The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1902-02-13

when the storm has exhausted itself he
will find his level. 1t will be his felici-
ty TO escort democrat to where the
chief justice is standing to administer
the oath to the next president.
"The republican party surely will go
down by Rooseyelt's weight. Repub-
licans will defeat him. In the conven-
tion he will prevail because almost any
president, save some magnificent fellow
like Chester A. Arthur, can control a
convention through the medium of his
federal offioeholders.
The morning paper then goes on to
condemn Davis for mentioning the cell
ebrated Ground Robin" sent out from
army headquarters at Santiago. Per-
haps it will not be amiss to freshen the
memory of the public on this epistle.
The robin" was signed by Col. Theo-
dore Roosevelt, together with other Of
ficers under Gen. Shafter, and address
ed to that commander, and through
him to the War department at Washing
ton. No more dictatorial instrument
was ever signed by a lot of subordinates.
1t was as follows;
We, the undersigned general officers,
al ara nf tho nna nna nnIniOn th az
this army must at once be taken out of
the island of Cuba and sent to some
point on the northeastern coast OF the
United States. We know
. that the army is unable to move
to the interior. This army
must be moved at once or it will perish.
= Persons responsible for pre-
venting such move will be RESPONSE
BILE for the unnecessary loss Of many
thousands of lives.
1t is q matter Of history that the late
Gen. Lawton declined to sign the ''rob-
in" without a protest. He qualified
his signature with this Endorsement;
In signing the above letter do so
with the understanding that it has been
seen and approved by the commanding
general. | desire also to ex-
press the opinion that the mandatory
language used in the letter is impolitic
and unnecessary. Milder expressions
to those high in authority usually &C
complish just as much.
II should be remembered that this
''robin" was signed in time of war, and
is therefore all the more remarkable.
OF course the Santiago end of the
Spanish army had surrendered, but
peace had not been declared, nor was il
declared for weeks afterward. Notcon-
tent with having signed it, the officers
gave it out TO the press and the first in
timation the country had of it was I'M.
der scare headlines in the yellow jour
nails. In view of these things military
experts are agreed that no more fragrant
case of characterization was ever known
in the history of the army Of the Unit
ed States. The worst feature of it wal
the proclaiming to the world, and tC
the Spanish authorities in particular
that our army was in stranded condi
ton. Writing Of the incident in hi
book, "The Spanish American War, >
Gen. Russell A. Alger says
The publication of this official letter
was gross breach of army regulations
and military discipline Wher
the president Mckinley read thu
Ground robin" for the first time in thu
newspapers he became very much ex
cited and indignant.
In view of the fact that Col. Roose
welt signed the Ground robin" and wal
indeed the leader in its promulgation
and in view of the further fact tina
President Roosevelt SO brutally ant
famboyantly Inundated Gen. Miles fol
merely expressing an opinion in tim,
Of peace, The News submits that ev
thing Webster Davis has said about Mr.
Roosevelt is pertinent and merited. 81,
is open to the severest criticism, anC
Davis seems to have rubbed it on just
little harder and more effectively thai
any other man who has undertaken tn
( job. -Chattanooga News.