theodore roosevelt-第20节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


nce　a　tennis…ball　could　be　thrown　was　a　steamer　loaded　with　medicines；　but　that　no　orders　were　given　to　bring　them　ashore！

The　Rough　Riders　were　hard　hit　by　disease；　but　not　harder　than　the　other　regiments　in　the　Army。　Every　one　of　their　officers；　except　the　Colonel　and　another；　had　yellow　fever；　and　at　one　time　more　than　half　of　the　regiment　was　sick。　A　terrible　depression　weighed　them　down。　They　almost　despaired；　not　only　of　being　relieved；　but　of　living。　To　face　the　entire　Spanish　Army　would　have　been　a　great　joy；　compared　with　this　sinking；　melting　away；　against　the　invisible　fever。

The　Administration　at　Washington；　however；　although　it　knew　the　condition　of　the　Army　in　Cuba；　seemed　indifferent　rather　than　anxious；　and　talked　about　moving　the　troops　into　the　interior；　to　the　high　ground　round　San　Luis。　Thereupon；　Roosevelt　wrote　to　General　Shafter；　his　commanding　officer：

To　keep　us　here；　in　the　opinion　of　every　officer　commanding　a　division　or　a　brigade；　will　simply　involve　the　destruction　of　thousands。　There　is　no　possible　reason　for　not　shipping　practically　the　entire　command　North　at　once　。。。。

All　of　us　are　certain；　as　soon　as　the　authorities　at　Washington　fully　appreciate　the　conditions　of　the　army；　to　be　sent　home。　If　we　are　kept　here　it　will　in　all　human　probability　mean　an　appalling　disaster；　for　the　surgeons　here　estimate　that　over　half　the　army；　if　kept　here　during　the　sickly　season；　will　die。

This　is　not　only　terrible　from　the　standpoint　of　the　individual　lives　lost；　but　it　means　ruin　from　the　standpoint　of　military　efficiency　of　the　flower　of　the　American　Army；　for　the　great　bulk　of　the　regulars　are　here　with　you。　The　sick…list；　large　though　it　is；　exceeding　four　thousand；　affords　but　a　faint　index　of　the　debilitation　of　the　army。　Not　ten　per　cent　are　fit　for　active　work。

This　letter　General　Shafter　really　desired　to　have　written；　but　when　Roosevelt　handed　it　to　him；　he　hesitated　to　receive　it。　Still　Roosevelt　persisted；　left　it　in　the　General's　hands；　and　the　General　gave　it　to　the　correspondent　of　the　Associated　Press　who　was　present。　A　few　hours　later　it　had　been　telegraphed　to　the　United　States。　Shafter　called　a　council　of　war　of　the　division　and　brigade　commanders；　which　he　invited　Roosevelt　to　attend；　although　his　rank　as　Colonel　did　not　entitle　him　to　take　part。　When　the　Generals　heard　that　the　Army　was　to　be　kept　in　Cuba　all　summer　and　sent　up　into　the　hills；　they　agreed　that　Roosevelt's　protest　must　be　supported；　and　they　drew　up　the　famous　〃Round　Robin〃　in　which　they　repeated　Roosevelt's　warnings。　Neither　President　McKinley　nor　the　War　Department　could　be　deaf　to　such　a　statement　as　this：　〃This　army　must　be　moved　at　once　or　perish。　As　the　army　can　be　safely　moved　now；　the　persons　responsible　for　preventing　such　a　move　will　be　responsible　for　the　unnecessary　loss　of　many　thousands　of　lives。〃

This　letter　also　was　immediately　published　at　home；　and　outcries　of　horror　and　indignation　went　up。　A　few　sticklers　for　military　etiquette　professed　to　be　astonished　that　any　officer　should　be　guilty　of　the　insubordination　which　these　letters　implied；　and；　of　course；　the　blame　fell　on　Roosevelt。　The　truth　is　that　Shafter；　dismayed　at　the　condition　of　the　Fifth　Army；　and　at　his　own　inability　to　make　the　Government　understand　the　frightful　doom　which　was　impending；　deliberately　chose　Roosevelt　to　commit　the　insubordination；　for；　as　he　was　a　volunteer　officer；　soon　to　be　discharged；　the　act　could　not　harm　his　future；　whereas　the　regular　officers　were　not　likely　to　be　popular　with　the　War　Department　after　they　had　called　the　attention　of　the　world　to　its　maleficent　incompetence。

Washington　heard　the　shot　fired　by　the　Colonel　of　the　Rough　Riders；　and　without　loss　of　time　ordered　the　Army　home。　The　sick　were　transported　by　thousands　to　Montauk　Point；　at　the　eastern　end　of　Long　Island；　where；　in　spite　of　the　best　medical　care　which　could　be　improvised；　large　numbers　of　them　died。　But　the　Army　knew；　and　the　American　public　knew；　that　Roosevelt；　by　his　〃　insubordination；〃　had　saved　multitudes　of　lives。　At　Montauk　Point　he　was　the　most　popular　man　in　America。

