The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-09-27
THE NEW PRESIDENT.

THE NEW PRESIDENT.
Theodore Roosevelt was born in
the family mansion at % East Twen-
tieth street, New York, ON October
n, 1857. AS young boy he was
thin skinned, pale and delicate, Civ
ing little promise of the :s1nazing
vigor of his later life. To avoid the
rough treatment of the public
schools he was tutored at home, al
so attending private school for a
time-Cutler's, one of the most ia
nous of its day. Most of his sum-
mers were spent at the Roosevelt
farm near Oyster Bay. Later'he en-
tered Harvard college, where he
was good student and for a time
editor of the Advocate. He was
deeply absorbed in history and ma
tural history. He was graduated
from the university in 1880, a Phi
Beta Kappa man, and afterwards
spent some time in studying in
Dresden. After years travel in
Europe and the East, during which
he scaled the Jungfrau and the
Matterhorn and won himself a
membership in the Alpine club of
London. Mr.. Roosevelt returned
to New York ready to begin his life
work. He was barely % years old,
robust, sturdy shouldered, square,
jawed young man, born fighter.
He was thoroughly familiar with
his country's history. He had stud
led it's politics as we'll as it's wars,
and he knew every one of the noble
principles on which it was founded.
For a time Mr.. Roosevelt attempted
the study of law, with his uncle,
Robert B. Roosevelt, but with such
training as he had given himself
it was impossible for him to remain
long out OF politics, In 1881 he at
tended his first pri1nary-a primary
of the republican party. Almost
before he was aware the Twenty
first district had elected him to
represent it in the assembly at Al
bany. When he took the oath of
office in 1882 he was the youngest
member of the Legislature. Some
of the hardshelled old political
"wheelers" from New York prompt
ly dubbed him as "silk stocking,'
and passed him by as one of the
freaks of a popular election. With.
in two months he was the undis
puted leader of the republican min
ority of the house. He had deter
mined that the city of New York
needed purifying, and without de-
lay he set about to purify it. He
succeeding in passing the famous
Roosevelt aldermanic bill, which
deprived the city council of New
York of the right to veto the may
or's appointments, the provision:
under which Tweed and his ring
sters had wrought such perversion:
of the public will. This was thu
most important work he did at Al
bany. Prophets of the ordinar.
political stamp declared that MI
Roosevelt would not be reelected
after he had served his first term
his politics we're much too startl
ing; but he was reelected twice
serving the terms of 1882, 1883 AM
1884. Moreover, his party grew 81
fond of him that it sent him to tn
republican national convention a
Chicago in 1884. He went unin
structed. but in favor of the nomi
nation of Mr.. Edmunds for tn
presidency in opposition to MI
Blaine. He has always glori6ed il
the fact that he is party politician
and a practical politician. At tn
same time he once said: ~ do no
number party allegiance anon.
the Ten Commandments" In tn
face of a question of simple RICH
and wrong Mr.. Roosevelt recognize
es no loyalty to party, and he de
clares with vehemence that nation
al politics never should be allowe'
to intefere with municipal or loca
government, nor with the disposi
ton of offices in which efficienc
and honesty are the prime require
ments. "There are times" he say:
when it may be the duty of a ma
to break with his party, and Their
are other times when it may be hi
duty to stand by his party, eve
though, on some points, he think
that party wrong. If we had nc
party allegiance, our politics woul'
be mere windy anarchy, and unde
present conditions our governmen
would hardly continue at all.' Il
1886 he became the candidate of tn
republican party for mayor of Ne,
York, running against Abram
Hewitt and Henry George. Will
he was beaten, he had the honor q