is exceedingly popular with
the people when he leaves the Presi
dency cannot be accepted as any cer
tain guaranty that history will assign
him any very high place among states
men. That Is as true as tho fact that
a man's unpopularity at the time he
leaves the Presidency Is no guaranty
that history will not assign him a very
hlghplace and regard Mm as a really
great President.
"Of one thing I think we can bo as
sured. History will, in my opinion, re-a-arrt
Mr. Roosevelt as the most law
less President wc have ever had In the
United States. He has had apparently
very little-respect for any authority ei-
eent his own. That Is a very grave
defect of character In any public offi
cial, and especially In a President. His
criticism of Iho courts has been rre
qfuent and shocking, and he has been
apparently' entirely oblivious to the
fact that the Judiciary constitutes a
co-ordinate department of the Govern
ment, and as such not within his prov
ince. To undermine the connoctice or
the neoole in the Judlcrary is one of
tho most dangerous and reprehensible
things a public man can do. ana again
and se-ain and again he lias assailed
the Judiciary, and without reason. He
deserves, and In my orinion will re
ceive tho severe censure of history for
his lawlessness and his lack of respect
for the courts of this country.
"While he is deserving credit for
Bomo things, I think that when history
carefully sums up the results ot nis
administration It. will not give him a
place among the really great Presi
dents of the United States. That lie
is a remarkable man Is not to be denied.
We have had no President like him. and
probably will not have for a hundred
years to come."
James Walter Crook, professor of po
litical economy. Amherst College. I am
Inclined to think that Roosevelt's place
In history Is that of being one of the
reconstructors of our American democ
racy. In the system of competition in busi
ness the Anglo-Saxons are allowed
more freedom than is best, and Roose
velt's function' has been to call atten
tion to the social Interests. It some
times has been forgotten. "
Posterity will forget his weaknesses.
COLLEGE PBE$SDEmr
Mi mMHw ill
1 " I Ww '''' "' "wH if! '
which perhaps are connected with Im
pulsiveness. It will forget all this and
wllj remember his straightforward ac
tion In the interests of the whole peo
ple and accord him a place among the
lAnrer-mlnded men of the republic. I
do not mean by this that he will be J
looked upon as greater than Washing
ton or Lincoln, but that he will take
rank with any of the others.
- George- Harris, D. I.. president of
Amherst College. I am an admirer of
President Roosevelt a great admirer
of him and If I were going to answer
either of these questions I would wish
to do the subject full Justice. Both are
questions that would entail consider
able thought. The President is a great
executive. There can be no doubt of
that. I look upon myself as being en
thusiastic concerning what he has ac
complished. His place in history well.
It will bo a high one, I am sure. How
will posterity view him? Of that I
cannot say. I believe posterity will do
him full Justice at least.
v
Thomas Nixon Carver, Ph. LL. D.,
professor of political economy of Har
vard University. I should regard Pres
ident Roosevelt as tho noisiest presi
dent we have ever had. I am somewhat
different from others In my Ideas re
garding Just what place In history he
will hold. In fact, I do'n't think that. I
would be able to answer that question
at all. I will say that I think him .to
be one of the greatest Presidents. I
do not. however, think him the great
estno. he Is not that. To my mind
he will be given In posterity something
about the same plane as Andrew Jack
son. Jackson and Roosevelt are some
what similar. Beyond what I have said
I do not think I could make any fur
ther prophecy.
' .
Professor H. J. Ford, of the politics
department of Princeton Roosevelt did
a great deal to facilitate the develop
ment of the Presidential office as the
chief -representative of the people. He
did not Initiate the conception of the
Presidency as a' representative Institu
tion. That was a question at Issue be
tween the Whigs and the Democrats,
and President Polk was' the first ex
PEFE5It OF HI
ecutive to distinctly announce a doc
trine that the President represented
the Nation as a whole and Is the only
branch of the Government that does.
