The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book (39 page)

Historians debate whether Helen Scott was actually the first woman in U.S. history to cast an Electoral College vote. It is possible, but unsubstantiated, that some women in California were Progressive Party electors in the 1912 presidential election. Either way, females did cast Electoral College votes in 1912, which was a major step forward for women’s suffrage—thanks to TR.

The Bull Moose Party went out of business almost as quickly as it had entered the American political scene. It lasted for only four years, but its short life was not in vain. Thanks to TR and his charismatic leadership, the party left a legacy that progressives could build on. Once again he had influenced the country, even in defeat.

TR lost an election but gained more respect from his fellow Americans—at least some of them. But, as far as presidential elections go, second or third place finishes are meaningless to the runners-up. Neither one is first. TR was still out of a job after the 1912 presidential election ended, but not for long.

QUIZ

15-1
Collier’s
magazine was printed for what audience?

A. coal shovelers aboard U.S. Navy refueling boats

B. owners of dogs that specialized in herding sheep

C. a general audience

D. leaders of the Democrat Party

15-2 Jane Addams was known for her:

A. inspiring fashion sense.

B. innovations in the White House as the first lady when she was married to John Quincy Adams.

C. opinions against women’s suffrage.

D. work at Hull House in Chicago.

15-3 Socialist Eugene Debs ran for U.S. president five times. The last time was in 1920. From where did he run his campaign that year?

A. Chicago, Illinois

B. a jail cell

C. Terre Haute, Indiana, his hometown

D. the campus of the Electoral College

15-4 John Schrank checked into a hotel under an assumed name on the day he shot TR. The name was:

A. Albert Ross.

B. Samuel Mudd.

C. James Garfield.

D. Archduke Ferdinand.

15-5 After TR died, Hiram Johnson became the head of the Progressive Party and ran for president in 1920. However, he ran under a different party’s banner
.

A. True

B. False

15-6 The two Eugenes, Debs and Chafin, received what combined percentage of the vote in the 1912 presidential election?

A. 4

B. 51

C. 14

D. 7.4

ANSWERS

15-1. C: Collier’s, published from 1888–1957, originally named Collier’s Weekly, was considered by many people to be a muckraking publication. It specialized in investigative journalism aimed at social reform.

15-2. D

15-3. B: He had been sentenced to a ten-year prison term on November 18, 1919, for sedition. President Harding commuted his sentence, effective Christmas Day, 1921.

15-4. A

15-5. True: He ran as a Republican and lost to Warren G. Harding.

15-6. D: Debs got 5.99 percent; Chafin received 1.38 percent.

CHAPTER 16

The Final Chapter

“… the man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic—the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly, not the man who only talks or writes about how it ought to be done.”

TR took his election defeat in stride. As always, he found something to fill his time. He visited South America in 1913 to explore hitherto uncharted regions, where he encountered more adventure than he had anticipated—or wanted. Once TR returned home, he threw himself into politics again, working behind the scenes. He did not lose his sense of adventure, though. When the United States entered World War I, TR volunteered for military duty and started a new run for president. Sadly, he died before his campaign got started.

Staying Active

Once again TR was without a job or a plan. He had put a lot of effort into the 1912 presidential campaign, and it had taken a lot out of him. But, opportunity always knew where to find TR. It found its way to his door once again via his friend, Father John Augustus Zahm, a University of Notre Dame-educated Roman Catholic priest.

In 1908, while TR was still president, Father Zahm suggested that they explore South America together. TR shelved the South America idea temporarily in favor of his safari to Africa. After the Argentinean and Brazilian governments and the American Museum of Natural History invited TR on a speaking tour in 1913, they resurrected the plan.

Kermit was living and working in South America at the time, and the chance to explore with him once again intrigued TR. He accepted the invitation—and contributed $5,000 to help underwrite the venture.

The original purpose of the
Expedicao Scientifica Roosevelt-Rondon
, as the Brazilian government called it, was to conduct mammalogy and ornithology studies for the American Museum of Natural History. (Candido Rondon was Brazil’s most famous explorer at the time.) It assumed a geographic nature as well due to the involvement of the Brazilian government, which provided generous financial assistance.

As things turned out, the trip became more than he had bargained for. The expedition lasted for eight months, from October 4, 1913, to May 19, 1914—and may have contributed to shortening TR’s life.

Exploring in Brazil

What began as a speaking tour for TR morphed into an exploration of the Rio da Dúvida (River of Doubt) in the Amazon region of Brazil, so named by an explorer who discovered its headwaters but had no idea of where it flowed—and no desire to find out. The expedition included Father Zahm, naturalists George K. Cherrie and Leo E. Miller, Kermit Roosevelt, Rondon, and porters and helpers. (Miller was the nominal leader of the expedition.)

Theodore Roosevelt pointing at a map of South America

Cherrie’s specialty was ornithology; Miller’s was mammalogy. They were both capable of crossing over into one another’s field of expertise. For Cherrie, it was his twenty-eighth tropical exploration trip.

George K. Cherrie brought back approximately 3,000 bird and animal skins from the River of Doubt expedition to add to the American Museum of Natural History’s collection. He also supplied 1,500 photographs. That was a change for a TR exploration trip. The explorers could shoot wildlife with a camera instead of a gun.

The trip was harrowing for TR and his companions. The events would have been the basis for a good adventure movie.

Six Weeks of Hell

The explorers spent six weeks traveling down the River of Doubt, encountering a never-ending series of rapids and waterfalls. They lost five of their seven canoes and three members of the expedition during the trip (four, counting Rondon’s dog) and had to build new canoes. One member drowned accidentally in rapids. His body was never recovered. Two others were lost due to a murder.

The porters and other workers were not reliable. One porter stopped working and started stealing his co-worker’s food. When a boss tried to discipline the miscreant, the offender murdered him and ran off into the jungle. A posse of Brazilians, including Rondon, tracked him with dogs, but did not find him. The murdered boss was buried at the site of the murder.

During one stretch of forty-eight days they did not see another human being. That was probably a good thing, since the area was populated by tribes of violent natives who were not above killing strangers in their land.

TR laid out the details of the exploration trip in a May 1, 1914, letter to the Brazilian minister of foreign affairs, H. E. Lauro Muller. He closed the letter with, “My dear Sir, I thank you from my heart for the chance to take part in this great work of exploration.” With his typical humility, not once did he mention the injuries, illness, or resulting severe depression that afflicted him during the expedition.

Some natives killed Rondon’s dog. That was actually good news. The dog’s death alerted its master to the natives’ presence and possibly spared his life. The personal price TR paid was even more harrowing.

Sick of the Whole Thing

TR contracted malaria during the expedition, the old “Cuban fever” that had affected him in 1898. To make matters worse, he had cut his leg during the trip. The wound had not healed properly, and the infection led to severe bleeding, swelling, and a temperature of 105 degrees. The combination of malaria and infection drove TR to despair—and to thoughts of suicide.

Some reports claim that for one of the rare times in his life TR had lost hope completely. He was so despondent that he contemplated suicide. TR carried with him a dose of lethal morphine that could kill him. He was at such a low point that he told Kermit and Cherrie to go on without him.