The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-03
Side Chances ait
A Live Reforrmer.
Police Commissioner Roosevelt Is Now the
Most Talked-About Tlan i'm All Gotham.

chimes throughout the whole country.
He fought privately and publicly in the
offices of the commission, In the COM
mitee rooms Of the capitol, In the offices
of the cabinet and in the white house
itself, in the newspapers and on the
platform. speaking and writing in a
more effective way than any other civil
service reformer; for he was always So
thoroughly practical. He did 1t all cour-
teously, but courageously. and, as the
event proved, successfully.
+. Civil service reform had been to the
practical politicians, as to most other
people, a theory, an abstraction, "a bar
rem ideality.' but 1t became personified
in Theodore Roosevelt. and that made
it seem, as it was. a living reality.
Roosevelt has net only the fighting
qualities, but the social qualities which
most Americans admire. and he used
these to make friends for the reform
10y making friends for himself. His
personality. particularly his mdepend-
ence, which certified to his dtsinterest-
edDess. undoubtedly had much to do
with his success. Everybody knew
that he was able to live without his Of
fetal salary and that he was ready to
give it up at any time, and this gave
him very different standing from that
OF a man who was known to he depen-
dent on his salary for his living, how
ever he might desire to be Independent
OF circumstances.
His prestige, known to all the north
western senator's and representatives
as that of a mighty hunter, a thorough
ly game man. as brave as he was hon
est. and above all airs and affectations,
an American of Americans; his literary
reputa tion--indeed, his books them
selves, especially the Winning Of the
West known not only to eastern but
western men; his po!itioll services,
known and admired by all honest parti-
sans-even his social position. which
ti.Ve him friends among public men
whom he otherwise would not have
known at all well-aM contributed to
his success.
Neither Fool Nor Knuvc.
"He is the kind of man who makes all
his resources available, and he did it
admirably here. No one was a better
judge than he of what he had accom-
plished. for he Is as far from being the
egotistica! fool pictured in some Of the
New York newspapers as he is from
being the ambitious knave pictured in
others. He sees things as clearly and
as calmly as any man Of his age, and
has fewer delusions on any subject than
most men.
"Mr. Roosevelt did not go to New
York suddenly. hastily and without pre-
meditation, as you might infer from
some Of the New York newspapers. He
considered the matter from every point
Of view for weeks, and when he had
made up his mind to go he planned all
the work that he has carried out, and
all that me is going to carry out. with
his accustomed foresight and thorough
ness. He knew what he would have to
do, and he knew how he was going to do
1t, and he fully estimated in his plans
all the opposition he has met.
ut must be remembered that he was
New Yorker born and bred: that he
knew the city better than most men
who live in ut, for he had knowledge Of
every class of its inhabitants and Of
their customs. He knew society in all
its strata. from the clubs of the fash
ionables to the politicians and the
slums. He had not only studied the
city and written about 1t, but had
mixed with its business men, it's politi-
clans. It's people of every sort. He had
fought in its primaries; he had repre-
sented Vt at Albany; he had conducted
legislative investigation of its affairs;
he had run for the highest office in its
gift. Certainly he could not be truth
fully charged with not knowing his city.
lie Knew New York.
"As matter of fact, Qle knew It bet
ter than some of his newspaper critics
who had recently moved into 1t or who
had never lived in 1t at all. He there
fore went to his task knowing all its
difficulties, knowing all the bitterness
and hatred Of the enmity which he
would stir up, knowing all the power
of the elements that would combine
against him, but believing that he was
called to a public service which he
could not honorably refuse to under
take, and that in the long run he would
succeed in 1t and be sustained by all
decent people. Such man, going in
such spirit to such work, cannot be
laughed down or beaten down and
am confident that he will win in New
York as he did in Washington. how
ever msrepresented and misunderstood
he may be there now as he once was
here"
This ia only one of many eulogies
which are being written or spoken con-
cerning Mr. Roosevelt by men who
know him well. They show that in his
present battle fer a reformed ana re-
organized police department. in this city
he has the risht-t thinking classes Of the
community with him. Some of these
days the masses will wake up to a dis
covery of what they really owe to men
like Theodore Roosevelt. who without
needing the salaries of public Office and
personally able, should they so desire,
to sh!rk public life for the more selfish
enjoyments Of society. are yet impelled
by sense Of duty to give their best en-
ergies to the public service and to take
the lead in movements for the public
welfare, Drawing ridicule, criticism.
taunts and abuse because they know
that what they are doing is right.