The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book (36 page)

In August 1910, the state of Kansas dedicated the John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie in honor of the famous abolitionist and his fight against Missouri pro-slavery forces. The highlight of the two-day event was TR’s speech to the 30,000 people in attendance, which gained national attention.

In his speech, TR summed up the essence of his philosophy:

At many stages in the advance of humanity, this conflict between the men who possess more than they have earned and the men who have earned more than they possess is the central condition of progress. In our day it appears as the struggle of freemen to gain and hold the right of self-government as against the special interests, who twist the methods of free government into machinery for defeating the popular will. At every stage, and under all circumstances, the essence of the struggle is to equalize opportunity, destroy privilege, and give to the life and citizenship of every individual the highest possible value both to himself and to the commonwealth
.

The “Square Deal”

TR had fought for equality since his young days as a New York state assemblyman. There was no doubt that he would continue the struggle. In his Osawatomie speech he introduced a new phrase that resonated with his audience—and America. It was the first time he used the phrase “square deal,” which became the mantra of progressive politicians from that point on.

“I stand for the square deal,” he announced. “But when I say that I am for the square deal, I mean not merely that I stand for fair play under the present rules of the game, but that I stand for having those rules changed so as to work for a more substantial equality of opportunity and of reward for equally good service.”

Who better to change them than TR? He had other places to go and projects to complete first.

Riding an Airplane

On October 11, 1910, TR became the first sitting or former U.S. president to fly in an airplane when he took a flight with Arch Hoxsey in St. Louis, Missouri. He was attending the Missouri State Republican Party’s convention when Hoxsey invited him to take a ride in his biplane. TR took him up on the offer, somewhat reluctantly.

In keeping with his flamboyant character, TR arrived at the Kinloch aviation field in a motorcade replete with local dignitaries. They included the governor of Missouri, Herbert S. Hadley, the mayor of St. Louis, Henry W. Kiel, and Sheriff Louis Nolte. He watched as Hoxsey inspected the plane. Then they climbed aboard and took off.

Hoxsey had just completed a record flight of 104 miles from Springfield, Illinois, to St. Louis. His flight with TR took considerably less time. Hoxsey got the plane as high as fifty feet off the ground, circled the field twice, and stayed in the air for only four minutes. TR said later that he wished he could have flown for an hour.

Once the short flight ended, TR stepped off the plane, mingled with the crowd, got into his automobile, and drove away. It was an anti-climactic moment for him and another presidential or past-presidential first.

Taking TR for a short flight got Hoxsey in trouble with the Wright brothers. Hoxsey, who had been trained by Orville Wright, was flying as part of their exhibition team. The Wrights almost fired him because they thought flying celebrities such as TR was too dangerous. They did not want to be responsible if anything went wrong.

While Hoxsey kept his head in the clouds, TR kept his feet planted firmly on the ground and looked for new causes to espouse, but not right away.

Really Resting

For once in his life, TR took a breather from politics. He spent time with his family and caught up on his writing projects. There was one problem gnawing at him, though: he was disenchanted with the policies of President Taft.

When Taft assumed office in 1909, TR was sure he would follow a progressive agenda. By mid-1910 it was clear that he would not. Worse than not following the agenda, he appeared to be trying to rid the Republican Party of its progressive wing. That was anathema to TR’s thinking.

TR had enjoyed his time off in the second half of 1910 and took full advantage of the opportunity to reconnect with his family, from which he had been alienated for over a year while traveling through Africa and Europe.

During the 1910 Republican Party primaries, Taft took steps to eliminate progressives from the party. He was afraid that they would challenge his programs and policies if they were elected. For the most part—and uncharacteristically—TR stayed out of the political maneuvering. All Taft succeeded in doing was splitting the party and alienating voters.

The year 1911 would be more of the same, as TR assumed his duties with
Outlook
. His time away from politics ended after that—and TR was back into the race for president of the United States.

QUIZ

14-1 Which famous nineteenth-century writer urged TR to run for president in 1916, even though the two men were reported at times to be enemies?

