President Roosevelt is touring through the West, making speeches at
every important place, and exciting an enthusiasui which is novel even in America. He spoke at Chicago about the Monroe doctrine, driving home the idea that it is useless to maintain that doctrine, to which he is personally devoted, unless the Republic provides a Fleet powerful enough to defend it against any assailant. He added that there had been recently two triumphs for the doctrine,—one the successful arrangement in Venezuela, the other the establishment of the right to cut the Panama Canal as a purely American enter- prise. At Milwaukee and Minneapolis he turned to consider Trusts. Americans, he maintained, had no jealousy of wealth; but wealth must be used, and its use regulated, in the public interest. He thought enough had been done in that direction for the present, and he utterly rejected the idea that Trusts should be abolished by abandoning Protection. That would be to abolish them by abolishing a prosperity which was essential to the well-being of the labouring class. The free- holders are beginning to see that in this labouring class they are not included, as they pay the Tariff, not the foreigner ; but until they see it, the President's doctrine, in which he probably sincerely believes, will continue to hold the field.
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