Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-09-20
|ROOSEvELT'S SPLENDID CIVIL
RECORD.

RECORD.
From the New York Herald: Theo-
lore Roosevelt is fond Of repeating a
West African proverb:
Speak softly and carry a large
stick and you will go far"
Its application TO New York politics
is supposed TO be that the amiable re-
publican who travels, not seeking a
quarrel, but fully equipped to partici-
pate in n if it be forced upon him, is
likely to succeed, while the lusty indi-
vidual who is always seeking a fight,
put n prepared to fight, is bound
to fail.
How does the Congo proverb bear on
the governors W political fortunes?
How soft has been the governors
speaking? How large and a~we-inspir-
ing is his stick? How far will he go?
Governor Roosevelt, in the first
place, has gone through almost three
quarters of his term without an open
rupture with the Republican state ma
chine. He has had many struggles
with it. Sometimes he has worsted 1t;
sometimes it has worsted him. The ma
chine has frequently roundly cursed
him, and the governor has frequently
warmly sworn at the machine.
He has made Senator Plat much
trouble. Yet he has always fought the
senator fairly, and, what is more i'm
portant, he has never sought to build
up an opposition machine for himself.
That was the fatal mistake Governor
Black made.
Roosevelt's attitude has been this
that he was not a machine politician;
that he could not understand machine
politics; that he would not be coerced
by the fea. of not getting a renomina-
ton, and that the machine could nom
mate him or not. just as 1t pleased.
Then he has invariably said that he
would like to be renominated for gov
ernor, and gone ahead trying to make
the best record he could.
There can be no question that Gov
ernor Roosevelt has been a consclen-
tious governor. He has tried to do the
right thing. It would be difficult to
point out in his whole career at AL
bany a single vicious law that he tried
to have passed, or a single bad man
whom he tried to put in Office. One Of
the best things about Governor Roose-
Welt has been that he has never tried
to please everybody.
1t was Governor Roosevelt's W in
dividuality that forced the legislature
to pass the bill providing for a tene-
ment house commission. The plan for
a commission to revise the charter Of
the city of New York was agreed to by
Governor Roosevelt and Senator Plat
and by them forced through the legis-
lature. The plan to have the best men
Of all parties represented on the COM
mission was the governors.
Governor Roosevelt has stirred up
the party in numerous directions. His
determination to get Louis f. Payn out
of the insurance department never
wavered, although he was threatened
with political destruction if he went
ahead. His determination to reform
the fish, forest and game commission
was formed long ago. but not made
known until the Payn business was out
of the way. His decision to put every
mar who was not a veteran out of the
board OF managers of the Bath Sol
diers' Home met with the solid oppo-
sition of both political machines, but
he did 1t. Against similar opposition
he has succeeded in reforming the FL
mira correctional institution.