The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-06


~ the opposite party as has been accorded to
Theodore Roosevelt by the Democrats this
year. That the Democrats are engaged in a
desperate, organized effort to smother him in
mud is obvious The only result Of the effort
has been the production Of a general impress
sion that the Democrats regard Mr. Roosevelts s
candidacy and campaign activity as full Of
menace for the success Of their schemes.
The Democratic campaign against MIR. Roose-
welt is, necessarily, a campaign of msrepre-
sentaton. And there Is not a single act
of Mr.. Roosevet's public career that can be
successfully misreprcsented to his discredit, it
is, necessarily, campaign Of misrepresentation
| OF Mr.. Roosevelt's character and words The
Democrats can only point to some trait OF Mr.
Roosevelts character that doesn't exist or to
some sentiment OF his that he never felt or ut
tered, in their efforts to diminish his popularity
and influence. Mr. Roosevelts connection with
the First Volunteer cavalry during the recent
war with Spain merely very creditable
incident in the extended and credtable public
career of a man who, long before the war with
Spain, was known and admired throughout the
country for his ability, independence and fear
lessness The Democratic press, perfectly aware
OF this, has thought it good policy to speak Of
him as II his only claim TO consideration was
his brief but very distinguished military SER
vice and then to belittle by mean little devices
of which the Democratic press is naturally fer.
tile, even his military service.
|
Here is one specimen Roosevelt is exceed
ingly proud Of his regiment, as he has a right
to be, and is insistent upon claiming credit for
it. The Democratic press has taken advantage
OF this to falsely accuse him Of selfglorfca-
ton
Here is another After the fighting in Cuba
was over Roosevelt wrote letter to the then
secretary of war requesting that his regiment
might be included in the force then about to
be dispatched to Porto Rico, where fighting
was expected. To induce the secretary of war
to grant his request he referred to the fact that
his well.armed regiment was more efficient than
volunteer and militia regiments EARNED with
archaic weapons"-that is to say discarded
Springfcds, using black powder, whose worse
than uselessness in battle had been fully demon.
stratcd in Cuba. This the Democratic press
falsely construed as a slur upon the volunteer
and militia regiments in a dirty attempt to
anger the members Of these regiments against
Roosevelt. The trick was tried when Roose-
welt was the Republican candidate for governor
Of this state and completely unsuccessful
| The Democrats seem to think, though, that it
is worth another trial in the present campaign.
Here is another: The advance Guasimas
was made ny column of troops, headed by the
"Rough Riders" pursuant to orders issued by
General Wheeler as the result of reconnois-
sance directed by him and after a consultation
OF all the officers concerned, The probable lC-
cation of the Spanish force was known when
the column started and the Spaniard were
found Just where they were looked for. A fight
took place and the Spaniards were badly beaten,
the attacking force suffering considerable loss.
Some illnformed and excited newspaper CORE,
spOndents, two miles in the rear, in some way
got it into their ratified heads that the Rough
Riders had been "caught in an ambush and
telcgraphed this yarn to their newspapers. The
story lasted just about twentyiour hours, that
is until other correspondents, Richard Harding
Davis, Edward Marshall Stephen Crane etc,
| who had been at the front, had the fight
and knew what had happened, got their stories
on the wire. There is not a Democratic editor
or orator in the country who does not know
that the story that the Rough Riders ''res.
cued from an ambush" at Guasimas is nonsen.
sical lie And yet there are precious few OF
J them who have deCency enough to refrain frcm
telling the lie for campaign purposes. Even the
immaculate Mr. Towne told it in the course Of
a speech at Duluth the other day.
Another favorite and persistent falschood about
Theodore Roosevelt is that which represents him
as an impractical enthusiast and a reckless and
irresponsible talker-the fasehood which Mr..
Towne was endcavoring to promulgate when he
spoke of Mr.. Roosevelt at Duluth, as "a pre-
destined and incongbe eccentric" Mr. Roose-
welt is intensely practical; ne has been excep-
tionaly successful in achieving results-witness
his enforcement Of law that nobody before
him had been able to enforce when he was a
New York police commissioner his work as.
sstant secretary of the navy, the ,uick or
ganzation and equipment OF the Rough Rider
regiment, the appointment OF the present state
superintendent of insurance, the corporation tax
law, etc. He is trimmer. His convictions
are strong, and he has the courage OF them.
But they are founded on reason, not on pTeiu-
dice. His decisions quickly reached But
they are reached logically. He speaks his mind
plainly and calls spade a spade" but he
t1NNs
what he means. Mr.. Roosevelt is distinguished
for exceptional ability earnestness, frankness
and courage. 1t is not surprising that these
traits are regarded as Eccentric" by admirers
and supporters Of Mr.. Bryan.
The latest Misrepresentation Of Mr. Roosevelt
words is the Misrepresentation Of statement
Of his that "the Democratic party now stands
for a policy of dishonesty at home and a policy
OF dshonor abroad" The statement is entirely
true. For proof Of the truth Of it need only
refer to the Democratic platform. There is q
reason why it should not be made. There IS
every reason why it should be made in this
campaign as often and as publicly possible.
1t has been made thousands Of times recently,
especially by Democrats who have turned their
backs the present Democratic platform and
Democratic candidate ayowedly because by
adopting that platform and that candidate the
Democratic party put itself on record stand.
ing "for policy OF dishonesty at home and a
policy OF dishonor abroad" OF course nobody
who has made that statement in any form, has
said anything whatever about any individual
Democrats personal honesty, OF courage, OF other
personal Characteristic But the Democratic
press and Democratic orators have affected to
believe that Mr.. Roosevelt, by this statement
has charged "six and one-half millions Of his
fellow countrymen with lawlessness, dishonesty
and cowaTdice." The afectation and its pur.
pose are ridiculously obvious Particularly
laughable is the tender soicitude shown for the
feelings OF the "gold" Democrats and "expan,
SION Democrats, supposed to be "insulted" by
, the statement OF a fact that one recognizes
more clearly or announces more emphaticaly
! than they
This campaign OF misrepresentation Is a tao
, tical blunder, like most other political maneu-
vers OF the distracted Democratic campagners.
No public man In the United States has a wider
or more widely distributed body Of personal
friends and acquaintances than Theodore Roose
welt, Everywhere there are men who know him
not merely as an Official, a politician, a public
speaker, but as a man. All these men are ac
tive antidotes to the poisonous humbug OF the
Democratic press about the man they know
4 You cans fool them their friends about The
, odore Roosevelt. In brief, Theodore Roosevelt
+ is too well'known and too well'liked a man tC