The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-11-03
ROUGH RIDERS
GET THE OFFICES
Politicians of the Southwest Say
Service Gets Place from
MIR. Roosevelt.

son Iq5Ses, today today Rough Riders are hold
ing office. This is particularly true IN
the four territories, Arizona, New Mex
leo, Indian Territory and Oklahoma,
and in the latter two especially -
he wants from President Roosevelt by
simply asking for it, is the epltome
of a general belief among politicians
in the southwest. So when a Rough
Rider presents himself and asks for: in.I
dorsements. he usually gets them forth |
with If he presents himself to an OF
fetal and asks for a clerkship or minor
appointment he usually gets that with |
equal ease, Endorsements or no lndorse- I
ments And, further, if he does not
present himself as an applicant for of |
fee he is frequently hunted out by the
politicians and urged to it.. II
An instance of this mode of proceed
ure is the case of Captain Frank
Frantz, agent for the Usage. Indians;
Frantz came from Prescott, Ariz., joined
the Rough Riders early and was made
captain of Troop A of the regiment.
Each of the republican factions IN
oklahoma and Indian Territory claimed
Captain Frantz1 as an adherent, and the
two have fought over him-all because
he was Rough Rider. Because of
that he obtained his present position,
supported, it has been said, by Dele
gate Mcclure, altho it has been said
that, being Rough Rider, he needed
no assistance from any one.
Flynn is now struggling to get Cap
tain Frantz s support for Governor Fur
gerson to succeed himself.
Another Rough Rider who holds Of
Ace in Indian Territory and whose his
tory is out of the ordinary is Benjamin
Fl. Colbert, marshal in the Chickasaw
Nation. Colbert was private in Troop
nf 10 aral1 cd at
San Antonio. Usually the office-hold-
ing Rough Riders are of a higher rank
than that of private. In addition to
being Rough Rider, Colbert is
Chickasaw Indian.
Another Oklahoma instance of the
Willingness OF, politicians and office
holders to make berth for d Rough
Rider is shown in the appointment of
Lon' MuXlow as court erier by Judge
Burford Judge Burford is chief JUS
tice of Oklahoma. His term expires
soon and he desires reappointment. Lieu
tenant William Mitchell of the Rough
Riders is frequently given employment
by Judge Burford as bailiff in his court.
President Roosevelt is said to rec
ognize the fact that the Rough Riders
and politicians thru the Rough Riders,
use him occasionally, but evidently he
gets so much pleasure out of honoring
members of his old regiment that he
docs not mind the chaff that gets mixed
with the wheat.
\ story which is said to have drifted
out from the White House shows that
the first thought of the Rough Rider in
time of trouble is his, old chief,
IN: the White House mail one day was
letter from the southwest. sit was
not very well written, nor were all the
words spelled correctly. But 1T was
painfully frank and to the point The
writer, a former Rough Rider. had COM
mitted some slight breach of law, like
shooting up a town, killing few ten
derfeet or something else prohibited. by
law. He was languishiug in jail and
was without means to hire lawyer.
Could he get a lawyer, he. felt sure
he would get out. Would the! president
adEance him $3.50 untilshe7 could return
thef1oan or, perhaps, do his old colonel
q favor. The president mailed a check
for the amount at once
A. few days later came another letter
from the same man. Much to the presi-
dent s surprise, it contained his orig
inal check for $3.50. An explanatory
note made matters clear. It told the
president that as he had appointed an
other Rough Rider district attorney in
that district, the prisoner had no need
of money for lawyers fee, for his
comrade had promptly turned the pris-
on6r loose, quashing all existing in
dictments and telling him to call again
if lie got in trouble. -
Ben Daniels appointment as mar
shaI called forth as bitter opposition,
probably, as any President Roosevelt
ever made, and the former Rough Rider
was accused of many things. But there
was. no denying that he had been a
brave man.
Not alone in the government service
does the fact that an applicant for a
position has been Rough Rider carry
weight. Turnout the southwest there
are. towns and counties where Rough
Riders hold positions as peace officers
ant.in like capacities. More than any
where else outside of Uncle Sam s serv-
ice however, they have drifted into
railroad employ. In the Especial
service of practically every western
railroad are several Of these men.
The employment of Rough Rider
frequently means something. As mes:
senger to Washington Rough Rider of
the right kind is invaluable. And the
fact that a Rough Rider, or several of
them, is in the employ Of a railroad
having business in Washington is fig
ured on by the corporations as a cir.
cumstance which, to say the least, will
not weigh against it.