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The Commoner.
I fif'
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this capacity until 1895, when Tie was made presi
dent of the New York police board. He served in
this capacity until 1897, when ho was appointed to
the position of assistant secretary of the navy.
When the Spanish-American war broke out he
resigned his position as assistant secretary of the
navy and with Dr. (now general) Leonard Wood '
recruited the First United States cavalry, volun
teers, of which ho was made lieutenant-colonel.
This regiment was popularly known as "Roose
velt's Rough Riders." This regiment distinguished
Itself In Cuba, and after the battle of La Quasina
Lieutenant-Colonel RooBevelt was made colonel,
Colonel Wood having been promoted. After the
declaration of peace Colonel Roosevelt returned
home, and later in the year (1898) was nominated
by the republicans of New York for governot. He
was elected after an exciting campaign and served
out a full term." Hewas nominated for vice presi
dent of the United States by the republican na
tional convention In Philadelphia in Juno, 1900,
and elected the following November.- By the
death of President William McKinley he suc
ceeded to tho presidency.
President Roosevelt has especially distin
guished himself in the field of letters, having writ
ten a number of books and being the author of
numerous magazine articles. Among others of his
books the following are perhaps tho best known:
"Winning of tho West," "Life of Gouvernour
Morris," "Life of Thomas Hart Benton," "Naval
War of 1812," "History o New York," "American
Ideals and pther Essays," "The Wildnerness Hun
ter," "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman," "Ranch
Life and the Hunting. Trail," "Oliver Cromwell,"
"Hero Tales from American History' and "Rough
Riders," the last being a review of the war with
Spain insofar as the regiment commanded by Col
onel Roosevelt was concerned. ,
Theodore Roosevelt's! nomination for the office
of, vice president was made against his earnest pro
test. He sought by every moans within his. power
to prevent his name being presented to the con
vention for that office, but when the nomination
came to him unanimously- ho bowed to the will
of the party to which he had always paid his al
legiance and entered upon tho campaign with char
acteristic vigor. He traveled across the country
making campaign t speeches, everywhere greeted
by great crowds anxious to see and hear not only
the . candidate for vice president, but to see and
hear, the man, who, next to Schley and Shafter,
was tho most talked of man in connection with the
campaign in Cuba.
Roosevelt Takes the Oath.
As soon as Vice President Roosevelt reached
Buffalo on Saturday, the 14th ,he proceeded to the
residence of his friend, Mr. Wilcox, and the oath
of office was administered to him In the presence
of U. S. Judge Hazel. Just before taking the oath
he said:
"I shall take the oath at .once In accordance
with your request and in this hour of deep and
terrible national bereavement I wish to state that
it shall be my, aim to continue absolutely un
broken the policy of President McKinley for the
iieace and prosperity and honor of our beloved
country."
Ho then issued the following proclamation:
MILBURN HOUSE, BUFFALO, Sept. 14. '
President Roosevelt tonight issued the following
prpclamation: 0
"By the President of the United States, a Proc
lamation: A terrible bdreavement has befallen our
people. The president of the United States has
been struck down, by a crime committed not only
against the chief magistrate, but against every
law-abiding and-liberty-loving citizen.
"President McKinley crowned a lifo of tho
largest love for his fellowraen and most earnest
endeavor for their welfare, by a death of Christian
fortitude, and blth the way in which ho lived his
life and tho way in which, In the supreme hour of
trial, he met his death, will remain forever a
precious heritage of our people.
It Ib meet that wo, as a nation, express our
abiding love and reverence for his life, our deep
sorrow for his untimely death.
"Now, therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, presi
dent of tho United States of America, do appoint
Thursday next, September 19, the day on which
the body of the dead president will be laid in its
last earthly resting place, as a day of mourning
and prayer throughout tho United States. I earn
estly recommend all the people to assemble on
that day in their respective places of divine wor
ship, there to bow down in submission to the will
of Almighty God and to pay out of full hearts
their homage of love and reverence to the great
and good president whoso death has smitten1 the
nation with bitter grief.
"In witness whereof I have hereunto set my
hand and caused the seal of the United States to be
affixed.
"Don at the city of Washington, the 14th day
of September, A. D. one thousand nine hundred
and one and of the independence of the United
States one hundred and twenty-sixth.
"THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Seal.
"By the president. JOHN HAY,
"Secretary of State."
Chicago Picnic Abandoned.
In graceful words and with genuine feeling
William J. Bryan gave tribute of respect to Will
lorn McKinley in a short speech delivered last
night at a meeting of the executive committee of
tho Carter H. Harrison league, called to declare
the abandonment of the projected demonstration at
Sunny Side park today. Tho executive committee
passed resolutions expressing abhorrence for tho
work of the assassin, sympathy with Mrs. Mc
Kinley, and hope that tho president would re
cover. The demonstration which had been planned
for Mr. Bryan on his" arrival was abandoned;
there was no music or procession, as had been
intended, and the large crowd which met him at
tho station refrained from cheering in response to
tho requests of Colonel Bryan and Robert E. Burke.
The proposed picnic of the league at Sunny
Side park today was abandoned. Orders were
sent to the park officials to admit no one lest by
some chance a crowd might gather there. The pro
jected picnic was to have been one of the big de
monstrations of the league. The officers of the or
ganization had been preparing for it for weeks.
