Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 February 1918 — INTERNING COL. ROOSEVELT [ARTICLE]

INTERNING COL. ROOSEVELT

Tlusa, Okla., Democrats have signed a petition to President Wilson, urging him to intern former President Theodore Roosevelt “as a public menace” because ot his criticism of the incapacity of the war Department It is not surprising the Oklahoma Democratic politicians want Colonel Roosevelt internedr They believe in interning all those who do not believe in standing by Democratic politicians even in violation of moral and statutory law and atthe sacrifice of the public welfare. The Oklahoma Democracy has passed election and registration laws, and even adopted constitutional provisions, deliberately intended to defraud all opposition parties and persons of a voice in government. The Supreme Court of the United States has been called on to undo some state constitutional legislation in violation of the principles of genuine democracy as guaranteed by the United States constitution. But the Oklahoma Democrats have passed laws denying to opposition parties representation on election boards. They have adopted the most extreme methods of stifling not only minority rights, but majority rule. Like the sectional Democratic politicians in general they would like not only to gag and disfranchise, but jail all those who do not submit to the dictation of the Democratic party machine. Interning Colonel Roosevelt, however, would prove to be quite some job. The Colonel probably will be interned only when he is interned. His patriotism can not be discredited by any gang of Oklahoma Democratic stay-at-home politicians, or by any gang of politicians anywhere'. He has four sons in the military service of the country, and would be on the firing line in France himself if the opportunity had not been denied him in the fear that his service abroad might give him political prestige. The demand that a man of Colonel Roosevelt’s proven patriotism be locked up for being more loyal to the men who are doing the fighting in this war than to those who are doing the talking; more loyal to his country than any blundering officeholder, will only serve to warn the country that under the pretense of war necessity there ■ are politicians who should prevert the powers of government itself to personal and partisan purposes, and who would make of this country,, if they could, another Venezuela, where criticism of any politician in power, however, much it may be demanded by the national safety and well-being, is sufficient cause for imprisonment of execution. The country needs to be saved from democracy of the' Oklahoma brand, as horribly exemplified in the laws and political practices of that state, if it is to remain a republic. A good bit of internment is going to be preformed by the American people in November, and the Oklahoma Democracy will do well to Escape a life sentence to political internment.