The Daily News. TUESDAY, MAY 17. THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 391, 17 May 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MAY 17. THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

Theodore Roosevelt, ex-President ol the United States of America, is one of the most compelling figures of modern times. He is t/he master of his own destiny, and his convictions are so strong that he is capable of forming the destiny of countries. To use an expressive Americanism, he frequently "butts' in" almost without, invitation. He cannot help fighting, and when he meetsi a foeman worthy of -his steel lie must do battle. His organ of "destnuctiveness" is so 'large that he would probably have made ■ la great general if he bad been given the opportunity. He does not care wiliat other men say or do. He has the superb self-confidence of rtflie perfectly original man. It is inconceivable to him that there can be any better way of doing a tiling than Theodore Roosevelt's way. Therefore, he does it his wiay. Because the is self-opiniated, because he has the mental and physical force to insist, he lhas become a notability of notabilities. The ex-leader of a great republic, he is feted by Kings and listened to with extraordinary respect by princes, diplomatists, and statesmen. He pretends to ■no vast 6tore of abstruse knowledge, but his knowledge of men and women, his ability to (place himself in the position of any other person, mailces his advice worth much more than that of the academician. He has an insatiable curiosity which forces him to see things. He must ibe up and doing, and in his desire for deeds may be found the secret of his success. Like most American public men, he "went up like a rocket," but, unlike the majority, he did not "come down like a stick." He seems to have been able to remain honest, and apparently tihis is one of the greatest, of feats in America. He could not help being in the swim when the SpanishAmerican war broke out, and tfhtf doings of himself and his "roughriders" gave him that hold on the affections of strenuous Americans he has held ever since. When he became President he filled the position entirely, and was something better than an ornamental head of a great State. He was wise in international counsel, but, above all, he was implacable in his duty to his own country. His previous political career bad shown him that American commerce was corrupt. He threw down the gauntlet to the "grafter" and the swindler, and during his Presidentship he gave falseness, lying, bribery, and corruption no quarter. No man ever laid himself ou>t to fight -anything so urgently as Roosevelt, fought American trusts and combines. Previous' to his reign the millionaire ibootller had done nearly anything he desired in the way that suited his pocket best. Probably, because Roosevelt was never afraid, he was never assassinated. His great campaign of 1902 against the controllers of trusts and railroads made him so greatly hated that his life was always in danger. The fight was worthy of a great soldier, and if, as has been suggested, he will be "forced" to again accept the Presidency, no doubt he will carry on this, the greatest work he ever attempted. Curiously enouigh, this man, who is above every other thing a. fighter, was able by mediation to conclude peace between Russia, and Japan. This placed him in a very remaiikable position for the head of a republic. The vigor of Roosevelt showed itself immediately he quitted White House, and he went to ordinary work as if he had never been President, becoming associate editor of the New York Outlook. Presumably there was too little physical exertion in his new 1 " e k, and so he undertook a big game hunt, combined with literary work, in A trim. His ceaseless activity had to und an outlet. Rut of vaster importance than his explorations in Africa was his reception on the Continent of Europe and elsewhere. In Europe, although he carefully mentioned that he was but an ex-statesman, the peoples he visited persisted in regarding him as a dominating international figure. Being thus regarded, (he lost no, opportunity of expressing himself in the bold, original, honest istyle that gave him his. place in America. He claimed the right merely as ;a. plain citizen to hold what opinions he liked and to express them. And this dogged democrat was feted by Royalties who knew nothing of democracy, and, quite naturally, feiared it. When he got to Egypt, he at once showed that he had previously studied all the questions of moment affecting that country. Here, again, he "butted in-' without a thought of the consequences. The country was seething with revolt, the Nationalists (generally those natives educated by Western methods) being ripe for any mischief. The public of Cairo feared the Nationalists, but Roosevelt had no intention of being afraid of anybody, and so he virtually called the murderer of the Premier and the "patriot's" followers j cowards, told them plainly they were not ripe for self-government, and walked 1 out of Cairo unmolested. Roosevelt's methods are simplicity itself. He loves courage and shows it; he hates falseness and says so. He despises meanness, trickery, robbery, and violence, and is Teady to figllit them now mid all the time. And there is no place on earth where he can find foes more worthy of his steel than in his own country. In the United States, because of his example, there is a wide disposition to clean out Tammany, graft, and those evil conditions that poison the national life. The people are evincing a desire for greater social cleanliness by putting men of high ideals into office, and it is probable that it may be found necessary, in order to keep clean men in high office, that Roosevelt will be again called on to pursue his policy of relentless resentment against the chief poisoners.

j STATE CONTROL OF LIQUOR. It (has been proposed in New Soiutfl I Wales that the State should assume control of the liquor traffic, tot the State Treasurer mentions that the question will not bear investigation. Supposing, however, tin 1 people of any State decided that the trallic was to be taken over by the Government, the conclusions of a Treasurer would not count.. The point to be considered is, whether the State is satisfied with the conduct of the tr&ffie by private folk. If it is not satistied, it is a matter for the people to decide as to what to do about it. In New Zealand a majority of people who vote oh the subject decide at the ballot that no liquor shall be sold in their district. A large proportion of these people driiu liquor, so that if prohibition came tmey would be deprived of it. Their vote, therefore, declares that they are not dissatisfied with alcohol, but with the manner of selling it. They do not cure thi* state of things by reducing the number of licenses, ar by wiping out all licenses in tlheir district, and Lt is therefore obvious that if a satisfactory method ol dispensing liquor could be found, prohibition would not be necessary. The ditAcuities in the way of 'State control to the State Treasurers may be many, but the chief one seems to be that an enormous sum would have to be paid in compensation. By far the most expensive ipart of a liquor business is what is gen- | orally called its '•goodwill," but as tlio goodwill is the issue of a, license by tlio State, it is problematical -whether the State would .pay for fictitious or speculative values'. The New South Wales proposal was that the State should l>e given notice that after five years no more liquor licenses would be issued; anx! that the freehold properties would be taken over ait valuation. That, of course, means that at the end of the period there would ibe no "goodwill."'' The speculative value of the money the owneir might earn if his hotel were taken over by the State would consequently not enter into the matter at all. Also men of business acumen would see' that there wa.s nothing to ibe gained by traificking in licensing during the five yeans. Theoretically, if the hotels were in the hands of the State, there would oe no inducement for persons to benefit largely from the public. The "tied-house" would vanish, and it is to be supposed that what liquor wlas sold would be quite as good as that generally retailed now. As it would not ipay a State servant to make men drunken, it is possible that there would be fewer cases of this kind before the courts. There is no doiubt that sly-grog selling in no-license districts is a grave evil. Some of these days a bold politician may arise and 'fight for the deletion of the reduction issue on the voting paper and the substitution of the 'State control issue. The .present method is an experiment and not altogether a, successful one, for it does not materially affect the amount of liquor swallowed by the nation. Trie other experiment might be more successful.