Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-12-10
PLAN THAT FAILED.
A ROOSEVELT WAR
az z. J..

"When the real inner history Of all
the events that preceded and led up TO
the war with Spain is written. as
sure you tina 1t will max sensational
reading in the best meaning OF the
word. / know enough of he inner
history to justify me in saying this,
and l also am justified in adding that
In that history-it it is ever written
the name of Theodore Roosevelt VIII
receive no insignificant mention"
The speaker was n who occupied
q very important official post at Wash
ington just before and during the wal
with Spain, and for a yea or two after
1t was terminated.
Yes" he reiterated, "the name of
Theodore Roosevelt will certainly re-
| ceive more than passing notice; and l
have reason for believing that MI.
Roosevelt has kept complete documen-
tary data, and that he himself may
be the man who will sometime give us
our real history of the wal with Spain.
In that event, l daresay, he will tell,
among other things, what he, as as
sistant secretary Of the navy, purposed
doing with the Philippine islands after
we had wrested them from Spain ac-
cording to the strategy he planned.
This bit of inner history came within
my personal experience. and, so far as
l know, has never been put in print.
One of the most intimate friends
whom Colonel Roosevelt ever had was
the late John r. Proctor, president of
the United States civil service COM
mission, and under whom Mr.. Roose-
welt served as a commissioner. The
two men were just enough unlike in
temperament to be entirely cOngenial
the enc 70 the other. Each understood
the other perfectly. l believe that Proc
tor had a better understanding of
Roosevelt's purposes than any other
of the latter's friends or ac~quaintances
possessed.
"A few days aNer the Maine had
been wrecked in Havana harbor l
CHANGED to meet Mr.. Proctor. He was
very much excited. He thought that
war was inevitable.
but won't 1t be foolish to precipi-
tate war? l asked him. You know,
don't you, that we haven't ammunition
enough in our Atlantic coast d~efenses
to serve the guns more than Once?'
"Yes, 1 know that he replied, and
so does Roosevelt. I'll tell you what
Roosevelt plans doing he went on
hastily, and he's going to do it right
away. We're going to have war;; that
can't be avoided. So Roosevelt is
planning to have Dewey, who is now
near Hong Kong with his feet, go to
Manila and destroy the Spanish fleet
tiiSiC - JNOOScNSll says NItdl LC"Sy Ndll
knock the Spanish fleet to smithereens
within two hours. Then, when he has
done that the Philippines are at our
mercy
1T was the first time that I had
thought of the Philippines in connec-
ton with the impending war with
Spain, except remotely, and l said to
Proctor:
"'Well, If Dewey destroys the fleet
and captures the Philippines, what are
we going to do with the archipelago?'
"'Oh, replied Proctor, I can't tell
you certainly, but 1 am strongly Of
the opinion hat Roosevelt expects
that we can turn them over to Japan
after we have slashed the islands off
from Spain. You know, Formosa, which
Japan controls, Isn't far away, and
Japan would be only too happy to
add the Philippines to it's own archi-
pelago.'
Instantly it was plain to me that
Mr.. Proctor spoke thus guardedly be-
cause he did not want to commit his
friend Roosevelt, but that he had pos
tive personal knowledge from head
quarters that it was his young
friends purpose to slice off the Philip
pines from Spain and deliver them
into the keeping of Japan. / am posi-
tive that If Roosevelt could have Rad
his way, this would have been done,
with what consequences in the far
cas- no man can say. But the mo-
mentous diplomacy which made his
action impossible is another story,
and 1t, too, will make sensational his
tory when it is told"
Copyright, 1909. by E. j. Edwards.)