Evening star., 1898-09-19
ALL EXPANSI0NISTS
The General Feeling Now in New
York City.
LOCAL AND NATIONAL 3l \ SENTIMENT
Believe Their Troops Did 9 All the
Santiago Fighting.
ENTERTAIN ROUGH RIDERS
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
NEW YORK, September 1s, 1898.
New York is pleased with itself and with
| the rest of the country. This is a combina-
ton of circumstances that is not always
encountered. The self-cemplacency of the
city is a proverb, and the time will never
come when it is not pleased with itself.
But ordinarily the metropolis is out of joint
with the rest of the country. Differences
of opinion on questions Of national policy,
finances, business, and the fact that the
other fractional parts of the Union have
their way in those matters, usually ac-
count for the failure of New York to be
satisfied with the associated citizenship of
the United States. 1t would not be under
stood by the New Yorker to state that he
finds himself in harmony with 81 600 900
people who live beyond the borders of his
borough. They are in harmony with him.
Explain the phenomenon in this manner
and his good humor becomes a contagion
which spreads among his fellows.
Evidences Of this feeling marked l
had thought to improve few hours in the
city by gauging the sentiment on the uues-
tions of colonial policy which are forcing
themselves on the American people In
political campaigns shrewd committees
sometimes get useful hints by sending out
to the back townships and taking the drift
of opinion. In these isolated communities
opinion is apt to be positive, self-reliant
and arrogant, with never a doubt that what
the township thinks the state and the ma
ton are bound to think. In a similar man
ner the provincial view of expansion can be
had in New York, just as British states
men in London sometimes seek to know
what is thought in Manchester and in Glas-
gov. When New York city and Creek
River township, Illinois, are in accord on
national policy it shows unity of public
sentiment that makes the path for the flu
ture tolerably clear. What Creek River
township, Illinois, and thousands of town
ships in other states are thinking on the
Philippines and the West Indies is demon
strating itself How the thoughts of New
York come to be running in the same chan
mel is worth word.
Approves the War With Spain.
1t is evident to any one who takes the
pains to inquire that New York thoroughly
approves the war with Spain. 1t was halt
ing and fault-finding in the beginning and
then Indifferent; now it is enthusiastic The
credit of this is due more than anything
else to Col. Roosevelts regiment of Rough
Riders. They localized the war. After the
lighting in front of Santiago New York be-
gan to suspect that her volunteer troops
meaning the Rough RIDERS and the list,
did the fighting. Later developments con-
frmed this suspicion. The encampment of
the returned heroes at -Montauk gave the
of those who mad helped to make it, 1t
must have been confusing to the newspaper
readers to determine how many times San
Juan hill was taken by these two regi-
ments, and some Of them may have won
dered whether the regulars did not have
an insignificant share in the achievement.
1he unfortunate decentralization of bat
| TALON of the list was overlooked When
Its men came home broken in health they
We're given all the honors Of victors No
one begrudged the tribute to them. The
soldiers of the list We're furloughed and
made way for the Rough Riders
1t is the presence of these heroes that has
made New York SO complacent. 1 have no
doubt that in a few years the tradition in
the minds Of the majority Of New Workers
will be that the fighting at Santiago was
done by the Rough Riders while the reg
ular army carried the packs and looked
a1ter the mules The manager of one of
the great newspapers which spent fabulous
sums IN gathering the news of the war gave
me humorous account of the intensity of
| this local feeling. Pride in his journals en-
teIprlse and sorrow over the counting room
sac OF the expenditure were mingled in
MS tones as he spoke of the many thous-
ana dollars paid out for a single cable dis
patch. you'd hardly believe it, he said;
YET there was very little interest here
When the news came that Cerveras fleet
mad come out of Santiago and been DESTROY
ed by our ships We threw ourselves to
cover 1t and our efforts turned out to be a
waste II energy and resources. But when
Ill d shlrmlsh the town went wild.
The Local Sentiment
/ could understand this feeling of local
pride better because a talk with a New
YORK business man on the elevated train
had given me an insight into it, He didn't
remember what Spanish ships had been
sunk, but he remembered the Brooklyn had
had part in sinking them because the
name was familiar to him. He was nroud
or the Rough Riders and had added some
exploits of the regiment which would be
news to Its gallant members In addition
10 taxing the block house on San Juan hill
ne lold me Roosevelts men had saved the
day and captured the fort at Caney. "At
Caney!' L asked in surprise Yes sir
thats the place." he responded emphati-
caIy: Caney Is five miles from San Juan
MIL put when New York business man
has his impression of what took place be-
fore Santiago fixed in his mind there is no
use In trying to unf1x it. Nor is there much
to be gained by quarrelng with the New
YORK estimate of the war
The Rough Riders were the picturesque
| fighters of the Santiago campaign Their
unique organization kept corps of news
paper correspondents with them because
the pupic Is more interested in unique
hght1ng than in plain combats. When at
the Spanish ambush of Las Guasimas the
white and the colored regulars under Cen
eral Young supported the Rough Riders,
anu IL possible Tor numbers OF them
to take part in the subsequent engage
ments This was an ordinary incident and
on that account received little attention.
AS to the part of the volunteers l wondered
that day at Caney If there could be any
thing finer than the behavior of the I'd
Massachusetts in receiving its baptism of
blood. Its members had only Springfield
rifles. but they fought their way through
the woods and underbrush with the steadi-
ness of seasoned veterans, while the hid
den Spanish fire was pouring into them
from all sides. Perhaps the I'd Massa-
chrsetts has had justice done to it at home.
but If so In modest way. because they do
not know in New York that Massachusetts
had volunteer regiment in the fighting.
Boston was apparently too busy analyzing
| the defective grammar of General Skaters
official dispatches to claim the recognition
which was due Its own sons who went to
war. ~
These are digresslons They only drift
| through the mind in witnessing the sincere
| and genuine patriotism with which New
York Is treating the veterans Of the San
tiago campaign. There is unconscious con-
| descension In 1t. but only the hypercritical
will find fault with that The Rough Riders
have been disbanded. Pending their home
going they have bean given the freedom Of