Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-25
I. r. an Asset

TAESAR being dead, Brutus wept
IL for him. Happily, in the case
of Theodore Roosevelt there is
no occasion for the Courier-J Journal
to weep. says the Louisville Courier
Journal. He is yet In the land of the
living and very much alive. The
dagger with which the Courier
Journal so often laid him low was
never a poisoned dagger. It's blade,
where 1t cut at all, went little deeper
than the cloth of his coat. Not in
frequently he was able to parry the
blow, for he is very dexterous. And
crafty-la, how crafty!
(Now? That is quite another
breed of dogs! Woody will take no
risk in giving Teddy chance! Con-
gress need not fear an enabling act
If one be requisite. Even the general
staff of the ARMY But never mind
the general staff, Just send Leonard
Wood as chief of the foreign legion,
Theodore Roosevelt as general of
| division, and trust the rest to God.
They did very we'll together in CubaD
The reader will please excuse fer
vor, haste and bad pen. 1t is hard
to write of Theodore Roosevelt with
the solemn dignity of the historic, or
even the stereotype of the official
life. He is the Peter Pan of our pub
lie life. Maynard, headstrong, up
right, resourceful, lovable-with tai
ents to burn and genius for getting
therein this dire emergency he be-
comes a national-an international
asset.
1t is of supreme import that we
strike the European situation while
the iron is hot-that we do not let
1t cool-that we do not allow the
opportunity, the psychic moment, to
pass. At long range we shall come
down with the stamps; at short range
help to clear the sea lanes. But
something visible must go to the
front-must go at once-the shine of
Yankee steel, the CLINT of the Stars
and Stripes.
The President is man of imagina-
ton. He is largely possessed of the
initiative. In this war he will have
to originate many things-maybe
break many precedents. He must
| look to the spiritual and spectacular
as well as the physical.
There is inspiration in the pictur-
esque. The commonplace of the SOL
dier's duty-the humdrum of his
technical routine-even martial or
ganization and discipline-yield be-
fore the actualities, the startling evo-
lutions of war. What was Bedford
Forrest but a military paradox?
What was Grant but prodigy? At
| first they said Sherman was crazy.
The Little Corsicans' of history
defy all rules. So does our Teddy
Bear" of oyster Bay. That is what
makes him so interesting. Turn him
loose in the low countries and Quen-
tin Durward will live again. AS of
old Israel Putnam it was said, "It
there's an injun to be killed or a red
coat to be found. he's the man to do
it," may we say of Theodore Roose-
welt, when deeds are to be done,
you'll find him in the thick of them"
lie will carry the flag and lead the
boys across the Rhine-no River of
Doubt to him!-and march into Ber-
lin shouting ITO hell with the Hohen-
zollernsl" He will not have to be in
troduced to William OF that ilk,
either-as like as not he will call
him "Bilr'-and John Bull will hur-
rah and Johnny Crapeau eXclaim
"By Gar"-whilst
THE Star-Spangled Banner in tri-
umph shall wave"
over Potsdam and the dead of Water
loo river from their graves and stand
upon the grassy slopes to give the
Napoleonic salute!
Go to 1t, Mr.. President! Teddy
alone with the flag in his hand were
worth any army corps to those war
worn braves in the trenches away off
yonder in Flanders, God bless them!
But Teddy with an army corps were
a victory! Yes, a victory for us no
less than for them; proof of who's
who and what's what a breezy prom
ise Of what Is yet to come! Go to it,
Mr.. President!