The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-10-12
ROOSEVELT'S LITTLE SCHEME.
How the Plans of the Rough Rider
Governor Miscarried In the Dewey
Reception BuineSs.

We fear very much that Admiral
Dewey played little trick when he
sailed into New York harbor forty
eight hours ahead of time. 1t may
not be generally known among those
who are not exploiting their lifelong
intimacy with Dewey and declaring
to everybody that they brought him
up by hand-it may not be known,
we say, to these WORTH folks that
Dewey has concealed upon his person
a large and playful fund Of humor.
1t is altogether credible that these
new-found chums of his-whom he
has never seen in his life, and who
have never seen him save at dis
tance-are not profoundly acquainted
with Dewev's character and pecu-
liarities At all events, he has slip
ped into New York when nobody was
looking for him, just as he did at
Manila, and in this way he has es-
capped perhaps the most dreadful peril
and affiicton that lay in wait for him.
We refer to Roosevelt.
1t now appears that Roosevelt-the
governor, Of cOurse-has laid plan
for circumvcnting the city officials
and disIocating all their programme,
by the simple expedient Of charterlng
an excursion boat, dashing out
through the narrows and boarding
the Olympia, long before the officials
in charge of the ceremony could
anticipate him. In that way. he
would or thought he would, sail into
New York harbor, the most cOnsplc-
uous figure OF the occasion, except
Dewey himself, standing on the bridge
with the hero and sharing the hon
ors and accIamations provided by the
city of New York, Of which he is
merely the guest. 1t all seemed easy
enough to Roosevelt. He is every
whit, as good a sailor as he is a
soldier. He knows quite as much
about a steamship as about military
discipline and strategy. Aud it must
be clear to the dullest intelligence
that the man who wrote the ''private'
letter to the Secretary OF War, about
a year ago, and subsequently ma
nipulated the round-robin Of abhor-
rent fame, is entirely capable OF vi
olating every rule of courtesy and
deccncy in this or any other conceiv-
able connection. In word it would
have been exquisitely characteristic
of Roosevelt to ride roughshod over
the arrangement OF the New York
committee, and it is 100 to l that he
,r,t,lI loy, Innn ho1 houn nv
set him at naught by arriving ahead
of time. The trouble with the man
is that he really thinks himself the
greatest parsonage on earth, and be-
licves in his heart that Dewey would
have been tlattercd half to death by
his pro jected demonstration.
1t would have been worth untold
treasure to a student of hnman nature
thoroughly acquainted with both
Roosevelt and Dewey, to witness the
meeting between the two as arranged
by Roosevelt. 1t would have been
an inestimable privilege to watch
Dewey's face knowing him pro
foundlv-as Roosevelt bounced upon
the deck in the character of the only
human being in America qualified,
in military way, to welcome and to
patrOniZe him. To hear Roosevelt
telling Dewey about war and assum-
ing to be his equivalent, if not his
guide, philosopher, and friend-and
he is quite capable of all this-wonld
have been an experience to comfort
one in painful and lonely death.
But the beautiful prospect has been
blighted. Dewey has set at naught
all the inspired plots of Roosevelt
and his kind, and now he is secure in
a position to carry out in good faith
the authorized programme of the
celebration. Roosevelt will not like
it, of course. He wanted to be the
whole thing. But the people of New
York. and the innumerable thousands
who have assembled in that city will
like it, and when the whole situation
comes to be fully understood there
will be general rejoicing over
RoOsevelt's failure to make himself
the center of attraction WASHINGTON
Post.