February 16 Thursday – At 21 Fifth Ave. in N.Y.C. Sam wrote to Joe Twichell.
Dear Joe— / I knew I had in me somewhere a definite feeling about the President if I could only find the words to define it with. / Here they are, to a hair—from Leonard Jerome: “For twenty years I have loved Roosevelt the man & hated Roosevelt the statesman & politician.”
It’s mighty good. Every time, in 25 years, that I have met Roosevelt the man, a wave of welcome has streaked through me with the hand-grip; but whenever (as a rule) I meet Roosevelt the statesman & politician I find him destitute of morals & not respectworthy. It is plain that where his political self & his party self are concerned he has nothing resembling a conscience; that under those inspirations he is naievely indifferent to the restraints of duty & even unaware of them; ready to kick the Constitution into the back yard whenever it gets in the way; & whenever he smells a vote, not only willing but eager to buy it, give extravagant rates for it & pay the bill—not out of his own pocket or the party’s, but out of the nation’s, by cold pillage. As per Order 78 & the stealing of the Indian trust funds. A man who will filch trust-money from a pauper Indian to buy votes with is pretty low down.
But Roosevelt is excusable—I recognize it & (ought to) concede it. We are all insane, each in his own way, & with insanity goes irresponsibility. Theodore the man is sane; in fairness one ought to keep in mind that Theodore, as statesman & politician, is insane & not responsible.
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Do not throw these enlightenments aside, but study them, let them raise you to higher planes & make you better. You taught me in my callow days, let me pay back the debt now in my old age out of a thesaurus plethoric with wisdom smelted from the golden ores of experience.
Ever yours for sweetness & light, / Mark.
Love to Harmony, & don’t forget us when you come down. I am still in bed, but having good times writing diligently / Say, Joe—I am the first that noticed the parallel [MTP]. Note: see Jan 15, 1907 entry, Order 78.
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “This afternoon Mr. Clemens took such grave offense at the cards that wishing the same was in hell he vowed he’d never play again. I’m sorry. / Tonight Mrs. Crane, sweet Mrs. Crane arrived from Elmira. / Today Santissima had hats rrive from Aitkins. To think of Santissima and hats” [MTP: TS 40].
C.H. Mooney for the New Dixie Lyceum Bureau wrote from Louisville, KY to Sam, asking if he could fill “about five dates for us in the South sometime during next season?” with pay of $500 to $750 each [MTP].
John B. Stanchfield wrote from Elmira, N.Y. to Sam. “I have your note at the hand of Miss Lyon, under the date of February 13, enclosing clipping in reference to the bankruptcy of the Plasmon Company of America.” He doubted the assets of the co. would even pay the expenses of the bankruptcy proceedings. Also, he was gathering “information by degrees, in reference to our claim against Mr. Butters. I will be in New York in the near future, and call and talk over matters with you” [MTP].