Evening journal., 1910-01-25
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
One Of ROOSeVelt'S War
Plans That Failed
BY "HoIIand.r
BY "EioIIand.n

when the real inner history OF all
the events that preceded and led UP
to the war with Spain is written, | as
sure you that it will make sensation
al reading in the best meaning of the
word. I know enough of the inner
history to justify me in saying this.
and ] also am justified in adding that
in that history-if it is ever written
the name of Theodore Roosevelt will
receive no insignificant mention"
The speaker was one who occupied
very important officisl post at
Washington just before and during
the war with Spain, and for year
or two after it was terminated.
YES" he reiterated, 'the name of
Theodore Roosevelt will certainly re-
ceive more than passing notice; and
/ have reason for believing that Mr..
Roosevelt has kept complete docu-
mentary data and that he himself may
be the man who will sometime give
US our real history Of the war with
Spain. In that event. daresay, he
will tell. among other things, what he,
as assistant secretary of the navy,
purposed doing with the Philippine
Islands after we had wrested them
from Spain, according to the strategy
he planned This bit Of inner his
tory came within my personal expert
ence, and, so far as / know, has never
been put in print.
"One of the most intimate friends
whom Col. Roosevelt ever had was
the late John r. Proctor, president Of
the United States civil service com.
mission, and under whom Mr. Roose-
velt served as a commissioner The
two men we're just enough unlike in
temperament to be entirely congenial
the one to the other. Each understood
the other perfectly. I believe that
Proctor had q better understanding
of Roosevelts purposes than any 9TH
er of the latter's friends or acquaint-
ances possessed.
"A few days after the Maine had
been wrecked in Havana harbor I
chanced to meet Mr.. Proctor. He was
very much excited He thought that
war was inevitable.
But won't it be foolish to precipi-
tate warp / asked him. You know,
don't you, that we haven't ammuni-
tion enough in our Atlantic coast de-
fenses to serve the guns more than
onee?'
"'Yes, 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 plan.
ming to have Dewey, who is now near
Hong Kong with his fleet, go to Ma
nila and destroy the Spanish fleet
there. Roosevelt says that Dewey can
knock the Spanish fleet to smither-
eens within two hours. Then when
he has done that the Philippines are
at our mercy
1T was the first time that / had
thought of the Philippines in connec-
tion with the impending war with
Spain, except remotely, and said to
Proctor:
"'Well, if Dewey destroys the feet
and captures the Philippines. what
are we going to do with the archipel-
ago?"
"'oh,' replied Proctor. I can't tell
you certainly, but am strongly Of the
opinion that Roosevelt expects that
we can turn them over to Japan aft
er 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 its own arch
ipelago.'
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 be had posi-
tive personal knowledge from head
quarters that it was his young
friends purpose to slice off the Phil
ippines from Spain and deliver them
into the keeping Of Japan. am pos
tive that, If Roosevelt could have had
his way. this would have been done,
! with what consequences in the far
east no man can say. But the momen-
tous diplomacy which made this ae-
tion impossible is another story, and
1t too. will make sensational history
when 1t is told"
Copyright 1909. by f. j. Edwardsl
Tomorrow, MIR. Edwards will tell Of