The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-12-05
Colonel Roosevelt Urged
War Against Spain
STOODSTRONGF FIGHT
There Were the "Peace-At-R1y
Price" Advocates In
Those Days
[Coutinued From Page one.l

th2t will make The French revolution
pale" 1T the same time, IN 1897, &c
predicted: Germany is Tho power
with which We may very possible
have ultimately to come into hostile
contact"
10. Bishop also brings TO light m
address delivered b. Roosevelt be
fore the Naval War College on June
=, 1897, soon after he becaiae assist
ant secretary of the navy, showing
that "he was saying ut that stage Of
his career precisely the things about
national Preparedness that lac said
with such courage, pertnac!ty and
force twenty years later when war
with Germany was upon u.s.
Lodges unbroken Friendship.
Senator Lodges long and unbrOk-
en- friendship Tor Roosevelt and the
part he took in establishing him IN
Washington is interesting-shown in
the letters which passed betwo en-
them during this period. They con-
tain intimate personal chCraCtegi2I-
lions Of the big men Of the line,
notably President Mckinley. SRcrc-
tary Long, John Hay, Speaker Red,
Senator Hale, Secretaries Day and
Gage. Ntmirals Dewey and Growing
shield. Generals Funston and Shaft
G., and others.
When the battleship Maine was
blown up on February Is. 1898 in The
harbor of Havana. Roosevelt, who
lad previously denounced the Span
ish regime in Cuba, emphatically de
c!arcd himself in favor Of war with
Spain. Writing TO Elihu Root on
April 3, 1898, he said: You would
be amazed and Mortified at the peace
at-any- price kilograms OF the most
abject description which come in
multitudes from New York, Boston,
and elsewhere to the president and
senator's" Two days later, after
saying that Mckinley had taken "a
position from which he cannot back
down." Roosevelt wrote: I'VE have
our plans in the navy and beyond that
there is absolutely nothing. The
president doesn't know what message
he will send in or what he will do If
we have war"
Most intereatinu Letter.
What Mr.. Bishop regards as the
most interesting and Illuminating let
term the collection" is one written
TO Roosevelt by Senator Lodge on
September 81. 1898, after the peace
protocol had been signed with Spain.
In il he tells of preparing articles on
the war and of seeking from Secre-
taryt Long the facts regarding
Rcosevelt's order to Dewey en- the
previous February % when he cabl-
ed the admiral at Hong Kong:
"Order the squadron except the
Monocacy TO Honk Kong. Keep fill
OF coal. In the event of declaration
of war Spain, your duty will be to
see that the Spanish Squadron does
not leave the Asiatic coast, and then
offensive operations in Philippines.
Keep Olympia until further orders
Roosevelt"
Senator Lodge wrote that in geek
ing the text of the cablegram he net
nth the opposition of Rear Admiral
4 s. Crowninshield, chief of the Bu-
reau of Navigation, who told him
Secretary Long was unwilling to
give him the "exact language" be-
cause. TO do SC, might appear to Tut
us in a light of being almost over
prepared; in other words, 1t might
seem that the department had. as
early as February 25th the date of
the order, made I'D its mind that
there was going to be war any
way" --
- ------ Roosevelt.
In a letter to DIR. w. Sturgis BiGe-
low, Of Boston, an old friend, on
saortlv before he
RESIGNED his post in Washington to
organize the Rough Riders f,Ooseve.'
wrote: "a mans usefulness depends
upon his living up to his ideals as far
ms he can. | like life very much.
have always led joyous life. like
thought and / like action and it VIII
he very bitter for me to leave my
wife and children: and while THINK
7 could face death with dignity,
have no desire before my time has
come to 90 out into everlasting dalk'
ness. So I shall not go into war
with any undue exhiliration of spir-
;fs or in n frame of mind in any way
approach ing recklessness or leyity.
81 have consistently preached what
cur opponents are pleased TO cal
lingo doctrines for a good many
wears. One of the commonest tauntS
directed at men like myself IL that
we are armchair and parlor Jingoes
who wish to see others do what we
only advocate doing. ] care very liz :
tie for such taunt except as it AZ
fecis my usefulness but l cannot al
ford to disregard the fact that ny
power for good, whatever 1t may DE-
would be gone if didn't try to 1--we
up to the doctrines have tried 70
rreoth. Moreover, it seems to me
that il would be good deal more
important from the standpoint OF the
nation as whole that men Ike my
self should go to war than that VIC
should stay comfortably in Offices at
home and let others carry on Inc
war that we have urged"