The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-06-19

ed seat in the assembly firmly in his
possession, the bosses sought him out
and sounded him as to his political
creed Would he observe the rule of
the machine? Would he be amenable
to orders. Mr. Roosevelt would not.
81 do not number party loyalty
among the ten commandments" said
he, and his trouble with the bosses be-
gan.
He was twenty-three when he took
his seat in the state legislature at AL
bany. He was unknown and alone
very much alone. Yet within a short
time he was one of it's most notable
members.
His first imbroglio of note arose
around the report of a railroad bill by
the railroad committee of which
Roosevelt was a member. The orders
from above were to bottle it up" The
railroads did not like the measure and
the majority of the machine men on
the railroad committee showed signs
of favoring their instructions.
But Mr.. Roosevelt interviewed. He
asked to see the bill and calmly placed
it in his pocket, declaring his intention
of making a minority report on the
measure to the assembly. His action
threatened a personal encounter, but
in the end the machine men agreed to
make report, with the result that the
bill was bottled up in the assembly in
stead of in the committee.
The fame of the young legislator
daring won him many friends, however
and though the measure was as effec-
tually killed in open session as it
would have been in committee, the
fight he made showed plainly his cali
bre.
Another instance of his early state
legislative career was the fight he
made upon the bosses in the matter of
impeaching corrupt judge. Roosevelt
stood alone in the fight. The judge
was machine mana man to be
shielded. But Roosevelt arose time
after time and demanded that his jul
dicial record be investigated.
On the first vote the assembly was
overwhelmingly against the investiga-
ton. Roosevelt kept on fighting. At
the end of a week the papers took up
the fight and then the people. The
result was that on the eighth day pub
licity swayed the legislators and they
reversed themselves, registering an
overwhelming majority for the inves-
tigation.
Mr.. Roosevelt was two years in the
state legislature, becoming the leader
of his party and one of the most in
fluential men of the assembly. He had
thoroughly organized his district and
succeeded in electing his delegates to
the National Republican Convention Of
1884 He himself, was elected a dele
gate-at-large from the Empire State
and his fellows conferred upon him
the office of chairman.
At the convention Mr.. Roosevelt's
work, in view of his age, was phe-
nomenal. He was twenty-five years
old and perhaps the youngest member
of the national body. Despite his
youth, however, he entered the fight
with vigor, and vim, opposing the Ma
tional Committees choice for temper
airy chairman and practically forcing
the selection of a negro delegate for
that position.
He lost the great battle of the ma
tional meeting. however. Both he and
his fellow delegates had made a
strenuous fight against the nomination
of James G. Blaine for President
Their grounds seemed to them to be
beyond reproach, but in spite of their
fight Blaine was nominated, both
Roosevelt and his fellows captivating
and casting their votes for the popu-
lar choice rather than follow the &C.
tion of other delegates who broke with
the Republican party.
= With Blaine's defeat and the cleo
ton of Grover Cleveland, Roosevelt
sought ranch, and retired from poll
tics for the time being. The ranch
was in North Dakota.
He now entered upon a term of sor-
row and disappointment. His party
was in eclipse and he was forced into
political oblivion. In October of 1884
his mother passed away, to be fol-
lowed two days later by his wife.
Ranching became Rooseyelt's bust
ness rather than his pleasure. He
bought a cattle farm and entered up
on the rugged life of a fplainsman,
working and riding with his men.
There are many stories told of this
period of Roosevelt's career. From a
East he speedily won the respect and
admiration of his fellows by his en-