The evening world., 1908-10-17

and tCGS perfectly amazed at
the schOolboy English, the .gror-
ant arrogance, the appalling
bur DtioUSne8s OF the man 1cs
hGd made President Of the United
S!G;cS.
In my opinion the style makes III.
man. To form an estimate. read Col
I.ooseve,rs letter u Gen. Slater dur.n.
the Cuban campaign:
"Nator-Gon. Shqftnr.
sir: In melting Of the general
and medical officers called by you a.
the Palace this morning. We were
all. as you know. unanimous in view
Of what should be done with the
army. To keep us here, in the oDin-
ion OF every officer commanding a
division or a brigade, will simply
involve the destruction of thou-
sands. There is no possible reason
for not shipping practically the en-
tire command north at once.
yellow fever cases are very few
in the Cavalry division. where l COM
mand one of the two brigades, and
not one true case of yellow fever has
occurred in this division. eNcep.
among the men sent 10 the hospital
at S.bOney, where they have, / be-
leve, contracted It. But in this d-
vision there have heen $50 cases OF
malar!al fever. Not man has died
from II. but the whole command Is
so weakened and shattered as to be
ripe for diving like rotten sheep when
a real low fever epidemic, instead
OF "A fake epidemic like the present.
strikes US, as Il is bound to. r We
stay here at the height of the SICK
ness season. August and the begin
ming of September. Quarantine
against malarial fever Is much like
auarant!n!ns aga INST the toothache.
"All OF us are certain, as soon as
the authorities at Washington fully
appreciate the conditions of the
army. to be sent home. /! We are
kept here 1t will in all human pos
sbility mean an appalling disaster,
for the surgeons here estimate that
over half the army, II kept here
during the sickly season, will die.
This is not only terrible from the
standpoint OF the individual lives
lost, but II means ruin from the
standpoint OF military efficiency OF
the flower of the American Army.
for the great bulk OF the regulars
are here with you. The sick list,
large tho It IS exceeding 1900, at
fords but a faint index OF the de-
b!litation OF the Army. Not ten
per cent. are fit FOR active work.
Six weeks on the North Maine
coast, for instance. or elsewhere,
where the yellow fever germs cam
not possibly propagate would make
us all as fit as fghting-cocks, able
as we are and eager TO take a lead
ing part in the great campaign
against Havana in the fall. even II
we are not allowed TO try Porto
Rico.
I'VE can be moved north, II moved
at once. with absolute safety to the
country, altho' of course 1t would have
been Infinitely better II We had been
moved north or to Porto Rico two
weeks ago. II there were any object
I'm keeping US here, we would face
yellow fever with as much !nd!ner-
ence as We face bullets, but there
is no object in 1t, The four immune
regiments ordered here are sufficient
to garrison the city and surrounding
towns, aad there is absolutely moth
Ing for us to do here, and there has
not been since the city surrendered,
II is Impossible TO move into the in
terror.
Every shifting OF camp doubles
the sick rate in our present weakened
condition, and anyhow the interior
is rather worse than the coast, as
/ have found by actual reconnais-
sance. Our present camps are as
healthy as any camps at this end of
the island can be. | write only be-
cause / cannot see our men who
have fought so bravely and who
have endured extreme hardship and
danger so uncomplainngly 20 TO de-
struction without striving so far as
lies In me to avert "A doom as fearful
as II Is unnecessary and undeseryed.
Yours respectfully,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
Colonel Commanding First Bri-
gade,"
"Whnt a model of English CON
position In an eight Grade grn "a
mar school!
1T was not until last spring, how
ever. that | resolved to write boo
about the reai Roosevelt This ! did