theodore roosevelt-第64节

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　inopportune　visit　of　the　Murderers　and　of　Banquo's　Ghost　at　his　banquet。

General　Wood　had　to　be　disciplined　for　allowing　Colonel　Roosevelt　to　make　his　impolitic　speech　to　the　Plattsburg　Volunteers；　he　was　accordingly　removed　from　his　New　York　headquarters　to　the　South　and　then　to　Camp　Funston　in　Kansas。　It　was　even　proposed　to　relegate　him　to　the　Philippines。　When　our　troops　began　to　go　to　France；　he　earnestly　hoped　to　accompany　them。　There　were　whispers　that　he　was　physically　unfit　for　the　stress　of　active　war：　but　the　most　diligent　physical　examination　by　Army　surgeons　who　would　have　overlooked　no　defects；　showed　him　to　be　a　man　of　astonishing　health　and　vigor；　as　sound　as　hickory。　On　the　technical　side；　the　best　military　experts　regarded　him　as　the　best　general　officer　in　the　American　Army。　Nevertheless；　in　spite　of　his　physical　and　military　qualifications；　President　Wilson　rejected　him。　Why？　The　unsympathetic　asserted　that　Mr。　Wilson　took　care　to　assign　no　conspicuous　officer　to　service　abroad　who　might　win　laurels　which　would　bring　him　forward　as　a　Presidential　possibility　in　1920。　On　the　other　hand；　cynics；　remembering　the　immemorial　jealousy　between　the　Regulars　and　Volunteers　in　both　the　Army　and　Navy；　declared　that　an　outsider　like　General　Wood；　who　had　not　come　into　the　Army　through　West　Point；　could　expect　no　fairer　treatment　from　the　Staff　which　his　achievements　and　irregular　promotion　had　incensed。　History　may　be　trusted　to　judge　equitably　on　whom　to　place　the　blame。　But　as　Americans　recede　from　the　event；　their　amazement　will　increase　that　any　personal　pique　or　class　jealousy　should　have　deprived　the　United　States　from　using　the　soldier　best　equipped　for　war　at　the　point　where　war　was　raging。*

*　In　June；　1915；　Colonel　Paul　Azan；　who　came　to　this　country　to　command　the　French　officers　who　taught　American　Volunteers　at　Harvard；　and　subsequently　was　commissioned　by　the　French　Government　to　oversee　the　work　of　all　the　French　officers　in　the　United　States；　told　me　that　the　Camp　and　Division　commanded　by　General　Wood　were　easily　the　best　in　the　country　and　that　General　Wood　was　the　only　General　we　had　who　in　knowledge　and　efficiency　came　up　to　the　highest　French　standard。　Colonel　Azan　added　that　he　was　suggesting　to　the　French　War　Department　to　invite　the　United　States　Government　to　send　General　Wood　to　France；　but　this　request；　if　ever　made；　was　not　followed。


While　Roosevelt　could　not　denounce　the　Administration　for　debarring　himself　from　military　service　abroad；　he　could；　and　did；　attack　it　for　its　treatment　of　General　Wood；　treatment　which　both　did　injustice　to　a　brave　and　very　competent　soldier　and　deprived　our　Army　in　its　need　of　a　precious　source　of　strength。　Perhaps　he　drew　some　grim　amusement　from　the　banal　utterances　of　the　Honorable　Newton　D。　Baker；　Secretary　of　War；　whom　he　frequently　referred　to　with　appropriate　comment。　Two　months　after　we　entered　the　war；　Mr。　Baker　issued　an　official　bulletin　in　which　he　admitted　the　〃difficulty；　disorder；　and　confusion　in　getting　things　started；　but；〃　he　said；　〃it　is　a　happy　confusion。　I　delight　in　the　fact　that　when　we　entered　this　war　we　were　not；　like　our　adversary；　ready　for　it；　anxious　for　it；　prepared　for　it；　and　inviting　it。　Accustomed　to　peace；　we　were　not　ready。〃*　Could　any　one；　except　a　very　young　child　at　a　soap…bubble　party　in　the　nursery；　have　spoken　thus？　But　Mr。　Baker　was　not　a　very　young　child；　he　was　a　Pacifist；　he　did　not　write　from　a　nursery；　but　from　the　War　Department　of　the　United　States。　In　the　following　October　he　announced　with　undisguised　self…satisfaction：　〃We　are　well　on　the　way　to　the　battle…field。〃　This　was　too　much　for　Roosevelt；　who　wrote：　〃For　comparison　with　this　kind　of　military　activity　we　must　go　back　to　the　days　of　Tiglath　Pileser；　Nebuchadnezzar　and　Pharaoh。　The　United　States　should　adopt　the　standard　of　speed　in　war　which　belongs　to　the　twentieth　century　A。D。；　we　should　not　be　content　with；　and　still　less　boast　about；　standards　which　were　obsolete　in　the　seventeenth　century　B。C。〃

