The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-12
A GREAT FAKE.

A GREAT FAKE
1t is painfully evident that The Pitts
burg Post is not to be ciassed among
the hero-worshippers. as the following
win show:
The Post must confess to a great
deal of disappointment In Colonel
Roosevelt We had been led to believe
that the African expedition was that
of faunal naturalist intent on the
POSSIBLY POSI- S.r ls1dable purpose Of bringing
now come reports from Nairobi which
compel q complete REIMBURSEMENT of
this opinion. The Colonel. II would
seem, mas slain six nne specimens" of
Criticism is not so pointed, perhaps,
as 70 numbers. although the purpose
Of obtaining SO many specimens" is
might have suficed. The unpleasant
feature of the matter lies in the man.
ner OF the slaughter. Persons OF the
fesr thst Su, type type who the
not return were assured that there
was really not danger. Events have
proven the truth OF that assertion.
be given largely to the assiduity Of
native "beaters,S who virtually drag
forth the unresisting wild beasts to
be wantonly destroyed. Is there more
u
Of pheasants on an English estate, or
the pot-hunting OF rabbits in western
Pennsylvania? Is the Colonel out for
specimens" or for a record as the
king of butchers?
The statement put forth In some
quarters that Roosevelt was going to
Africa IN the interests Of science" was
a patent fake from the beginning. He
went there In the interest OF Theodore
Roosevelt. and no one else. A man of
his sort who had been so prominently
in the public eye for years could not
bear the idea Of dropping into COM
parative obscurity. 1t would have
been gall and NORWOOD. and several
other things. for him to have fallen
back to place where he would not
be talked about and held up before the
public as one Of the greatest of all the
great men Of this or any other age
That would mean oblivion, ana oblivion
to such a man would be worse than
the grave; consequently he hardly
waited to close his term of ONCE be-
fore he was of with great rattle of
drums and biare Of trumpets to find
new fields Of publicity. The interests
Of science might go hang for anything
be cared. unless the interests Of the
newspapers was also looked after.
And all that other talk, that shud-
dering apprehension and that tremul-
Gus solicitude for his safety was an
other fake. Some of his sycophantic
worshippers would fain have people
believe that he was going solitary and
alone to wriggle through the jungles
and thickets of darkest Africa all by
his lonesome, where he would slay ami
male and reptiles right and left and
cause the world to hold its breath In
wonder and admiration at such. an ex-
hibition of consummate daring and
bravery. These trumpeters of fame
did not let 1t be known that he was
going into It with a small army of
guards, attendants and helpers sufi-
cient to astonish the natives and pro-
tect himself from danger. That talk
was bigger fake than the other.
Neither the interests of science nor a
love Of dangerous adventure had any
particular bearing on this expedition,
He went there to keep himself promi-
nsntly- in-ths- 1tmslight, In the AEst
place. and to crafty the blood-1ust
that belongs to his nature. He will
kill any animal that comes in his way
merely to crafty his love for killing
and to satisfy the longings of natures
cruel and merciless instincts. Possibl y
science may find some slight beneft
from the trip, but that is a mere side
issue. The two principal objects are
the exploitation of Roosevelt and the
opportunity for killing. Interests of
science be hanged!