Congress represents localities and spe
cial Interests. &
"President Roosevelt has done more
to give beneficial power to this doc
trine than any of his predecessors.
however. Hia administration will un
doubtedly be accredited with great con
stitutional Importance and will shine
In history as the most powerful move
ment ever made up to his time to in
fuse a democratic character Into the
conduct of government and to bring
the course of legislation under the con
trol of public opinion. Although It Is
hard to predict what place posterity
will ajisls-n him. there Is no doubt In
my mind that the President is a great
man In every sense or mo wora. ma
,uiiani of neech and action are char
acteristic of great men, and one might
almost say that they are a necessary
contingent upon gre.tnefc3 In the field
of politics. The petty, spiteful actions
of the Congress, whose successors hare
n.lradv been elected and which is in
reality no longer entitled to office, are
more than reprehensible, and merely
the mean, narrow revenge of a body
whose corruption hae been revealed."
Frederick Lincoln Thompson, profes
sor of history at Amherst I cannot
answer either of the questions. The
fact Is I try to leach my students his
tory and never attempt to Indulge in
prophecy. Therefore I hesitate, in fact
will not attempt to place -Mr. Roose
velt In history or venture an opinion
as to how he may be regarded in fu
ture years.
R. II. McEIroy. professor of history
In Princeton "There Is no denying the
foremost rank that Roosevelt's admin
istration will attain in history, but
whether this is due to the President's
personal ability or merely to force of
circumstances and to the excellence of
his advisers Secretaries Hay and Root
Is a question in my mind. We are
not In a position at present to censure
Roosevelt. It will probably be many
years before the, public will be In pos
session of the true facts of the case In
the recent unpleasantness, and not un
til then ran he be assigned to his prop
er place In history. His administration
Is conspicuous because of tho number
of affairs of world-wide Interest and
Importance that have been consum
mated in tho last seven years, but any
prophecy s to the enduring greatness
of Roosevelt the man Is likely to be
contradicted by the verdict of the next
operation. Too many men conspicu
ous in their time have been relegated
to oblivion In 40 or 50 years for me to
venture a prediction as to Roosevelt's
lasting greatness."
TV. M. Daniels, professor of political
Economy of Prlncctoiv "Roosevelt will
probably be known best In American
hlutnrv an one who magnified tne pow
ers and activities of the Presidential
office, perhaps as one who began what
seems to be a salutary movement In the
direction of organising the political
chaos which our irresponsible system of
dark-lantern legislation has created In
state and Nation. Perhaps next in im
portance Is his inauguration of an eco
nomic DOllcy which has brought large
corporate interests to feel themselves
subject to the law of the land. for
these reforms' an Important place In
history Is assured him."
Chancellor Avery, of the University
of Nebraska "I believe that In the
future history of our country President
Roosevelt's administration will be re
garded as one of the most notable of
the administrations not connected with
any great crisis. Hia name will be as
sociated with the successful beginning
of the great work at Panama, the peace
of Portsmouth, the passage of a Na
tional pure food law. the reclamation
projects of the arid West and a gen
eral awakening in the country for civic
righteousness. His successful efforts
to promote efficiency In the Army and
Navy will receive honorable mention,
and his forcefulness of character and
honesty of purpose will be universally
conceded.
"It will bo noted, however, that in his
efforts to accomplish what he regarded
as necessary for the public welfare he
did not always show the consideration
due to the collateral branches of the
SIOUX
Federal Government, and that he left
the legacy of expensive methods In tho
administration of government to em
barrass his successors. It will bo re
..ttA that he did not at times show
a calmer judgment In dealing with in
dividuals. Like the present uerma-n
Emperor, he will bo remembered In his
tory as one of the striking figures of
our time.".
...
Dr. Paul R. Van Dyke, professor of
history in Princeton "o man a p.u.i.t.
i u.tnrv ran be estimated until a
sufficient time has elapsed to give per
spective."
. .
w n. L Tavlor. professor of political
economy and commerce. University of
Nebraska. "Roosevelt Is not only a
great man, but the greatest President
of the United States since Washington.
A great man Is not necessarily inn
intellectual genius, but he must possess
transcendent capacity. Including In that
term the power to influencemen. Fo
20 years he has engaged the attention
and influenced the action of the Amer
ican people with ever growing effect.
ri-it,r the latter part of that time
he has had as a political opponent W.
