The Qualifications of the New President

This is no time for forecasts beyond those that are so obvious as to be unnecessary. In an article written at the request of the Outlook during the recent Presidential campaign, the editor of this REVIEW expressed the opinion that, all things considered, Mr. McKinley was at that moment the best-qualified man in the United States to fill the office of President, and Mr. Roosevelt the next best qualified. In view of this deliberate judgment, it would be absurd to try to offer any comfort to those persons who have professed to feel some anxiety lest Mr. Roosevelt’s well-known diligence and energy in doing his duty might somehow prove disadvantageous to the country. It is simply enough to say that President Roosevelt is a man who acts with great vigor and courage, but not with what is called impulsiveness. The quality of impulsiveness in men implies the lack of proper energy and force in the making of initial decisions. Mr. Roosevelt uses the same kind and degree of energy and force in trying to arrive at wise and right decisions that he afterward uses in executing them. Such men are preëminently fitted for high executive tasks. We beg to call particular attention to an article about the new President on page 435 of this number of the REVIEW. It is neither a eulogy nor an apology, but a characterization. We also ask the attention of our readers to our republication in full of Mr. Roosevelt’s strong and carefully prepared speech delivered in the presence of thousands of people at the Minnesota State Fair just four days before the assassination of President McKinley. This speech was not printed in any of the Eastern newspapers except in a somewhat meager abstract, yet it has immense significance in view of subsequent events, because it expresses so much of the personal and political creed of the man who was destined within a very few days to assume the most important executive position in the entire world. We also publish in full in this number of the REVIEW the notable address that President McKinley delivered at Buffalo on September 5, the day before the assault on his life. In its allusions to public policy this speech was particularly devoted to the expression of Mr. McKinley’s interest in the extension of our trade under reciprocity arrangements This is a policy heartily indorsed [sic] by President Roosevelt, and it is certain to command the attention of Congress as a foremost topic next winter.