Life — September 26, 1912 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

OMEBODY who pre- fers to conceal his identity reviles us for sug- gesting that a man must not change his mind. "Wh ks this nameless — per- son, “should Roose- velt be singled out as a in who should not change his mind? Inasmuch as this query is put in connection with Mr. Roosevelt’s can- didacy for a third term, the inference is that our critic supposes that Mr. Roosevelt’ changed his mind about running again. We have always considered that he had a right to do so if he wished, but so far as concerns his declaration of 1904, he has never admitted that he did change his mind, but has explicitly denied that such a change was ever necessary. Our correspondent seems to suppose that when Mr. Roosevelt formally announced that “under no circumstances” would he again be a candidate, the announcement meant that he would never run again. But Mr. Roosevelt does not think so. His position was expounded in the Out- look in the parable of the three cups of coffee. So the real point in this matter is not that Mr. Roosevelt changed his mind, but that he has a mind which, without change, could connect his renunciation of 1904 with his candidacy in 1912. He is so important a man that this example of the adjustability of his mind is important. We wish the cor- respondents who take the trouble to censure us for holding it to be a fault in Mr. Roosevelt that he changed his. mind would get the thing right. The fault, if there be one, was that in this very notable instance he didn’t change his mind; that he didn’t have to; that his mind is so comprehensive and ad- justable that it could occupy both po- sitions, that of 1904 and that of 1012, ithout change. v “While there is Life there's Hope" That is a remarkable mental prop- erty, possession of which qualifies its owner to be for and against the tariff, for and against reciprocity, for and ggainst the trusts, with and against the bosses, with and against the courts, for constitutions and forninst’ them, for war and for peace, for the people and the interests, and all without change. We have to take sides a good deal in this life, and, of course, in politics it is a considerable convenience to have a mind that can take both sides, It is like having a political gift of tongues, so that when you spe; every man hears his own doctrine. that Governor ave only very moderate evidences of pleasure at meeting Mr. Murphy and Governor Dix at Albany on September 12. Governor Wilson is nota v flexible person; not at all the equal of the Third Term Candi- date in being all things to everybody. He has said that he has a one-track mind. He must have known that the New York State Democratic Commit- tee was going to meet at Syracuse the day he was there, and he seemed glad to meet the committee and made a speech to th But apparently he didn’t expect to meet Mr. Murphy, nor x, and he was obvi- pers said even Governor Di ously embarrassed to encounter them, No wonder! Murphy stands for the control and use of _ political power for private and partisan pecu- niary advantage. Murphy stands for Tammany, and Tammany is only in politics as an incident of business. It aims to govern New York, city and State, for what there is in it for Tam- many. It aims to exact all the traffic will bear; to give a government as pro- ductive of advantage to favored indi- VOL. LX. SEPTEMBER 2 1912 Pablished by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY J.-A. Mira A. Mitten, See'y and Treas. 17 Weat Thirty-first Street, New York ish Otices, Connoa House, Breams Hides, Lo No, 1561 Lt, Pres't viduals, and incidentally as corrupt, as the voters and taxpayers will endure. If Tammany government is too bad, that is a mistake. If it is too good, and so not remunerative enough, that is also a mistake. Tammany does not wish to make cither of these mistakes, and it labors more or less cleverly to avoid both of them. Murphy stands for Tammany; for ideas, therefore, that are absolutely tepugnant to the political ideas of Governor Wilson; for ideas that it is absolutely necessary for Governor Wilson to stand away from and de- spise if he is to satisfy his own mind and get the vote of the national Dem- for President. There is no- anywhere about that is so repug- ant to the Democrats of the country at large as Murphy; no organization that they loathe and fear and despise as they do Tammany. So of course Governor Wilson did not want to be mixed up with Murphy at Syracuse, or sit at table with him, or be photographed in his company, or give any sign, or submit to any pro- pinquity, that would indicate that he and Murphy were sympathetic fellow Democrats. ocrats. body S$ for Governor Dix, this paper supported him when he ran for Governor, and has never regretted it. He secemd to be a necessary part of a desirable process. It seemed desirable that the Democratic party in New York State should develop strength enough to purify itself. Dix’s election strengthened it, and Dix’s administra- tion has emphasized its need of puri- fication, Now the party has a chance to get ahead appreciably in the work comicbooliee ut