The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-08-15
ROUGH ON ROOSEVELT.
bombastes Furioso as Seen Through
Republican Spectacles.


Washington Post.
Should the Republican Presidential
ticket be elected, bringing Mr.. Roose-
welt within one life OF the Chief Magis.
tracy, the interests OF the nation will, in
an unusual degree, be conferred in the
preservation OF that life. For, although h
many men intellectually inferior to
Mr.. Roosevelt have been elected to the
Vice Presidential Office, we can recall
none In that position whose promotion
to the only higher place In our system
OF government would have given so
much cause for grave apprehension.
These are not quiet times, nor are ex-
listing conditions normal. New con-
ditions have brought new responsibjI-
ties and evolved new and serious r OBJ
lens with which the present anG sue
ceedlng administrations must concern
themselves.
The Post knows no way OF .dging of
the luture but by the past no better
way OF determining what man would
40 IN a certain station than to consider
what he has, IN tho past advised the
incumbent in that position tu 60 Let
us apply this rule to Mr.. Roosevelt.
There Is nothing In the record OF
President Mckinley more distinctly
creditablo to him than his firm, stout
and finally successful resistance OF the
proposition to put into our declaration
OF war against Spain q recognition of
the bogus Cuban republic. But for
that resistance OF tremendous pressure
we should have gone into Cuba to play
second fiddle to Cuban generals to rein.
force that prepOsterous Cuban army.
1t would have been fearful and might
| have been fatal blunder. All the
posed the President In that crisis real
lied their mistake, knew that he was
right and they were wrong, as soon as
our entrance into Cuba proved the al
| legged republic to be sham and the
| army not much better. But had The
odore Roosevelt been President, that
recognition would have been accorded
that gigantic blunder perpetrated. AS
an honest man he would have done
what he advised the President to do
1t is a well-known fact that the persis.
tent urging OF Assistant. Secretary
Roosevelt was part OF the pressure
which the President resisted.
| Had Roosevelt been President, the
same process OF reasoning that led
him to favor recognition of an imagin
ary republic and cooperation with 8
paper army in Cuba would have prompt
|
Aguinaldo and his alleged republic
in the Philippines. And what woulc
have been the outcome OF that folly !
What but Disgrace could have come
out OF it?
Had Roosevelt been President In the
summer OF 1898 our fleet would have
been sent across the Atlantic in search
OF Cervera's ships. That ia what hi
urged upon the President with all tn,
earnestness that characteriZes hi
strenuous nature. 1t would have bee.
a display OF stupendous folly, unsur
passed In history.
There are other facts In the caree
OF this popular candidate for the Vic
Presidency which, In case of his cleo
tion, will make thoughtful men desire
with more than customary fervor, tina
no vacancy may occur In the Presder
tial office. As civil service commits
, sioner he "tithed mint, cummin an
anise, and neglected the weightie
matters OF law" AS police commi.
sioner In New York he harried petit
: offenders against obsolete laws, Will
burglars and oLher felons prosecute
: their business with comparative i'm
punlty. AS lieutenant colonel OF tn
o Rough Riders who never rode, he wa
unpleasantly conspicuous In the yello,
fever round-robin episode. Was hi
fantastic campaign for governor In tn
fall OF 1898 even remotely suggestive G
Presidential size? And In his cours
: as governor Of the Empire State
: whore is there q hint OF Presidents
r capacity? The qualities that he mos
/ cOnspcuOusly lacks are those whic
{ come first In the equipment OF SAT
{ President OF the United States /
trouDlous times.