Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-04-01
A NEW NAPOLEON.

A NEW NAPOtEON.
The edict which Mr.. Roosevelt has
recently promulgated and by which
10000 pensioners are to be added to
tho already gorged list, and by which
II millions of dollars are to be added
to the expenses of the government, is
but a sample Of the man we have at
the head of the nation. This is what
he calls following in the footsteps of
Mckinley.
Before Mr.. Roosevelt accidentally
got his present position his mode OF
domineeriDg were fairly well known.
He had been a member of the Civil
Service Commission. He had been
Governor of New York. He had been
upon the Police Commission of New
York. In al of these positions the
same bold, reckless, dominating in
duences had manifested themselves.
He had also been with the army in
Cuba. When he landed we are told
he did not wait for orders, he went
looking for the enemy in good free
lance fashion. He found HIM. But
that is neither here nor there. After
the war had ended the army began to
become sick, the men began to fall not
by Spanish bullets, but by a plague
which is indigenous to that coAntry
Gen. Shafter was in charge SO the
records showed, and through him
should the War Department have
been notified and dealt with. But no.
Col. Roosevelt took it upon himself to
issue an order for the Withdrawal of
the army. He did not in fact put the
men on board transports and send
them home, but he wrote Mr.. McKin'
ley and had the letter published
throughout the United States. He
said: "This army must be taken out
of here" The result was that it was
withdrawn as fast as possible. The
news no doubt was good thing fol
the army, but had such letter beer
written by any other subordinate Off
Ger we believe he would have beer
eashiered. It was the grossest breach
of military discipline. but it was pass
cd over in Col. Roosevelt's case. VIII er
on the Civil Service Commission be
was its head and in fact ''the entire
push as the phrase goes. He domi
mated that body as completely as il
the other mem ers had been children
and he a man. He practically wrote
or dictated every order, the other,
might about as we'll have been dead
for all the power they welded. A,
Police Commissioner of New Y ork be
took things into his own hands, and
AZ Governor of that State his career of
domination and dictatiOn are too we'll
known to need much more than a
mere reference to them here. But
those did not afford proper field for
his talents. Not until he became pres
ident did he arrive at sphere broad
enough for his opera tions, and not
yet has he arrived there fully, because
he is now president by accident and
not by choice of the people. When b e
10 elected this fall then will his ambi-
lions become empletely visibly and
his Napoleanic traits be set like can
die upon candlestick.
But see what he has done already.
He tore tho White House to pieces, be
erected wings and an Office and rip
ped the interior out and split it's an
eient mouldings to smithereens. He
sent hangings and chandeliers, and
valuable not possibly be-
cause of their intrinsic worth, but on
account OF their association, to junk |
shops and cellars, and substituted in |
sheir places tinsel and new fummery,
and pictures of horses and fox chas-
Ing. He acknowledged Panama when
It was not 8 DAYS old and owing to the
necessities of party, made more ne
by an impending national
election, he forced Congress to follow
him and bow to his imperial dictates.
as a starter for his campaign be issued
he pension edict which We are told
will at once make solid for him 100 900
DID soldiers, and practically put into
lls campaign fund II million dollars
md Congress will bow the knee of
erVllity before him and endorse this
unconstitutional assumption of power.
These are only few of the many
more important actions of this dicta-
or. We might mention many-in fact
thousands of others. The crammine
II DR.. Crum, the negro collector.
own The Threats of the people of ;
the closing of the Indian
la postoftice. the elevation of Gen.
v God from doctor to a Major Cen
'ral and commandment. chief of the ,
rmy in the short space of a year or s
wo. mark moves on the Imperial chess
oard and autocratic dictation to a
egree which this country has never
cen before, but which will be aug
tented thousand fold if this young
Timber succeeds In his. ambitious {
rasp OF the presidency.
In speaking OF Mr.. Cleveland as a
ossible Democratic candidate for the
the Washington Post asks
Where is the Democrat who could
Lual him In winning SUPPORT FROM