The times., 1897-04-07
A SKETCH Of ROOSEVELT
He Has Been Made Assistant
Secretary Of the Navy.
CAREER OF AGGRESSIVENESS
He Has Very Decided Ideas of How
the Affairs of the Navy Should
BE Conducted and VIII Use HIS
Influence to Secure Many Im-
portant Changes.

Mr.. Theodore Roosevelt is thirty-nine
years old He comes of one Of the old
New York families He is a Harvard man
of the class OF 80. He graduated from
Harvard nine years after his intimate
friend, Senator Lodge. Mr.. Roosevelt is
very proud OF his famiIy-a believer in
family and in traditions. He is thorough
American, though, even thoroughly demo
cratic with all this family pride
He Is rather short OF stature, but broad
and muscular, with the training of a college
athlete and OF years OF hard outdoor life.
Heisintensely nervous. and his nervousness
gets into his every action. He almost never
sits down when he can be walking uD and
down room, very much after the manner
of q Gagged animal. He is very short-sightcd
and wears powerful glasses, that the New
York papers have careatured in their
sketches of him on the police board Some
OF the abruptness, and even brusauencss.
that people have disliked in his manner are
undoubtedly attributable to his nervous
ness. He wears good clothes that fit him
appearance.
Mr.. Roosevelt has had very busy time
during the few years since he ha been { ut
OF college. He went into New York poll
tics the year after he left Harvard, being
elected to the New York assembly as a
Republican He took an active interest in
reform measures as the leader of the mi
nority in the assembly. He began his civil
service studies and civil service reform
work, a nd in s83 was iargelyfnstruneuta
in carrying out the State civil service re-
form law He was the man, also, who Sc
cured the passage OF the bill that deprived
aldermen OF the power tO confirm appoint-
ments to office and settled on the mayor
the responsibility of administering mlnici-
pal affairs. In 1886 Nj Roosevelt was
an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor OF
New York.
President Harrison appointed Mr Roose-
welt and Judge Thompson on the Civil
Service Commission in May, 1889, and he
served on the commission six years, until
May, 1895. .a
lie showed his aggressiveness here by
pushing the work OF; the commission, and
by obtaining recognition of it, either in
politician in the country. He made several
important Investigations, and wrote several
reports that are considered more or less
the classics of the civil service reform
movement
Mr. Roosevelt resigned from the Civil
Service Commission to take his place on the
police commission OF New Yorks city In
1895, He was prominent anti-Tammany
man, and he and Parkhurst worked to-
gether with their reform ideas in on
pushing and pngnacious man
ner. Here, too, Mr.. Roosevelt very potent
personality made him disliked by many as
well aS very much admired 10y many more.
1t has happened that Mr. Fred Grant,
who has very much such a pugHaciols
himself as Mr. Roosevelt POS
sesses, has come into violent contact with
him repeatedly durin z the latter part OF his
occupancy OF this office. 1t is said Il at
Mr.. Platt Will be very much relieved to
have Roosevelt out OF New York politics
though. perhaps, 1t will not he very much
easier for Mr.. Platt either, as Mayor
Strong has the appointment Of Rooseyelt's S
successor, and the idea seems to M that
the retiring police commissioner mas prob
ably seen TO it that a man built on the
same lines as himself will be appointed
in his place.
Mr.. Roosevelt and Senator Lodge are
intimate friends and have spent much
time together in Washington and in vaca
tions in other places. When Mr.. Roosevelt
was here on the Civil Service Commission
he and Senator Lodge used to take long
walks together and long rides through
the country north Of the city, and .t is
said that they know every road and all its
for several miles in that dircc- |
ton. They have worked together too |
in their literary labors, and have produced |
at least one book by their joint effort. |
Both of them are intensely interested |
IN naval matters and in the naval history |
or the country, and they have, studied |
along these lines together Mr.. Lodge is
verv much pleased at this appointment, |
aud believes that it will be good for the |
naval affairs of the Government that his
'riend is connected with them.
Mr.. Roosevelt S literary labOrs have l'een |
10 small part of what he has accomplished
II his life. He IS the owner Of ranch in
North Dakota, and spends much of his |
line there in the summer. He has lived
he life Of ranchInan, and is famous |
lunter of big game. His Western life and
lis naval researches have been the cause
IF most of his literary work. 4 naval
history of the war of 1915 2, Hunting Trips
# a Ranchman. Ranch Life and the II mt
ny Trail. 1.-The Winning OF the West, and
'thers. With Senator Lodge blr. Roosevelt
las written a series Of articles on famous
laval battles
Mr.. Roosevelt was for time the Presi
lent of the Boone and Crockett Club OF
Sew York. He is trustee OF the American
duseum of Natural History and has served
n d board of State Charities Aid AssoCia-
ion In conjunction with his brother he
las continued the notable work inaugu-
ated by his father among the newsboys Of
Sew York cityy3, u
Knowing what 81 fighter Roosevelt IS;
low when he) believes he is right he
lways wishes to {go ahead In a very
irect and aggressive way, there is con-
iderable gossip over what will happen in
he Navy Department when he gets there.
he Navy Department Is peculiarly enc
n which precedent and dominance of old
sages governs Admiral Ramsay has
had a very strong influ-
nee in Navy Department matters, and has
lore or less run. the affairs of the depart
nent to suit himself. 1t has becu said
hat the department. was great line Of
icpr's ring filled with the friends and