A. Jack London

B. Mark Twain

C. Booth Tarkington

D. Victor Hugo

14-2 “Bwana” is the respectful Swahili word for:

A. boss.

B. father.

C. president.

D. king.

14-3 Theodore Roosevelt threatened to go to war with England in 1903 if the two countries could not settle the Alaska Boundary dispute
.

A. True

B. False

14-4 Osawatomie, Kansas, is best known as:

A. the birthplace of the American clarinet maestro Osawatomie Smith.

B. the place where the buffalo burger was invented.

C. the town where abolitionist John Brown lost a battle against Missouri pro-slavery forces, which resulted in the burning of the town.

D. a Sioux expression for “it’s a good day to hunt buffalo.”

14-5 The John Brown Memorial Park at Osawatomie, Kansas, was donated to the state by:

A. former National Football League and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson.

B. Ulysses S. Grant.

C. John Burroughs.

D. the women’s auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Women’s Relief Corps.

14-6 Arch Hoxsey, the pilot with whom TR flew in October 1910, died in a plane crash later that year
.

A. True

B. False

ANSWERS

14-1. A: The New York World newspaper reported that London said that even though he supported TR, no one would vote for him, “because he exalts honour (sic) and manhood over the cowardice and peacelovingness of the worshipers of fat.”

14-2. A

14-3. True. The matter was resolved peacefully through the decision of a joint commission. It was the final point of disagreement between the two countries dating back to the 1800s. The agreement set the tone for the friendly United States-Great Britain relationship that has endured for over a century.

14-4. C

14-5. D: The Grand Army of the Republic was the veterans group comprising Civil War veterans from the Union army.

14-6. True. He died in a plane crash in Los Angeles on December 31, 1910.

CHAPTER 15

TR Starts His Own Political Party

“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government, owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”

TR grew disillusioned with the Republican Party once President Taft succeeded him in office. By 1912, TR believed he could do a better job at leading the country than either Taft or the Democrat Party candidate, Woodrow Wilson. So he and some of his supporters formed their own political party to challenge Taft and Wilson. By the time the presidential election was over, all TR had to show for it was a bullet in the chest and a second-place finish. Nevertheless, he prompted some significant changes in the American political system.

Disenchantment with Republicans

1911 was a rare year for TR. He did not publish any books, and the number of speeches he gave dwindled. That gave him more time to follow politics and fret about President Taft’s swing away from TR’s idea of what he should be doing. That did not bode well for Taft or the Republican Party.

The schism between Taft and the progressives in the Republican Party developed over several key issues, primarily conservation, tariff reform, and foreign policy. TR took some of Taft’s changes personally, which could only mean a confrontation between his and the president’s supporters. TR may have been out of office, but he preferred to see his policies remain intact.

One controversy erupted after a
Collier’s
magazine article in November 1910 accused Department of the Interior head Richard Ballinger of making available public lands for rich business operators to exploit for monetary gain. That began an open battle between Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot. Subsequent investigations revealed that Ballinger was technically within his rights to do so.

TR decided to run for president again in 1912. He and Taft had gone their separate ways, and TR saw a need to get the United States back on track. He believed he was the right man to correct what he perceived as needing correction. TR went from private citizen to presidential candidate once again.

Taft’s approach to foreign affairs left something to be desired among the progressives in the Republican Party. He favored diplomacy more than threats to settle international disputes. TR had not been averse to resolving international issues through arbitration, but he also believed that carrying a “big stick” helped speed negotiations along.

The tariff issue was somewhat perplexing from the TR standpoint. He had ignored it during his presidency. Taft included tariff reform in his campaign platform in 1908, then took no action on it after he was elected. Progressives felt that he really was not serious about changing the structure.

The Payne-Aldrich Tariff constituted Taft’s reform. It lowered the general tariff rate from 46 to 41 percent, but raised rates on certain items such as animal hides, iron ore, and coal. Altogether, the legislation lowered 650 tariff items, raised 220, and left 1,150 untouched. It was a compromise that did not make many people happy, progressive or otherwise.

The differences between the progressive and conservative factions of the Republican Party regarding tariffs, conservation, foreign affairs, and other policies created a schism. The door was open for a challenger to Taft for the presidency in the 1912 election or a third-party candidate. Taft still had a lot of support within the party. So was born the “Bull Moose” Party.