The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-26
ROOSEVELT REeUkEp IN ARMY.


United states government at Washington
was negotiating with Spain over peace
terms General Skaters army lay In camp
IN and about the surrendered stronghold
" Cnha. Rains set In. there was scar.
WV OF supplies and the army was forced
10 remain Inactive. In this extremity
Theodore Roosevelt. mere colonel Of vol
nnteers. with large number Of officers
on the ground who far entranked him. saw
NJ to appeal directly 10 Secretary Of War
Alger. His appeal was followed by the
famous round robin. on July % 1895 Colo
mel Roosevelt wrote the following letter
To Alger:
Santiago, July as.-My Dear Mr.. Score,
tary am writing with the knowledge
and approval of General Wheeler. We
ealrtstly hope yol will send lis most Of
the regulars, and at any rate the cavalry
NV son, the rough riders, who are as good
as any regulars and three times as good
ms any state troons-to Porto Rico. There
are 1850 effective men in this divlSion-if
those who were left behind were Joined to
then we could land at Porto Rico in this
cavalry division close to 1000 mon who
would he worth easily any 10000 National
guards armed with blacl-p powder Spring
nelds or other archais weapons. Very re-
spectlrcly. Theodore Roosevelt,
Commnrder Second Cavalry Brigade.
Secretary Of War AlGer Gid not sec ut
to order the rough riders, Of which regi-
ment Roosevelt was colonel to Porto Rico
instead he cabled Roosevelt severe re-
buke for his criticism Of the state militia
men who had fought shoulder to shoulder
with the rough riders at the battle Of san
Juan and distinguished themselves by Their
yalor. Ayers cablegram to Roosevelt fol
Washington, August 4.-Your letter re-
celved, The regular army, the volunteer
army and the rough riders have done well,
but | suggest that, unless YOU want to spoil
the effects and glory of your victory. you
make M invldous comparisons The rough
riders are no better than the other volun-
teers. They had an advantage in their
arms. for which they ought to he CRATE.
full R. A. Algor.
Secretary Of War.
Discovers Army Is in Peril
While awaiting a reply u his letter TO
Alger Colonel Roosevelt apparently got
impatient. He discovers that the army OF
occupation was In dire danger Of being
wiped out. by disease. So, although the
president and the secretary Of war deemed
1t advisable to keep the army In Cuba for
some time Colonel Roosevelt wrote a let
ter 70 General Shafter telling him Of the
perilous situation that up 10 this time none
Of the superior officers had complained Of.
Roosevelt in his letter said yellow fever
had not yet attacked any camp. but he
feared il would. There were 1900 cases
Of malarial fever, but not one had proved
fatal. sim, Roosevelt was sure that
longer stay in Cuba would cost thousands
Of American lives, and he wanted Shafter
to see that Washington gave The necessary
orders TO move out. General Shafter made
ha ipfto rttlAl IT1t fe ,r,1
at Washington Roosevelt was also rehuk.
ed by Secretary Alger for his "unmliitary
conduct. -
Colonel Roosevelt among other things in
his letter, said
We can be moved north, II moved at
once. with absolute safety to the country,
although of course II would have been bet.
ter Infinitely better. II we had been moved
north or To Porto Rico two weeks ago. II
there we're any object In keeping MS here
we would face yellow fever with as much
indifference as we face bullets, but there
is no object In IT,
Leads Up to Round Robin.
President Mckinley however. thought
there was some object 10 keeping troops in
Cuba, and although the government a little
later took steps to move Shafter's army
ont 1t sent fresh troops to replace them
The day that Roosevelt wrote his letter
Ia Shafter the general summoned includ-
ing Colonel Roosevelt, who was the only
officer Of rank as low as colonel to he ad-
mitted to the council Little was done at
this meeting. which was held August 2,
in the morning, August General Shafter
was presented with copy Of the famous
cerned TINT RooseN cit was the author Of
the document. which MAS prepared after
the adjournment of the meeting with GEN
eral Shafters
Alger threatened 10 court-martial Roose-
welt for his part hut President Mckinley
made no move.
Roosevelt even went So far nfterward as
TO threaten to demand court-martial for
the pripcse as he said Of showing up the
! inconrttercy and mismanagement Of the
secretary Of wars office.
Text Of the Round Robin.
Following Is the text Of the round robin,
together with the signers:
We, the undersigned officers commanding
the various brgades, divisions, etc, Of the
army Of occupation, Of Cuba, are OF the
unanimous opinion that the army should
at orce he taken out Of the Island Of Cuba
and sent 10 some point on the northern
coast of the United States; that II can he
done without danger to the people Of the
United States; that yellow fever in the army
al present Is not epidemic; that there are
only few sporadic cases. hut the army is
disabled by malarlal fever to the extent
that Its efficiency is destroyed aud that
| il Is In a condition to be practically de-
stroyed by an epidemic Of yellow fever,
| which is SIRE 20 come In the near future
! We know from reports Of competent Off
! GERS and from personal observations that
! the army Is unable 10 move into the In
terror and that there are no facilities for
such move II attempted and that it could
| not he attempted until 10 late. Moreover
the best medical authorities Of the Island
| say that with our present equipment We
| conld not live in the interior during the
rainy season without losses from malaria
, fever, which is almost as deadly as yell
| low fever,
our opinions are the result Of careful
| personal observation and they are based
! or the unanimous opinion of our medical
officers OF the army who understand the
situation.
MaIor-General ], Ford Kent
Major-Generai ]. c. Bates
Najor-General Ada n. Chaffee.
Rrlgader-General S. S. summer.
Brigadler- General William Ludlow,
Brigadier- General Adeibert Ames
Brigader-General Leonard Wood,
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
Says Roosevelt Attacked Nation
| Commencing on Colonel Rooseyelts crlh