But all resemblance of a meeting was foregone
cut of respect to the president, and in his speech
Mr. Bryan heartily commended the executive com
mittee for its action. And this was done early in
the evening, when the news from Buffalo was that
tho president was in imminent danger of death.
Another part of the plan was a reception to
Colonel Bryan at tho hotel. This, too, was aban
doned. After the arrival of Mr. Bryan the execu
tive committee of the Harrison league met at
the democratic county headquarters and adopted
resolutions, which were presented at a meeting
held later in the Sherman house, when Colonel
Bryan was present. Tho meeting was marked by
a deep feeling of sorrow. The men either sat
silent or conversed in whispers.
Colonel Bryan was sent for and Chairman
Webb announced that in view of the condition of
President McKinley resolutions had been prepared
which would be read by Judge William Prentiss.
Judge Prentiss, with manifest emotion, read the
following resolutions, while the members of the
committee and Mr. Bryan remained standing:
"Whereas, The sad news has reached us that
the speedy recovery of President William McKin
ley, so fondly hoped for and expected until today,
is not to be realized, but on the contrary he now
lies at the point of death at Buffalo: therefore be
it
"Resolved, That we, the members of the Car
ter H. Harrison league of Chicago, do hereby ex
press our abhorrence of the dastardly deed now
likely to result in the death of the nation's chief.
"Rosolved, That we extend to his noble and'
stricken wife our heartfelt sympathy in her great
affliction and pray God, if consistent with His will,
to yet spare her husband to her and to the nation.
"Resolved, That in view of the impending
calamity to the republic and the universal appre
hension and sorrow of the people, tho contemplated
demonstration of tho league at Sunnyside park be
and the same is hereby abandoned."
These resolutions were adopted. Then Chair
man Webb turned to Colonel Bryan and said that,
as he was to have been the guest of honor at
the proposed demonstration, the executive commit
tee would like to hear a few words from him. Mr.
Bryan, after expressing his appreciation of the In-'
vitatlon which the league extended prior to the
calamity which has occurred, said: "I most cor
dially commend your course in abandoning tho
contemplated demonstration. We are all oppressed,
by the grief which has fallen -upon tho nation'. We
have no spirit for a partisan meeting at this time,
for partisanship is swallowed up in a universal
sorrow. Political controversies and the prizes
and disappointments which attend them dwindle
into insignificance when wo stand in the presence
of tragedy which seems likely to rob tho nation
of its chief executive. We all feel tho humiliation
that our country has suffered, and our hearts aro
with the lonely woman from whom foul and bru
tal assassination is taking one of the most faith-'
ful and tender of husbands. Whether the presi
dent's heroic struggle end fatally, as we now fear '
it may, or in his restoration to health, as we
pray it will, you have acted wlsely."--Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Accusation and Answer. ,
Colonel Bryan, of course, deeply deplores tho
sad tragedy. At the same time, If Colonel Bryan
and others of his stripe had not made so many
speeches stirring up class hatred and misrepre
senting the government the tragedy might not
have occurred. Kansas City Journal.
The narrowness that dictated the sentiment ex
pressed in the paragraph quoted is the spirit that
makes the bitterness of partisan politics. At this
time, when the nation is strained with sympathy'
for the president, the breaking out of such a spirit
is a reproach to journalism and to American man
hood. ,!j
This is no time to indulge in partisan rancor'
and the high sentiments expressed by Mr. Bryan
should have disarmed the petty partisanship of
even such a narrow organ as the Journal Even,
had tho defeated candidate of the democracy re
mained silont this sort of attack would be iha-.
possible except in a partisan at once bigoted,
and vicious. , ,
For there is no foundation for such an, attack.
Mr. Bryan is a man of vigorous intellect and
forceful character. Ho has not hesitated to give
voice to the convictions he holds and he has at
times been bitter in his attacks upon republican
politics and republican doctrines. But we defy any
man or newspaper to show that he has ever.-,been
anything but a high thinking patriot striving to.
serve his country according to his lights.
. The Times believes that the sentiment ex
pressed by the Journal will bo disavowed by the
republican press of the country generally. It is
despicable as it Is vicious, and we do not believe
that the exponents of republicanism will indorse
an attempt to make political capital out of the
deplorable event which has made a nation grieve.
The Journal, in its bigotry, seems to have
conceived the idea that Mr. McKinley is presi
dent of the republican party. Its view of politics
begins with spoils and ends with spoils,, and it
esteems the president only because he is the giver
of official gifts.
There is much more danger to republican in
stitutions in a press which is capable of holding
the views held by the Journal, and of expressing
such a sentiment as that quoted above, than in all
the teachings of the anarchists. A newspaper that
assumes the calamity which has overtaken the
country to be cause for grief only to a political
party and which, seeks to make political capital
out of such an event as tho attempted assassina
tion of the president is capable of any politicl'
baseness.
When William McKinley was elected to the
presidency by the franchises of a majority of tho
voters of the country he ceased to be the candi
date of the republicans and became the president
of the wholo country. He was entitled to and was
given the respect of all the people without regard
to party or creed. Men who could not align them-'
selves with his political views did not fail to rec
ognize in him the representative of the views of
the majority. His high character and pure life"
made men who disapproved his politics esteem and
i
love him.
Tho baseness of an organ which cannot dis
tinguish between political rivalry and personal
sentiments" puts It very far. down in the ethical
scale indeed. Kansas City Times.
