BOOSEVELT 110 ROOSEVELT the many measures he had advocated while United States Civil Service Com- missioner. The Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, 1900, nominated him for, the Vice-Presidency on the McKinley ticket, a candidacy which Roosevelt was very reluctant to accept. President McKinley was assassinated on Sept. 14, 1901, and Roosevelt succeeded to the Presidency at the age of 43. During his term of office he fulfilled his promise and ad- hered strictly to the Republican plat- form and principles as enunciated by McKinley during the campaign, and re- tained the Cabinet which McKinley had chosen. One of his outstanding acts was to appoint the Anthracite Strike Arbi- tration Commission, which brought about ] eace in the anthracite coal regions for many subsequent years. The Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1904 unanimously nominated Roosevelt for the Presidency, and he re- ceived 7,623,486 popular votes and 336 electoral votes to 5,077,970 popular votes and 140 electoral college votes given for the Democratic candidate, Alton B. Parker. During his presidency Roosevelt endeavored to regulate the influence of large corporations without destroying their equities. He resisted the German Kaiser and brought about the submission of the Moroccan dispute to a conference of the Powers of Algeciras. Evidence has come to light that both Roosevelt and his Secretary, John Hay, were well aware ?.t that time of the plains of the German Emperor for universal dominion, and they succeeded in frustrating those plans so far as American interests were concerned, and particularly in relation to^ China. Through Roosevelt's influence in 1905 Russia was persuaded to come to terms with Japan and thus close the costly Russo-Japanese War, for which he re- ceived the Nobel Prize in 1906. Through- out his administration Roosevelt's chief domestic policy was the conservation of natural resources. The most conspicuous and spectacular of Roosevelt's acts as President was the recognition of the new republic of Panama which led to the sub- sequent completion of the Panama Canal. Upon the expiration of his term Roose- velt went immediately on a big game hunting excursion through Central Africa. From 1909-14 he was contributing editor of the "Outlook," in which journal he commented on national and international affairs. In 1910 he was special ambassa- dor of the United States at the funeral of King Edward VII. Upon his return from Africa and Eu- rope Roosevelt became convinced that the Republican Party was falling into the hands of reactionaries. The Republican National Convention, Chicago, 1912, brought on a crisis in which the Liberal or Progressive Republicans demanded Roosevelt's nomination. There was bitter dispute over the seating of certain dele- gates, but William H. Taft was nominated for the presidency. Owing to a belief that certain rulings of the Chairman were unparliamentary, the Progressive Repub- licans felt that they were not bound by the vote. This gave birth to what was known as the Progressive or Bull Moose Party, which six weeks later met in Chi- cago and nominated Roosevelt for the presidency on a new party ticket. The platform adopted stressed many of the liberal doctrines which Roosevelt had ad- vocated during his career and some to which he gave personally only reluctant assent. The chief planks in the platform were direct primaries, conservation of natural resources, woman suffrage, the initiative, the referendum and the recall of judicial decisions. Woodrow Wilson, Governor of New Jersey, was nominated by the Democratic Party which resulted in an intensely bitter three-cornered fight. At the election on Nov. 5, Wilson was elected by 6,286,000 votes out of 15,310,000. Roosevelt received 4,126,000 and Taft 3,483,000. Although many of the Progressives felt that they had formed a new permanent political party, Roosevelt did not share their views, for in 1916 he gave his un- qualified support to Charles E. Hughes, the Republican candidate for the presi- dency. In 1913 Roosevelt went to South America where he delivered a series of addresses, and in 1914 explored a tribu- tary of the Madeira river, in Brazil, for a distance of 600 miles. Fever contracted during this expedition led to _ physical troubles which finally ended _ in death. The year 1915 is memorable in his life because of a law-suit brought against him by William Barnes, Jr., of Albany, N. Y., charging Roosevelt with libel. The verdict was in favor of the defendant. The Progressive Party in 1916 nomi- nated Roosevelt for the presidency which he declined almost immediately, in order to throw his personal influence in favor of Hughes against Wilson. During the World War, 1914-18, Roosevelt spoke and wrote incessantly on the duty of America to take a more posi- tive stand in the conflict. He offered to raise and equip an army division or sev- eral divisions and lead them to France in 1917, but the offer was declined by President Wilson. Roosevelt died unexpectedly Jan. 6, 1919. Since his death all partisan feel- ing toward him has passed away, and he is now recognized as one of the greatest leaders of the United States, certainly
