The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-13

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Men who called him hasty In the old
DAYS have lived to heartily wish that
they had spent their energies pushing on
the load he dragged almost alone, instead
OF trying to persuade him from doing his
duty in the interest Of eXpsdiency, or de-
| nouncinS him for not needing them. Not
that the ore thing or the other mace any
difference to him. That the load was
there TO be dragged up the hill was
enough for him. He stopped neither to
CONSIDER the size of it, nor how steep was
the hill. Above all. he did nothing hasti
~, but of deliberate purpose most care
fully weighed and thought ont. IL those
days l was with him, every Gay, almost
every hour, and l knew not only what
he did, but how he did it. One difference
, between him and his critics was that he
had given his life to the patient study of
the problems upon which they jumped
with such headlong haste, anxious only
to prevent trouble ana hence that he
was able to see clearly where their fears
made them blind: another was that, fore
seeing clearly. among other things, the
consequences to himself he was not
afraid, Tor beyond and behind them he
saw ever the duty he had sworn to do
faithfully.
FOX DECENCY# AND ORDER.
SO 1t came about that during those tur-
bulent times Mr.. Roosevelt's appeal was
ever to the moral forces of the coI1lmy-
nifty, to the forces making for decencv and
order. and it was their support that was
MS backing. The direct way to a thing
was always his. When there was trouble
with labor he sent for its leaders. and
put the question straightforward they
wanted; and when, not knowing the man
ner OF man they had to do with, they tried
clustering, he put them right in ten
WORDS, showing them clearly that they
were their own worst enemies in fonent-
ing trouble, and that, meeting him on that
ground they would lose the fcht-then
turned back on the subject under advise
ihehtaS II nothing had happened And
theN appiauded the man and showed that
ttitN themselves Were men in doing it.
Nhen he was Governor and wanted to
see how the laws regarding sweating were
Carried out, he sent first for the labor
men, tod them what he wanted and ask
ca them TO help him. -Aftcrward he went
iiiiaselL ana saw what was done and what
was Hol zone. 1t W2s 80 always 1t was
tiuS mat he, as q Very young man serv
iilS III the Legislature, went to the bottom
oi the tehement-house cigar-Inaiers'
st1eEous troubles, and, having made out
tEsr side very clearly took it yithonr
hesitation, to the amazen,ent of tho
cSiiics VINO, speechless, beheld a silk
stocAing take up the cause of tn. poor
oSc''uSe II was the cause Of right And
II was so that, as Police Commissioners,
ana governor he gave his nights. as his
u"S > 10 personal inspection of The wrongs
ne was asked to right Having ascertair
ec the facts, he went 10 the mon r,o
ousht 70 help and told them so. During
me ceaclock in the Police Board his an.
- ""s constantly to the churches and
t,ei sS' 'Iiat OF his opponents as con-
result We see in New York to-day. tha
ponce iorce, since his grip upon i y,,s
iooSSlieu, Is deeper in the r,,t of ,,o1;.;
80 80 "! iuptlon than ever, but in III. b.+-
re AGAINST the conspiracy. which is bo,,,,l,
. 10 WIN, the clergy and the Churches laaa
Icy are Ishting Roosevelts fight to-day
WIN me bishop Of New York AT Tho fo.,,
front Of battle. 'iie lore
,,, DISAPPOINTED HIS ENEMIES
,r;t,. -. 'he alilance which he brings
ha i'4ii 70 me White House If there
DE any yet who believe him ..ha.4-,, ' .rei
WIZ ma themselves disappointed :, ~
as always before. Roosevelt hoe ,,a,..i'.
entity disappointed his enemies ~, "a.
very beginning. Seeing his rapid risa ,ba,
i's'itu MIN to q rocket and said tbo+
nc would come down a stick nrnsentI,,
tAhd SO ne would have done had bo baa,,
aS ,iieS thought politician. B,,t he W.
man Of duty. '''se d
That is the keynote of his life :.
was his fathers, one Of the n,os.
and philosophical men who ever !i7,ad
III New 1ork-a man whose life was
ailu is a lesson to US all, and whose
cealh moved the metropolis to slcb snr
row as 1t has seldom felt for any Gift
zen. His high Ideals of citizenship he GOT
hronl nm; his sanity, too, L fancy. fo,. If
was a distinguishing mark of one and is
OF the other. So was his fairness, his
sober sense OF justice, for which the DO
!icemen in Mulberry Street love him Vet
IN secret. They dare not mention his
name openly in these days of Tammany
rule For once, and once only, the hon
est policeman who did his duty but had |
no pull, had an equal chance with the |
schemer. Neither kind will soon forget
the two years Of Roosevelt. I well re-
member the time I FLASHED with all three |
of the qualities in him which 1 have men, |
toned. 1t was when a woman was con- |
demned to death for the foul and wicked |
murder Of her step-daushter, and he, as
governor, was beset. by an endless array |
Of more or less maudlin petitions praying
for pardon. / too. labored with him. l
did not like the execution, but more-I
never owned it before. he would have ,
seen the last man to bring that argument
to-I feared the effect Of it on his career.
was weak and foolish, I know it now.
went to Albany, and all that evening
and night, till the "A. NJ. train went
back to the city, I argued it with him in
his study. / pleaded on every ground I
knew how, and saw in his face the
yearning to see it as his friend did. But
ne could not. He had pardoned others
before, and knew 1t was his dear de-
light to temper justice with mercy where
t could rightly be done. Roosevelt is
farthest from being a hard man; his heart
IS as tender as q womans where it may
De. as hard as steel where it must be- In
This case he was absolutely right. Every
of fairness and justice de-
nanded that the law take its course if
:he prisoner was Irresponsible That fact