The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-10-05

Then began his fight for reform, pre-.
pairing the way for the upheaval that
came with the Lexow-P -Parkhurst-G -Gone
investigation, following the notable
investigation Of his own committee in
the early eighties.
The Democrats soon realized that
young Roosevelt was as able as he
was honest, tireless worker and as
merciless as Gatling gun. He was
found to be dangerous, n man to be
let alone unless the ambulance was
near. He gave and took hard knocks.
and eaeh day became more formidable
with bits of dynamite in his arguments.
About this time the heaviest blow of
Il mans career fell upon him. His
dear mother and wife died in one week.
That touch of sorrow made him new
ana lifelong friends among men of
both parties.
In 1881, the never-to- be- forgotten
year of the Blaine campaign. Mr..
Roosevelt was recognized as a power
IN the state and made Il delegate to the
Republican national convention IA
lead the Edmunds forces and. thouph
opposed to Mr.. Blaine, refused to fol-
low the bolters who went over to
Cleveland. for he believed he could do
nothing except through the regular
party organization.
Whatever good have ACCOMPLISH
ed," he said, has been through the
Republican party" So he entered tho
campaign. and made speeches, ana
then went to his Dakota ranch and
spent two years writing and shooting,
1t was in that western home that he
developed his taste for cowboy life.
became crack shot and bronco rider
and expert with the lariat. He killed
big game and wrote his books ON
'aanch Life" and "The Winning of
the West"
His next appearance was as q candi-
date for mayor of New York, in the
famous Henry George campaign, when
Abram S. Hewitt won on the Tammanv
ticket. Under the circumstances.
Roosevelt made a strong fight, and
President Harrison appointed him to
the civil service commission, where he
made brilliant record, increasing
the number Of positions on the civil
service list from $4,000 to 10000.
He resigned to become police com.
missioner under the reform admins
trntlon of Mayor Strong When liter
a1y friend expressed surprise that
man of his scholarly attainments
should enter on police crusade. he
said:
II thought the storm center was in
New York, and so came here. It is
great piece Of practical work. l like
to take hold Of work that has been
done by a Tammany leader, and do it
as we'll, only by approaching it from
the opposite direction. The thing that
attracted me to it was that it was to
be done in the hurlyIburly, for don't
like cloister life."
The new commissioner stirred up the
town. The regulation reformers did
not know whether to applaud or curse
Many declared that his rigid enforce.
ment Of the excise law enabled Tam
many to return to power by capturing
the votes of liquor men who had tenn
porarily Joined the reformers. In re.
ply Roosevelt said he had sworn to en-
force all the laws and he would not
compromise his conscience. Besides,
he held that the best way to get bad
law repealed was to rigidly enforce it.
The arabian Nights" features of
Mi. Roosevelt's police administration,
his sudden appearance in unexpected
places, his unheralded personal tours
Of inspection about the city after dark,
catching many policeman mapping
all this and several volumes more are
a part of history Roosevelt made
fame and friends during his police
regime, and all classes admitted that
he was an honest man.
He said once, at the close of a meet
ing, that he believed a majority Of no.