Sources:
https://salsa.debian.org/debian/root-tail/-/blob/master/debian/patches/do-not-chown-manually.patch
https://salsa.debian.org/debian/root-tail/-/blob/master/debian/patches/fix-linker-and-compiler-options.patch

--- Makefile.orig	2019-06-16 00:57:40 UTC
+++ Makefile
@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
-COPTS = -g
+LDFLAGS += -lX11 -lXfixes
 
-CFLAGS = -Wall $(COPTS)
-
-LDFLAGS = -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lX11 -lXfixes
-
 PREFIX = $(DESTDIR)/usr
 BINDIR = $(PREFIX)/bin
 MANDIR = $(PREFIX)/share/man/man1
@@ -14,7 +10,7 @@ SOURCES = root-tail.c
 all: root-tail man
 
 root-tail: $(SOURCES) config.h
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(SOURCES)
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) -o $@ $(SOURCES) $(LDFLAGS)
 
 man: root-tail.1.gz
 
@@ -26,10 +22,10 @@ clean:
 	rm -f root-tail root-tail.o root-tail.1.gz
 
 install: all
-	install -D -o root -g root root-tail $(BINDIR)
-	install -D -m 0644 -o root -g root root-tail.1.gz $(MANDIR)
-	install -D -m 0644 -o root -g root README $(DOCDIR)
-	install -m 0644 -o root -g root Changes $(DOCDIR)
+	install -D root-tail $(BINDIR)
+	install -D -m 0644 root-tail.1.gz $(MANDIR)
+	install -D -m 0644 README $(DOCDIR)
+	install -m 0644 Changes $(DOCDIR)
 
 uninstall:
 	rm -f $(BINDIR)/root-tail $(MANDIR)/root-tail.1.gz