The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-08-29
Tile EXPOSE OF A FRAUD.
Washington Post. Rep.

(
moment He was nominated for governor
OF New York in 1898. eolely upon his war
( record. He has been nominated for the
/ vice presidency this year BY the same
token. He Is held I'D TO public admiration
as military genius. the hero of San Juan
hill. He poses as the centpl figure OF
I the Santiago campaign-the indomitable,
the irrepressible, the blazing, foaming IN
carnation OF battle. He has been repre-
sented as an exaltlng force es heaven
barn leader. 1t is claimed for HMM
deed, in his book "The Rough Riders,
he claims 1t for himself--that he was al
ways the master OF every crisis; that he
J invariably appraised the situation with
unerring accuracy; that his presence dis
PEELED the clouds OF tmidity or hesita-
1 tion and filled all beholders with a rage
for deadly combat; that his mere example
made the army Irresistible. There Is
general impression, which Roosevelt has
at least done nothing to discourage that
he saved the day at Guasimas; that he led
the charge on San Juan hill and block
house, and that. generally, he furnished
the brains. the valor and the inspiration
of the whole affair
Upon the strength of this hypothesis,
carefully built up and industrously dis
eemnated Roosevelt is now a candidate
for the vice presidency, the idol of the
hero worshipers and the pride and glory
Of the multitude. He represents to the
rural districts the directing spirit of the
war with Spain. and his rumpled old cow
boy suit and weather-beaten sombrcro are
the symbols OF martial pomp and devastat-
ing onslaught.
Certainly 1t is fair to examine the basis
OF pretenslons so vast as these and surely
we may be acquitted OF all hostile preju
J 20
Roosevelt's own statements as they are
carefully and deliberately conveyed to au
eager world through the medium of his
copyrighted book, THE Rough Riders
We have made a reasonably sincere study
OF this great work and find that it fur
nishes all needed illustration of Roose-
velts military spirit and intelligence.
Roosevelt. like all men who have risen TO
dizzy attitudes of fame, has his envlous
detractors. We scorn them. We accept
Roosevelt's personal testimony to Roose
velts genius for leadership. He is high
enough authority for US. We begin, there
fore, with the battle of Las Guaeimas.
This battle has been regarded, very erro
neously. as a blunder Captious persons
have declared that Roosevelt foundercd
into an ambush, and that but for the col
ored regulars, he would have been injur
ously trimmed. The fact is that the move
ment was carefully planned by General
Young, with the knowledge and perhaps
the advice OF Colonel Wood Our attack
was made by two bodies smultan eously.
which had advanced by different paths
upon the Spanish works. II was thor
oughly organized reconnaissance in force,
and the only officer concerned in 1t who
seems to have been at all bewildered wss
Roosevelt. On page % of his hook. after
describing the skirmish In most spirited
manner and bringing himself to some
buildings" of which he speaks quite fire.
quently. he adds. THE firing had now
died out but was still entirely uncertain
as to exactly what had happened. I did
not know whether the enemy had been
driven back, or whether It was merely a
lull in the fight and we might be attacked
again: nor did know what had happened
in any other part OF the line while, as /
occupied the extreme left, | was not sure
whether or not my flank was in danger."
OF course It Is quite evident that Rncse-
Welt won this fight His language Is not
altogether coherent but the greatest men
are sometimes dazed by the magnitude II
their own achievements. Roosevelt s
trance di1 not last long. however, for on
the very next page-100-he says: "Thon
started over toward the mnin body, but
TO my deliGht encountered Wood himself
who told me the fight was over and the
spaniards had reiterated"
Y
Roosevelt's part in the assault on San
Juan hill, as related by himself. contrib
utes with still greater force to the estab-
lishment of his pre- eminence in the Sant-
, ago campaign and especially to the claim
that he led the charge in that glorious ana
, brilliant action In his book will be found
: two stirring pictures, one entitled Charge
of the Rough Riders at San Juan HILL"
} and the other colonel Roosevelt and the
! Rough Riders at the point where they
) charged over the hill at San Juan" And
I mighty fine pictures they are, especially
the first mentioned. which shows Reese
welt galloping furiously in the lead with
outstreiched sword and flaming at each
noslrl' Nevertheless, we prefer the text
as being more comprehensive while quite
as brilliant Describing his own move
ments on the tnagic occasion, July.i, 1895
4 he thus beglns-page 1873: 'The Ninth
+ regiment was Immediately in front OF me-
and the First on my left ami these went
up Kettle hill with my regiment OBJ
4 serve the with" II you please. At hrst
: reading, we told ourselves that the intelll-
= gent compositor had been playing tricks
4 with Roosevelt, sending him OFF to an OBJ
: scure engagement and cruelty eliminating
MIN from the great affair OF the campaign
San Juan hill. But. after picturng the
assault on Kettle hill, which seems 10
: nave been attended by very little trouble
; and telling how "hls men" found cover
there he adds-page 1884: 1--WE had a
splendid view OF the San Juan bloekhouse
to our left, where the inhntry 9f Kent
led by Hawkins were climbing the hill"
And then, giving the finale as nc observed
II from kettle hill,about cne-thiri OF mile
distant, he says-page 1876; 1.-The infantry
got nearer and nearer the crest Of the hill
(San Juan). At last could see the
Sp1ni1rds running away from the rife pits
as the Americans came on In their final
rush"
~
1t appears, from a further reading OF
the book, Rough Riders" that. after
Kent had taken and occupied San Juan
hill, Roosevelt exhibited n great deal Of
first class martial fury, charging and
whooping In various directions, and doubt
less frightening the then routed spaniards
, out Of their remaining wits. The fact re-
mains, however. that Rooseyelt's own
book shows that he didn't know where he
was at In the Guaslmas affair, and tina:
his knowledge OF the successful assault N
San UIan hill and h1ookbhuEa ,,yas no.