This　concluded　Roosevelt's　career　as　a　soldier。　The　experience　introduced　to　the　public　those　virile　qualities　of　his　with　which　his　friends　were　familiar。　He　had　not　endured　the　hardships　of　ranching　and　hunting　in　vain。　If　life　on　the　Plains　democratized　him；　life　with　the　Rough　Riders　did　also；　indeed；　without　the　former　there　would　have　been　no　Rough　Riders　and　no　Colonel　Roosevelt。　He　learned　not　only　how　to　lead　a　regiment　according　to　the　tactics　of　that　day；　but　alsoand　this　was　far　more　importanthe　learned　how　disasters　and　the　waste　of　lives；　and　treasure；　and　the　ignominy　of　a　disgracefully　managed　campaign；　sprang　directly　from　unpreparedness。　This　burned　indelibly　into　his　memory。　It　stimulated　all　his　subsequent　appeals　to　make　the　Army　and　Navy　large　enough　for　any　probable　sudden　demand　upon　them。　〃America　the　Unready〃　had　won　the　war　against　a　decrepit；　impoverished；　third…rate　power；　but　had　paid　for　her　victory　hundreds　of　millions　of　dollars　and　tens　of　thousands　of　lives；　what　would　the　count　have　mounted　to　had　she　been　pitted　against　a　really　formidable　foe？　Would　she　have　won　at　all　against　any　enemy　fully　prepared　and　of　nearly　equal　strength？　Many　of　us　dismissed　Roosevelt's　warnings　then　as　the　outpourings　of　a　jingo；　of　one　who　loved　war　for　war's　sake；　and　wished　to　graft　onto　the　peaceful　traditions　and　standards　of　our　Republic　the　militarism　of　Europe。　We　misjudged　him。



CHAPTER　VIII。　GOVERNOR　OF　NEW　YORKVICE…PRESIDENT

While　Roosevelt　was　at　Montauk　Point　waiting　with　his　regiment　to　be　mustered　out；　and　cheering　up　the　sick　soldiers；　he　had　direct　proof　that　every　war　breeds　a　President。　For　the　politicians　went　down　to　call　on　him　and；　although　they　did　not　propose　that　he　should　be　a　candidate　for　the　Presidencythat　was　not　a　Presidential　yearthey　looked　him　over　to　see　how　he　would　do　for　Governor　of　New　York。　Since　Cleveland　set　the　fashion　in　1882；　the　New　York　governorship　was　regarded　as　the　easiest　stepping　stone　to　the　Presidency。　Roosevelt's　popularity　was　so　great　that　if　the　matter　had　been　left　in　the　hands　of　the　people；　he　would　have　been　nominated　with　a　rush；　but　the　Empire　State　was　dominated　by　BossesSenator　David　B。　Hill；　the　Democratic　State　Boss；　Senator　Thomas　C。　Platt；　the　Republican　State　Boss；　and　Richard　Croker；　Boss　of　Tammany；who　had　intimate　relations　with　the　wicked　of　both　parties；　and　often　decided　an　election　by　throwing　their　votes　or　withholding　them。

Senator　Platt　enjoyed；　with　Senator　Quay　of　Pennsylvania；　the　evil　reputation　of　being　the　most　unscrupulous　Boss　in　the　United　States。　I　do　not　undertake　to　say　whether　the　palm　should　go　to　him　or　to　Quay；　but　no　one　disputes　that　Platt　held　New　York　State　in　his　hand；　or　that　Quay　held　Pennsylvania　in　his。　By　the　year　1898；　both　were　recognized　as　representing　a　type　of　Boss　that　was　becoming　extinct。

The　business…man　type；　of　which　Senator　Aldrich　was　a　perfect　exponent；　was　pushing　to　the　front。　Quay；　greedy　of　money；　had　never　made　a　pretense　of　showing　even　a　conventional　respect　for　the　Eighth　Commandment；　Platt；　on　the　other　hand；　seems　not　to　have　enriched　himself　by　his　political　deals；　but　to　have　taken　his　pay　in　the　gratification　he　enjoyed　from　wielding　autocratic　power。　Platt　also　betrayed　that　he　dated　from　the　last　generation　by　his　religiosity。　He　used　his　piety　as　an　elephant　uses　his　proboscis；　to　reach　about　and　secure　desired　objects；　large　or　small；　the　trunk　of　a　tree　or　a　bag　of　peanuts。　He　was　a　Sunday…School　teacher　and；　I　believe；　a　deacon　of　his　church。　Roosevelt　says　that　he　occasionally　interlarded　his　political　talk　with　theological　discussion；　but　that　his　very　dry　theology　was　wholly　divorced　from　moral　implications。　The　wonderful　chapter　on　〃The　New　York　Governorship；〃　in　Roosevelt's　〃Autobiography；〃　ought　to　be　read　by　every　American；　because　it　gives　the　most　remarkable　account　of　the　actual　working　of　the　political　Machine　in　a　great　American　State；　the　disguises　that　Machine　wore；　its　absolute　unscrupulousness；　its　wickedness；　its　purpose　to　destroy　the　ideals　of　democracy。　And　Roosevelt's　analysis　of　Platt　may　stand　alongside　of　Machiavelli's　portraits　of　the　Italian　Bosses　four　hundred　years　beforethey　were　not　called　Bosses　then。

Senator　Platt　did　not　wish　to　have　Roosevelt　hold　the　governorship；　or　any　other　office　in　which　the　independent　young　man　might　worry　the　wily　old　Senator。*　But　the　Republican　Party　in　New　York　State　happened　to　be　in　such　a　very　bad　condition　that　the　likelihood　that　it　would　carry　the　election　that　autumn　was　slight：　for　the　public　had　temporarily　tired　of　Machine　rule。　Platt's　managers　saw　that　they　must　pick　out　a　really　strong　candidate　and　they　understood　that　nobody　at　that　moment　could　rival　Roosevelt's　popularity。　So　they　impressed　on　Platt　that　he　must　accept　the　Rough　Rider　Chief；　and　Mr。　Lemuel　Quigg；　an　ex…Congressman；　a　journalist　formerly　on　the　New　York　Tribune；　a　stanch　Republican；　who　nevertheless　recognized　that　discretion　and　intelligence　might　sometimes　be　allowed　a　voice　in　Machine　dictation；　journeyed　to　Montauk　and　had　a　friendly；