theodore roosevelt-第42章

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d　without　violence；　and　without　leaving　a　permanent　state　of　war　between　Labor　and　Capital。　In　a　word；　he　did　not　aim　at　merely　patching　up　a　temporary　peace；　but　at　finding；　and　when　found；　applying；　a　remedy　to　the　deep…rooted　causes　of　the　quarrel。

In　his　first　message　to　Congress；　the　new　President　said：　〃The　most　vital　problem　with　which　this　country；　and；　for　that　matter；　the　whole　civilized　world；　has　to　deal；　is　the　problem　which　has　for　one　side　the　betterment　of　social　conditions；　moral　and　physical；　in　large　cities；　and　for　another　side　the　effort　to　deal　with　that　tangle　of　far…reaching　questions　which　we　group　together　when　we　speak　of　'labor。'〃

By　his　settlement　of　the　coal　strike；　Roosevelt　showed　the　workers　that　he　would　practice　towards　them　the　justice　which　he　preached；　but　this　did　not　mean　that　he　would　be　unjust　towards　the　capitalists。　They；　too；　should　have　justice；　and　they　had　it。　He　never　intended　to　coddle　laborers　or　to　make　them　feel　that；　having　a　grievance；　as　they　alleged；　they　must　be　specially　favored。　Since　Labor　is；　or　should　be；　common　to　all　men；　Roosevelt　believed　that　every　laborer；　whether　farmer　or　mechanic；　employer　or　employee；　merchant　or　financier；　should　stand　erect　and　look　every　other　man　straight　in　the　eyes；　and　neither　look　up　nor　down；　but　with　level　gaze；　fearless；　uncringing；　uncondescending。　The　laws　he　proposed；　the　adjustments　he　arranged；　had　the　self…respect；　the　dignity；　of　the　individual；　for　their　aim。　He　knew　that　nothing　could　be　more　dangerous　to　the　public；　or　more　harmful　to　the　laboring　class　itself；　than　to　make　of　it　a　privileged　class；　absolved　from　the　obligations；　and　even　from　the　laws；　which　bound　the　rest　of　the　community。　By　this　ideal　he　set　a　great　gulf　between　himself　and　the　demagogues　who　fawned　upon　Labor　and　corrupted　it　by　granting　its　unjust　demands。

He　had　always　present　before　him　a　vision　of　the　sacred　Oneness　of　the　body　politic。　This　made　him　the　greatest　of　modern　Democrats；　and　the　chief　interpreter；　as　it　seems　to　me；　of　the　highest　ideal　of　American　Democracy。　The　ideal　of　Oneness　can　never　be　realized　in　a　State　which　permits　a　single　class　to　enjoy　privileges　of　its　own　at　the　expense　of　all　other　classes；　and　it　makes　no　difference　whether　this　class　belongs　to　the　Proletariat　or　to　the　Plutocracy。　Equality　before　the　law；　and　justice；　are　the　two　eternal　instruments　for　establishing　the　true　Democracy。　And　I　do　not　recall　that　in　any　of　the　measures　which　Roosevelt　supported　these　two　vital　principles　were　violated。　The　following　brief　quotations　from　later　messages　summarize　his　creed：

'In　the　vast　and　complicated　mechanism　of　our　modern　civilized　life；　the　dominant　note　is　the　note　of　industrialism；　and　the　relations　of　capital　and　labor；　and　especially　of　organized　capital　and　organized　labor；　to　each　other；　and　to　the　public　at　large；　come　second　in　importance　only　to　the　intimate　questions　of　family　life。'

The　corporation　has　come　to　stay；　just　as　the　trade　union　has　come　to　stay。　Each　can　do　and　has　done　great　good。　Each　should　be　favored　as　long　as　it　does　good；　but　each　should　be　sharply　checked　where　it　acts　against　law　and　justice。

Any　one　can　profess　a　creed；　Theodore　Roosevelt　lived　his。

Nothing　better　tested　his　impartiality　than　the　strike　of　the　Federation　of　Western　Miners　in　1907。　Many　murders　and　much　violence　were　attributed　to　this　organization　and　they　were　charged　with　assassinating　Governor　Steunenberg　of　Idaho。　Their　leaders；　Moyer　and　Haywood；　were　anarchists　like　themselves；　and　although　they　professed　contempt　for　law；　as　soon　as　they　were　arrested　and　brought　up　for　trial；　they　clutched　at　every　quibble　of　the　law；　as　drowning　men　clutch　at　straws　to　save　them；　and；　be　it　said　to　the　glory　or　shame　of　the　law；　it　furnished　enough　quibbles；　not　only　to　save　them　from　the　gallows；　but　to　let　them　loose　again　on　society　with　the　legal　whitewash　〃not　guilty〃　stamped　upon　them。

