The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-07

they turned into their blankets at night
that their COWS would not diminish In
number before morning.
From that time on Roosevelts posi-
ton In the West was one OF distinction
among the men OF the plains His real
business was raising cattle and caring
for them on the plains. and II anything
could have raised him In their estimation
more than his determination to be a
real cattle man" az distinct from a
sheep man" It was the display OF nerve
which he never lacked.
Lived the Hardest Of Lives.
During his two years in the West as
rancfrnan Roosevelt lived the life of
the hardest plainsman. on roundups
he endured ali the hardships Of his men.
He spent much OF his time hunting and
killed specimens OF all the game to be
found on the plains and in the mountains
He was particularly fond OF bear hunt
ing. which requires nerve az steady
and an aim az sure IA the pursuit OF
any game in the United States
Roosevelt was never a dead shot. -
He always talked and wrote In most
cold blooded way about his misses"
He was called by guides a mighty good
game shot" his success being due to en-
acting faithfully his own description of
the hunter which he wrote for his
Hunting Trips Of n Ranchman":
He 1.-THE hunterl must be persevering
Matchful. hardy and with good Judgment ;
and n little dash and energy at the
proper time often help immensely. I
myself am not and never will be more
than an ordinary shot for my eyes are
bad and my hand not over steady: yet
! have killed every kind OF game to be
found on the plains"
Now. bronzed and teemlng with vi
tality. back he came to New York from
his ranch in 1886. Scarcely had he
stepped of the train when local Repub-
Leans ''roped and threw him and
branded" him as the Republican cand!-
Abram S. Hewitt Local Republicanism
had concluded that one known SO widely
as refor1ner would make an excellent
candidate against the Democratic choice.
First Defeat In Politics.
But also In the race was tho noted
apostle Of the single tax idea, Henry
George. as the candidate OF the Omitted
Labor party. II was a hot campaign
and resulted IN giving Roosevelt his first
dose Of defeat as an Office seeker. Young
Roosevelt came out third in the fsht,
with total OF 60,i35 votes, against the
9O,552 for Hewitt and 6S,ll0 for Henry
George. Roosevelt and his cohorts got
whatever happiness they could out OF
the fact that his vote--in proportion 10
The total number OF votes cast-showed
the biggest total ever before cast for a
Republican Mayorahy candidate in
Manhattan.
For a time he hit the Western trail
again. his second Western trip being
merely n jaunt into the Rockies TO track
and shoot grizzlies. Then upon his re-
turn East. President Harrison remem-
bered Roosevelts fight in the State AS
sembly for civil service reform. and in
1883 appointed him United States
Civil Service Commissioner. Immedia-
stely he Jumped into a programme OF
civil service uplift that met with in
slant opposition from Congressman
largely from the South and Southwest
who saw their patronage privileges
going by tho board II the Roosevelt pro-
gramme was effected.
Thereupon Commissioner Roosevelt
executed what was considered n brilliant
coup: he instituted the practice OF hav-
ing the examinations for positions In
Washington held in distant States and
straishtway many Congressman. who
knew by this plan pet constituents
would have to take examinations under
the eye of men who often were not OF
| the same political faith. became con.
verted on the spot to the beauties OF
civil service.
Serves on city Police Board.
For six years he fou2ht for clvil ser.
Vice reform and then. following the elec-
tai,
| slogan OF which was municipal reforma
ton. Commissioner Roosevelt quit his
civil service commissionership to crap.
pie with n new problem which for yea rs
amounted had stood like Gibraltar
against all the hammerlngs OF an indlg.
nant reform element. He accepted
Mayor Strongs proffered Job as one Of
the city's Police Commissioners his col
leagues OH the police board being tho
lte Gen. Fred Dent Grant. n Republl.
| can, and Andrew d. Parker and Avery
u. Andrews, Democrats.
The young Police Commissioners un
bounded genius for the unusual imme
diately began to function. He strollet
Manhattan streets late into the nigh
and he got evidence at first hand. II,
antagonixed Jimmy Wakely, then ar
| all powerful prize fight hacker and sa
loonkeeper, who had been led to believ,
the excise laws did not apply to tn,
Wakely place OF business" He mad,
police station speeches to astonishet
bluscoats. who for the first time hearc
superior tell them that merit, not Tam
many pull. would result In promotion.
| He had taken the Job on the condition
that he'd have free rein. and thereupor
he drove headlong into tho work. Al
president OF the board he started In I,
practise what he preached. but the oil
Gibraltar reared a new pinnacle in III,