J. Bryan, the greatest popular orator
the world has yet seen. Roosevelt has
substituted honesty for dishonesty In
nniiiin direction for Indirection in di
plomacy. He has curbed the trusts and
ra,nmi business: he has actually ac
complished more than ever before In
the way of raising the general moral
tone.
"He has disappointed ell the prophets
nf evil: he haa not Involved us In war.
but given us a voice among nations.
tt has earned the 111 will of Colonel
XI ,o.r a nrl rtt all thOSB WtlO tlrO Of
hearlne Aristldes called 'The Just.'
"A slander, dellcato boy, his doctrine
onorrlom has shown that a will un
hampered by squeamlshness and fear
can make the mind and body strong
and rule a nation.
Professor Irving Fisher, of Yale "I
believe that President Roosevelt will
go down in history as one of our great
Presidents. Undoubtedly he has his
faults, and they are uppermost in the
minds of a great many people, and un
doubtedly he has made mistakes which
ho probably will.be the first to recog
nize. But one of the very reasons I
admire him Is because he Is not de
terred from going ahefcd because of the
mistakes he may make. This Is a time
when rapid action 18 needed and a pol
icy of overcautious dealing Is apt to
do moro permanent damage than tho
Rooseveltlan policy, which has been
moro or less Justly accused of being
haety.
"It seems to me that the harm Presi
dent Roosevelt may have done is very
rn.uch less than that which he has been
accused of doing. For Instance, the
panic of last year was fastened on Mr.
Roosevelt by many persons who do not
understand tho financial and monetary
causes which made It Inevitable sooner
or later.
"Wo all ought to admire President
Roosevelt for tho possession of those
simple aud yet rare qualities of cour
age and Integrity of purpose. These
alone atone for a multitude of sins.
The ordinary politician is timid and
Inclined to be more or less warped
and controlled by selfish and under
ground Influences."
"The reason Mr. Roosevelt appeals so
to the average American is his Im
mense vitality and his willingness and
his desire to do his work in plain sight.
He has gra-iped and has utilized per
haps more, than any previous President'
the iinmfcnso power of an aroused pub
lic opinion. Ho has been criticised for
doing things with so loud a noise, but
usually that is tha only way espe
cially In politics to do things effect
ively. For instance, he could not have
cleaned up the slaughterhouses of Chi
cago In the quiot way which many
people believe he should have tried.
Instead he brought the packinghouse
firms to terms by touching them In
their one vulnerable point, the public
demand for their product. In no other
way could the danger to the public
from diseased meats have been so ef
fectively leadened.
"The chief service that Mr. Roosevelt
has performed has been to arouse the
public conscience. Nobody couH pre
tend tht he has settled the evils of
monopoly, of which he has made so
much In his administration, and I do
not think that his methods of legal
regulation are apt to prove of real
va 1 lie. while they have In them the
danger of power to oo a good deal of
evli with the good. Tho chler evil or
wpecial interests and special favor, of
which Mr. Roosevelt has complained
ill regard to the trusts, is far more
conspicuous ami far more remediable
in the case of the tariff. Under guise
of the. theory of protection the tariff
has been used as a means of giving
special favors or. of obtaining special
privileges. If the same aroused sense
of Justice and fair dealing can be ap
plied by Mr. Roosevelt to tho trust
question we may possibly obtain In the
end some permanent relief from politi
cal domination of special Interests.
Perhaps the most conspicuous omis
sion of a public question in Mr. Roose
velt's administration hus been the .cur
rency question. Nothing has been 'done
to simplify and strengthen our anomal
ous and complicated currency system.
for Instance by the elimination of the
greenback, the reduction in tho quan
tity and convertibility into gold of .
the silver dollar. the( creation of an
elastic bank currency "and the divorce
of bank notes from the Government
debt. At present we cannot pay the
National debt without abolition of
bank notes. But the worst evil of our
currency system is one which all gold-
using nations are having, ana this i
the 'depreciation of the monetary stund-
ard which was at the bottom of our
panic and will have in the next 10
ars more effect in perverting the at
tribution of wealth than all the trusts
or than any other one cause.
Those nearest to Mr. Roosevelt rec
ognize his greatness. He gives many
handles for criticism, but he is unwill
ing to run away from criticism wnen
he has a purpose to carry out.
