The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-07-05
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
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One of RooseVelt's War Plans
That Failed.
--=
Former officials story Shows That
He Intended That the Philippines
Should Be Given to
Japan.

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 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 VIII
receive no insignificant mention.
The speaker was one who occupied
a very important official post a.
Washington just before and during
the war with Spain, and for a year
or two after It was terminated.
yes" he reiterated, the name OF
Theodore Roosevelt win certainly re-
ceive more than passing notice; and
l 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
viii tell, among other things what he,
as assistant secretary of the navy,
purposed doing with the Philippine
Islands after we had wfested them
from Spain, according to the strategy
he planned. This bit of inner his
tory came within my personal expert
enee, 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-
welt served as a commissioner. The
two men were just enough unlike in
temperament to be entirely congenial
the one to the other. Each understood
the other perfectly. | believe that
Proctor had better understanding
of Rooseyelt's purposes than any 9th
er of the latters friends or acquaint-
ances possessed.
"A few days after the Maine had
been wrecked in Havana harbor
CHANGED to meet Mr.. Proctor He was
very much excited. He thought that
war was Inevitable
13uJ WON IL Db lDOital W pittlpl
tate war;? | asked him. You know,
don't you, that we haven't ammuni-
ton enough in our Atlantic coast de-
lenses to serve the guns more than
once?'
Eyes. / 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 1t 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
Mia and destroy the Spanish feet
there Roosevelt says that Dewey can
knock the Spanish fleet to smither-
Gems within two hours. Then when
he has done that the Philippines are
at our mercy
1T was the first time that l had
thought of the Philippines in connec
ton 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 arehipel.
ago?"
Oh replied Proctor, = can't tell
you certainly. but ] am strongly of the
| opinion that Roosevelt expects that
we can turn them over to Japan aft
err 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
| ipoiago.
instantly It was plain to me that
Mir Proctor spoke thus guardedly be-
cause he did not want to commit hts
friend Roosevelt, but that he had posi-
tive personal knowledge from head
quarters that 1t was his young
friends purpose to slice off the Phil
lppines from Spain and deliver them
into the keeping of Japan. am pos
tive that. II 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 ac.
ton impossible is another story. and
1t too, win make sensational history
when 1t is told"
Copyright 1909, by E j. Edwards)
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