*Official　War　Bulletin；　June　7；　1917。


Roosevelt　had　now　made　a　contract　with　the　Metropolitan　Magazine　to　furnish　to　it　a　monthly　article　on　any　topic　he　chose；　and　he　was　also　writing　for　the　Kansas　City　Stay　frequent；　and　often　daily；　editorial　articles。　Through　these　he　gave　vent　to　his　passionate　patriotism　and　the　reader　who　wishes　to　measure　both　the　variety　and　the　vigor　of　his　polemics　at　this　time　should　look　through　the　files　of　those　journals。　But　this　work　by　no　means　limited　his　activity。　As　occasion　stirred　him；　he　dispatched　his　communications　to　other　journals。　He　wrote　letters；　which　were　really　elaborated　arguments；　to　chance　correspondents；　and　he　made　frequent　addresses。　The　necessity　of　hurrying　on　the　preparation　of　our　army　and　of　backing　up　our　troops　with　undivided　enthusiasm　were　his　main　theme。　But　he　delivered　himself　on　other　subjects　almost　equally　important。　He　paid　his　respects　to　the　〃Conscientious　Objector；〃　and　he　insisted　at　all　times　that　〃Murder　is　not　debatable。〃　〃Murder　is　murder；〃　he　wrote　Professor　Felix　Frankfurter；　〃and　it　is　rather　more　evil　when　committed　in　the　name　of　a　professed　social　movement。〃　*　Mr。　Frankfurter　was　then　acting；　by　appointment　of　President　Wilson；　as　counsel　to　a　Mediation　Commission；　which　was　dealing　with　recent　crimes　of　the　Industrial　Workers　of　the　World。　Anarchists；　when　arrested；　had　a　suspicious　way　of　professing　that　they　espoused　anarchism　only　as　a　〃philosophical〃　theory。　Roosevelt　branded　several　of　the　palliators　of　these〃the　Hearsts　and　La　Follettes　and　Bergers　and　Hillquits；〃　and　othersas　reactionaries；　as　the　〃Bolsheviki　of　America；〃　who　really　abetted　the　violent　criminals　by　pleading　for　leniency　for　them　on　the　ground　that　after　all　they　were　only　〃philosophical〃　theorists。　Roosevelt　was　not　fooled　by　any　such　plea。　〃When　you；〃　he　told　Mr。　Frankfurter；　〃as　representing　President　Wilson；　find　yourself　obliged　to　champion　men　of　this　stamp　＇the　〃philosophical〃　criminals＇；　you　ought　by　unequivocal　affirmative　action　to　make　it　evident　that　you　are　sternly　against　their　general　and　habitual　line　of　conduct。〃

*　December　19；　1917。　Letter　printed　in　full　in　the　Boston　Herald；　June　6；　1919。


So　Roosevelt　pursued；　without　resting；　his　campaign　to　stimulate　the　patriotic　zeal　of　his　country　men　and　to　rebuke　the　delays　and　blunders　of　the　Administration。　If　any　one　had　said　that　he　was　making　rhetoric　a　substitute　for　warfarethe　accusation　with　which　he　charged　President　Wilsonhe　would　have　replied　that　Wilson　condemned　him　to　use　the　pen　instead　of　the　sword。　Forbidden　to　go　himself；　he　felt　supreme　satisfaction　in　the　going　of　all　his　four　sons；　and　of　his　son…in…law；　Dr。　Richard　Derby。　They　did　honor　to　the　Roosevelt　name。　Theodore；　Jr。；　became　a　Lieutenant…Colonel；　Kermit　and　Archibald　became　Captains；　and　Quentin；　the　youngest；　a　Lieutenant　of　Aviation；　was　killed　in　an　air　battle。

Roosevelt　was　prevented　from　fighting　in　France；　indeed；　but　he　was　gratified　to　learn　from　good　authority　that　his　efforts　in　the　spring　of　1917　to　secure　a　commission　and　lead　troops　over　seas　were　the　immediate　cause　of　the　sending　of　any　American　troops。　President　Wilson；　it　was　reported　had　no　intention；　when　we　went　to　war；　of　risking　American　lives　over　there；　and　the　leisurely　plans　which　he　made　for　creating　and　training　an　army　seemed　to　confirm　this　report。　But　Roosevelt's　insistence　and　the　great　mass　of　volunteers　who　begged　to　be　allowed　to　join　his　divisions；　if　they　were　organized；　awakened　the　President　to　the　fact　that　the　American　people　expected　our　country　to　give　valid　military　support　to　the　Allies；　at　death…grapple　with　the　Hun。　The　visit　in　May；　1917；　of　a　French　Mission　with　Marshal　Joffre　at　its　head；　and　of　an　English　Mission　under　Mr。　Arthur　Balfour；　and　their　plain　revelation　of　the　dire　distress　of　the　French　and　British　armies；　forced　Mr。　Wilson　to　promise　immediate　help；　for　Joffre　and　Balfour　made　him　under　stand　that　unless　help　came　soon；　it　would　come　too　late。　So　President　Wilson；　who　hoped　to　go　down　in　history　as　the　Peacemaker　of　the　World　War；　and　as　the　organizer　of　an　American　Army；　which；　without　shedding　a　drop　of　blood；　had　brought　peace　about；　was　compelled　to　send　the　only　too　willing　American　soldiers；　by　the　hundred　thousand　and　the　million；　to　join　the　Allied　veterans　in　France。

Persons　who　do　not　penetrate　beneath　the　flickering　surfaces　of　life；　regard　these　last　years　of　Roosevelt's　as　an　anticlimax　which　he　passed　in　eclipse；　as　if　they　were　the　eight　lean　and　overshadowed　years；　following　the　splendid　decade　in　which　as　Governor　and　President　he　had　the　world's　admiration　and　consent。　But　this　view　wholly　misconceives　him。　It　takes　a　man　who　had　proved　himself　to　be　the　greatest　moral　force　in　the　public　life　of　the　world；　and　drops　him　when　he　steps　down　from　the　seat　of　power。　Now；　of　course；　Theodore　Roosevelt　did　not　require　to　walk　on　a　high　platform　or　to　sit　in　the　equivalent　of　a　throne　in　order　to　be　Roosevelt；　and　if　we　would　read　the　true　meaning　of　his　life　we　must　understand；　that　the　years　which　followed　1910　were　the　culmination　and　crown　of　all　that　went　before。　He　was　a　fighter　from　the　days　when；　as　a　li