The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 1909. AMERICA AND HER EXPRESIDENTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 1909. AMERICA AND HER EXPRESIDENTS.

America is agitated over a'new problom. There tho people arc anxiously asking each other "What shall we do with our ex-Presidents 1" The discussion Would not perhaps have begun had it not bco'n that The Outlook, a New York weekly bf groat power:and dignity, was enterprising enough to secure Mk. Roosevelt's services' as .associate-editor at a very large salary.' That the public will 'benefit as largely as The Outlook by this interesting appointment is questioned bynobody, since Mr.' Roobevew'S reputation as a writer upon certain questions is not inferior, .to his reputation as a statesman. But the :New York World, which has alwayaoppoaad tho President, was dissatie* fled with such a sequel to Me. Roosevelt's,

political fcftreer, and in an editorial which has everywhere attracted much attention ~and desorvodly so, since it is written with great vigour and ability—urged that all retiring Presidents should be elevated to tho Senato and allowed a pension of £5000 a year. The World contonds thafc the dignity of the Presidential offico is shockingly lowered when the President can be thrust into private life at tho end of hiß term to shift for, himself. "It is not seemly that a Quant should lend his name to a firm of Wall Street gamblers, or that a Cleveland should be compelled to accept a Evan sinecure, or that a Harrison should have to appear boforo the Supreme Court to argue that a street railway company franchise is perpetual." Ab to the Outlook's hit.in obtaining Mr. Roosevelt's services, the World observes that it in not proper "that even so virtuous a jv jrnal as iha Oullook should be able to / Apitaliso a President's prestige and pojii;'iHty and use him to advortise its businbttJ four months in advance of his retirement, from the White House. Tho President is tho one constitutional officer. in:i the American Government' who is the representative of all the people, and after his term has expired his influence and experience should be retained by the people in the interest of the general welfare. Least of all should ho be exploited like a patent llyitr: pill, or a new : skin soap." This is the argument from national dig-: nity, but tho strongest argumont put forward by the World is the argument from national interests. ''Any man Who has been President,", it points out, "has gained an experience that is; invaluablo to the nation, and should not bo lost. Ho has a knowledge of foreign relations which is- of tho utmost importance to tho Senato in the consideration of treaties. His familiarity with : all the ; administrative Departments makes him a voritable cyclopedia of information in regard to many questions of legislation.: Whether his own policies'be good or bad, whether his judgment be sound or weak, his cxporionco ia the White House is a great national asset which the American; people, should have tho benefit of." SincA there is' practically nobody .who ■is not interested;in Mr. Roosevelt, the American discusson of his position spread to England. The British mind naturally favours such a treatment of tho President as would imply'that the chief citizen and real ruler of a great nation should not bo permitted to shit to public nothingness. Such a doctrine is of course abhorrent to tho Republican, who has eonvinccd himself or who. at any rate tries to believe and publicly testifies, that .' the .' man for him is Gincinnatcs. It is a barren and innutritious creed,• but it endures; perhaps lit has endured because,'; although every American is full of doubt, about the value of tho Republican . doctrine, no American likes to let his 1 fellows suppose that ha is anything hut genuine old hickory. Tho London Times any therefore: find no public .approval■ in America) for its vi6w that' It does not.''comport with tho dignity of a great and wealthy nation ; that a man selected by its suffrage to ,1111 tho highest-offlflb in 'its bestowal ( to deal with' all its most important interests, and to represent it In tho oyes of the world, should simply bo dropped at the end of four years with as little ceremony as if, he were o tide waiter," ' The Spectator marshals many argnmeilts itt support of tho World's suggestion.' Although Mil. Roosevelt would excel at anything : from cow-punching to managing a; university —ho has ,don 6 nearly/everything..between,! these extremes---all. PMsldehts would 1 not bo equally well-equipped to succeed in .privato life in thoif later years, .in Mil. Roosevelt's case,' it can bo further urged 1 that an resident cannot write: as a loading journalist without having an authority which no journalist aB a journalist can profitably, assume. Mr. Tast, itls I pointed out,, could hardly bo ,tho epokesi man of the Roosevelt policy while, Hit. i Roosevelt wrote weekly in the columns <oi tha Outlioh The situation will be ■■ a delicate one. For example, if Sm'Joseph Ward had a Ward policy, and wore to rotiro from politics and leave Me. M'Qowan to carry on tho Ward policy, it would be a most trying position for Me. M'Gowan if. Sin : Jobeph were. in his.;retirement.to bficomo the editor of The Dominion. The Spectator repeats the World's argument that the relegation of Mr. Roosevelt to privato life will mean the loss of a great national asset, but. the main point of the controversy is touched, and the whole position summarised,: in the observation that "Mr. Roosevelt is too big a man to bo a journalist or a lawyer, or indeed any, sort of privato person," In Amorica, ono •or two nowspapors have been prompt to deolara that the; Outlook is owned or controlled by a trust magnate, but this has been shown to be untrue, and Mr. Roosevelt himself has said that ho will bo responsible only for his own contributions to tho paper. The chiof interest to us m this interesting business is tho ovidence furnished by the World'& article—which, of course, expresses the views of a large section, of tho American public—that the monarchical instinot is not dead in the United States. Cxnoinkatus is no longer tho Only model of virtue Republicans.