Personally I have taken great satis
faction In that Mr. Roosevelt has taken
up the public health movement. This
Is really a part, as he said In his speech
last May at tho White House, of the
conservation of the "National efficiency.
the other part being the conservation
of the National resources. He has pre
pared the ground for Mr. Taft to create
In tho Department of the Interior, oy
reconstructing It. a great and effi
cient department of education, through
which hundreds of thousands ot need
less deaths and great waste of human
productivity can be avoided. Mr. Gar,-
field lias himself recommended In his
reports the elimination of the bureaus
In that department which do not belong
there and the Inclusion of others that
do belong there.
Professor Jeremiah W. Jenks. pro
fessor of political economy at Cornell
University. It Is never safe to predlot
a man's place In history, but there can
be little question that President Roose
velt's place among American statesmen
will be a high one. He came to the
Presidency at a time ripe for a leader
of the people. He has understood their
feelings, their aspirations, their preju
dices even better than others, and in
consequence he has been able to ad
vance reform movements. He haa con
tributed more than any other man to
the moral awakening of the American
people In methods of business and of
politics. Even In International politics,
with the able assistance of Secretaries
Hay and Root, he has made this moral
Influence felt. This moral uplift gtven
by the first citixen of the republic to
his fellow citizens, especially to young
men, Is a greater social and political
service than any specific political act,
but his policies will also prove fruitful.
The control of corporations, the build
ing of the Panama canal, the establish
ment of future peace by arbitration
treaties, as well as by a strong navy,
the uplift of the farming population,
the conservation of our National re
sources, the advancement of the civil
service, tho promotion of young ener
getic men on merit, are all policies that
make for good to posterity.
The Life of Roosevelt
Recorded in Para
graphs. TH1
ii
HEODORK ROOSEVELT wa born
New York City, October JT.
1S68. tho second son of Theodore Roose
velt. Sr., a merchant and philanthropist.
He prepared for college under a
tutor and was graduated from Harvard
College In 1880. In the f;amo year lie
married and mule a trip to Europe.
In 1S8I lie published his first book,
"The Naval War of 1812." which v.i3
well received.
Meanwhile he wa studying law, but
"he abandoned It for politics, and In the
Autumn of 1881 he was elected to the
New York Legislature as a Republican
and a champion of civil service reform,
serving continuously until 1884.
In the session of 1883 he was Re
publican caiidhlate for the Speaker
ship against a ijcinocratlc majority, and
in 1884 was chairman of the committee
onritles and of the special committee
which Investigated abuses in the mu
nicipal administration of New York.
.In 1S84 he attended the National Re
publican Convention at Chicago as
chairman of the New York delegation,
lie supported Senator Edmunds for the
Presidential nomination. but when
Blame was nominated entered actively
in the campaign in his behalf.
P'or two years (1884-86) he lived on
u. ranch ho had purchased in North Da
kota, studying the people and hunting-
In 18SS lie publlslied " Hunting Trips
of a Ranchman."
In 1SS3 lie ran for Mayor of New
York as an Independent Republican, but
was defeated by the Democratic candi
date, Abram S. Hewitt.
In May. 1S8J, President Harrison ap
pointed him a memhir of the United
States Civil Service Commission. After
making a record for strenuous devotion
to the principles to which lie had early
pledged himself, he resigned April 6.
189". to become Assistant Secretary ol
the Navy.
on the declaration or ivai with Spain
he left the Navy Department to organ
ize with Dr. Leonard Wood, an Army
surgeon, the Klrst I'nited States Vol
unteer Cavalry, popularly known as
Roosevelt's Rough Rider. Dr. Wood
became Colonel and Mr. Roosevelt Lieutenant-Colonel.
Fur gallantry In the
action at Lus (luaslmas tho latter was
promoted to Colonel.
Ih November. IS58. lie was elected
Governor of the State of New York by
a plurality of 18.070. He instituted an
Investigation Into alleged frauds in the
state canal system and favored the en
actment of th'e Ford franchise la.w,
providing for the taxation of corpora-
. (Concluded on Taie 6 )