The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-09-18
ROOSEVELT'S CAREER.
About the Man Who Becomes Prcs;-
dent

comes the tWenty-SiXth president of
the united States, has had a career
unequaled in all the pages of Anleri-
can history. He has been in national
public life but trlfie over twelve
years, having been appointed a mem
Der of the national civil service COM
mission in 1889 by Presi lent Cleve-
land during the latters first term. 1t
may therefore be said that Roosevelt
obtained his first start in national pO-
litics from Democrat who. as it
afterward turned out, preceded him in
the offices of governor of the state of
New York and president of the United
States.
1t was RoOsevelt's fearlessness, his
freedom from political bias in the dis
charge of the onerous duties of ma
ti'Onal civil service commissioner, and
the record that he made from his ap-
pointment in 1889 to his retirement
from the commission in 1895. that
gave him commanding position in
national affairs in the broadcast sense.
koosevelt's career cannot yet be de-
scribed as meteoric, for it is now al
it's perhelion. Politicians are asking,
What will be the finish?" for none
of them have been able to successful
ly guess the Roosevelt problem in
dealing with practical politics.
President Roosevelt comes from
sturdy Dutch stock. his family having
resided for no less than eight genera
tons on Manhattan Island. One Of his
ancestors was associated with Roberi
Fulton in the invention of the steam
boat and it was this Roosevelt, Nico-
las j., by name. who it is declared,
furnished the first suggestion for the
vertical wheel which was afterWard
adopted by Fulton. The elder Roose-
welt built and operated a steamer on
the Mississippi river in 1911, this be-
ing the pioneer steamer on that river.
Theodore Roosevelt was born in
New York city in 1858. His father
was Cornelius Van Schaik Roosevelt,
wealthy merchant of New York who
died leaving large fortune. Young
Roosevelt, although hampered BY a
weak physique and constitution, pre-
pared himself for college by indOmit-
able will and energy, graduating from
Harvard in 1880. He studied law and
in 1881 entered public life in New
York, being elected member of the
legislature. He served three terms,
becoming prominent in reform move
menus in the city of New York DIS
chairman of the house committees on
cities. While still under thirty years,
Roosevelt was nominated for mayor
of New York. but was defeated by
Abram S. Hewitt by majority of D.
900 votes.
RoOsevelt's political reverse did not
deter him in the least however, aud
h.. t,,ly t, Ia,
Republican politics in the Empire
State When Blaine was nominal el
for the presidency in 1884, Roosevelt
opposed his selection. lie never was
an adherent of the plumed knight.
Cleveland in 1889 took him from The
comparative obscurity of state poll
tics and made him member % the
national civil service commission in
1889. AS a member of that H0ly
Roosevelt soon became nationally
prominent He was stern and un-
yielding opponent of the spolls system
and mis- radical views ran in many
cases counter to the wishes and and
policies of the politicians of New
York. In this course. Roosevelt in his
later career remained consistent I'M
til he became IA thorn in Tom Platts
side and bitterly hated by many of
the lieutenants of the sage of the III
Oga.
Retiring from the civil service com
mission in 1898. Roosevelt returned 20
New York city. He took the stump in
the campaign of 1896 and was re
warded by President Mckinley a
month after the latters Inauguration
in 1897, with the Office of assistant
secretary of the navy. When war
seemed certain between the United
States and Spain, Roosevelt promptly
| and with characteristic energy took
up the work of fitting up the Ameri
| can navy and getting it into a com.
paratiye state of preparedness. At
the outbreak of hostilities, however
roosevelt saw a chance for more con
genial work in the organization. in
connection with DR. Leonard w. A.
Wood. an army surgeon, of the Rough
| Riders. His part in the Santiago
| campaign, which in a few short weeks
resulted in the surrender of the
| Spanish troops in Cuba and the end
| ing of the war. is of such recent hap
pcning as not to warrant recaptula-
| ton. Roosevelt claimed AMI was gen
orally accorded much credit for the
successful assault of San Juan HILL
although it is of record that many
regular army officers discounted
many of his claims. Roosevelt was
pictured in some of the newspaper
narratives of the battle as proddng
the regular troops up the Hill against
the Spanish. There Is no doubt, how
ever, of his personal bravery in this
action and of the marvellous efiicien-
cy of the Rough Riders. composed of
plainsmen from the West, many Of
whom had shared with him the dis
comforts and rough life of the plains
in the early eighties.
Roosevelt returned to New York in
1898 a national hero. His popularity
in the Empire State was so great that
the Platt faction was forced to come
to him and tender their support for
the nomination for governor of the
state, This was bitter pill for Sena-
tor Platt to swallow and the cartoon
lists and political writer's in New York
found in the situation good field.
There was no stemming the tide Of
| ROnSnvplt'c nj o,1 l.,