Roosevelt　understood　the　great　importance　of　punishing　these　men；　and　he　committed　the　indiscretion　of　classing　them　with　certain　big　capitalists　as　〃undesirable　citizens。〃　Members　of　the　Federation　then　wrote　him　denouncing　his　attempt　to　prejudice　the　courts　against　Moyer　and　Haywood；　and　they　resented　that　their　leaders　should　be　coupled　with　Harriman　and　other　big　capitalists　as　〃undesirable　citizens。〃　This　gave　the　President　the　opportunity　to　reply　that　such　criticism　did　not　come　appropriately　from　the　Federation；　for　they　and　their　supporters　had　got　up　parades；　mass…meetings；　and　petitions　in　favor　of　Moyer　and　Haywood　and　for　the　direct　purpose　of　intimidating　the　court　and　jury。　〃You　want；〃　he　said　in　substance；　〃the　square　deal　for　the　defendants　only。　I　want　the　square　deal　for　every　one〃；　and　he　added；　〃It　is　equally　a　violation　of　the　policy　of　the　square　deal　for　a　capitalist　to　protest　against　denunciation　of　a　capitalist　who　is　guilty　of　wrongdoing　and　for　a　labor　leader　to　pro　test　against　the　denunciation　of　a　labor　leader　who　has　been　guilty　of　wrongdoing。〃　*

*　Autobiography；　531。


But　Moyer　and　Haywood；　as　I　have　said；　escaped　punishment；　and　before　long　Haywood　reappeared　as　leader　of　the　Industrial　Workers　of　the　World；　an　anarchistic　body　with　a　comically　inappropriate　name　for　its　members　objected　to　nothing　so　much　as　to　industry　and　work。　The　I。W。W。；　as　they　have　been　known　for　short；　have　consistently　preached　violence　and　〃action；〃　by　which　they　might　take　for　themselves　the　savings　and　wealth　of　others　as　a　means　to　enable　them　to　do　no　work。　And　some　of　the　recent　strikes　which　have　brought　the　greatest　misery　upon　the　laborers　whom　they　misled；　have　been　directed　by　I。　W。　W。　leaders。

〃I　treated　anarchists　and　bomb…throwing　and　dynamiting　gentry　precisely　as　I　treated　other　criminals；〃　Roosevelt　writes：　〃Murder　is　murder。　It　is　not　rendered　one　whit　better　by　the　allegation　that　it　is　committed　on　behalf　of　a　cause。〃　*　I　need　hardly　state　that　the　President　was　as　consistently　vigilant　to　prevent　labor　unions　from　persecuting　non…union　men　as　he　was　in　upholding　the　just　rights　of　the　union。

*　Autobiography；　532。


Consider　what　this　record　of　his　with　Capital　and　Labor　really　means。　The　social　conditions　in　the　United　States；　owing　to　the　immense　expansion　in　the　production　of　wealthan　expansion　which　included　the　invention　of　innumerable　machines　and　the　application；　largely　made　possible　by　immigration；　of　millions　of　laborershad　changed　rapidly；　and　had　brought　pressingly　to　the　front　novel　and　gigantic　industrial　and　financial　problems。　In　the　solution　of　these　problems　Justice　and　Equality　must　not　only　be　regarded；　but　must　play　the　determining　part。　Now；　Justice　and　Equality　were　beautiful　abstractions　which　could　be　praised　by　every　demagogue　without　laying　upon　him　any　obligation　except　that　of　dulcet　lip　service。　Every　American；　young　or　old；　had　heard　them　lauded　so　unlimitedly　that　he　did　not　trouble　himself　to　inquire　whether　they　were　facts　or　not；　they　were　words；　sonorous　and　pleasing　words；　which　made　his　heart　throb；　and　himself　feel　a　worthier　creature。　And　then　came　along　a　young　zealot；　mighty　in　physical　vigor　and　moral　energy；　who　believed　that　Justice　and　Equality　were　not　mere　abstractions；　were　not　mere　words　for　politicians　and　parsons　to　thrill　their　audiences　by；　but　were　realities；　duties；　which　every　man　in　a　Democracy　was　bound　to　revere　and　to　make　prevail。　And　he　urged　them　with　such　power　of　persuasion；　such　tirelessness；　such　titanic　zeal；　that　he　not　only　converted　the　masses　of　the　people　to　believe　in　them；　too；　but　he　also　made　the　legislators　of　the　country　understand　that　they　must　embody　these　principles　in　the　national　statute　book。　He　did　not　originate；　as　I　have　said；　all　or　most　of　the　reforms；　but　he　gave　ear　to　those　who　first　suggested　them；　and　his　enthusiasm　and　support　were　essential　to　their　adoption。　In　order　to　measure　the　magnitude　of　Roosevelt's　contribution　in　marking　deeply　the　main　principles　which　should　govern　the　New　Age；　we　need　only　remember　how　little　his　predecessor；　President　McKinley；　a　good　man　with　the　best　intentions；　either　realized　that　the　New　Age　was　at　hand；　or　thought　it　necessary　even　to