theodore roosevelt-第69章

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l　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　political　subjects　until　he　resigned　from　the　Court。　Hence；　it　followed　that　no　great　enthusiasm　could　be　aroused　over　his　candidacy　for　nomination　since　nobody　knew　what　his　policy　would　be。

The　Progressives　held　their　Convention　in　Chicago　on　June　5th；　the　same　day　that　the　Republicans　met　there。　Some　of　the　original；　Simon…Pure　Progressives　disapproved　of　this　collusion；　declaring　that　it　represented　a　〃deal；〃　and　that　the　Progressive　Party；　which　had　come　into　existence　as　a　rebuke　of　Machine　politics；　ought　never　to　soil　itself　by　entering　into　a　〃deal。〃　Nevertheless；　the　will　of　the　more　worldly…minded　prevailed；　and　they　probably　thought　that　there　would　be　a　better　chance　to　have　the　Republicans　nominate　Roosevelt　if　he　were　already　the　nominee　of　the　Progressives。　But　they　were　disappointed。　They　nominated　Roosevelt　and　the　Republicans　Justice　Hughes。　Suspense　followed　as　to　whether　Roosevelt；　by　accepting；　would　oblige　the　Progressives　to　organize　another　campaign。　He　sent　only　a　conditional　acceptance　to　the　Progressive　Committee　and；　a　few　days　later；　he　announced　publicly　that　he　would　support　justice　Hughes；　because　he　regarded　the　defeat　of　Wilson　as　the　most　vital　object　before　the　American　people。　I　find　among　my　correspondence　from　him　a　reply　to　a　letter　of　mine　in　which　I　had　quite　needlessly　urged　this　action　upon　him。　I　quote　this　passage　because　it　epitomizes　what　might　be　expanded　over　many　pages。　The　letter　is　dated　June　16；　1916：

I　agree　entirely　with　you。　I　shall　do　all　I　can　for　Mr。　Hughes。　But　don't　forget　that　Mr。　Hughes　alone　can　make　it　possible　for　me　to　be　efficient　in　his　behalf。　If　he　merely　speaks　like　Mr。　Wilson；　only　a　little　more　weakly；　he　will　rob　my　support　of　its　effectiveness。　Speeches　such　as　those　of　mine；　to　which　you　kindly　allude；　have　their　merit　only　if　delivered　for　a　man　who　is　himself　speaking　uncompromisingly　and　without　equivocation。　I　have　just　sent　word　to　Hughes　through　one　of　our　big　New　York　financiers　to　make　a　smashing　attack　on　Wilson　for　his　actions；　and　to　do　it　immediately；　in　connection　with　this　Democratic　Nominating　Convention。　Wilson　was　afraid　of　me。　He　never　dared　answer　me；　but　if　Hughes　lets　him；　he　will　proceed　to　take　the　offensive　against　Hughes。　I　shall　do　everything　I　can　for　him；　but　don't　forget　that　the　efficiency　of　what　I　do　must　largely　depend　upon　Hughes。

Roosevelt　was　as　good　as　his　word；　and　made　four　or　five　powerful　speeches　in　behalf　of　Mr。　Hughes；　speeches　which　gave　a　sharper　edge　to　the　Republicans'　fight。　But　their　campaign　was　obviously　mismanaged。　They　put　their　candidate　to　the　torture　of　making　two　transcontinental　journeys；　in　which　he　had　to　speak　incessantly；　and　they　warned　him　against　uttering　any　downright　criticism　of　the　anti…American　throng；　whose　numbers　being　unknown　were　feared。　President　Wilson；　on　the　other　hand；　unexpectedly　flared　up　in　a　retort　which　doubtless　won　votes　for　him。　Jeremiah　O'Leary；　an　Irish　agitator　in　relations　with　the　German　propagandists；　tried　to　catch　Mr。　Wilson　in　a　pro…British