Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-01-09


1882, 1883 and 1884 he was elected to the
New York State Assembly where his eff
forts on behalf of good government and
civil service reform attracted attention.
When the republican national convention
of 1884 was held. in Chicago, he was chair
man Of the New York State delegation.
After this experience he dropped out of
politics for two years. Going west he
purchased ranches along the Little Miss
ouri river, in forth Dakota, and divided
his time between outdoor sports, partic-
ularly hunting, and literary work. Here
he laid the foundation for his series of
books. THE Winning of the West" which
was published from 1889 to 1895. and of
other volumes of kindred character.
Returning to New York he became the
republican candidate for mayor. in 1886.
He was defeated. President Harrison in
1889 appointed him member Of the Uni
ted States civil service commission and
President Cleveland continued him in
this office, which he resigned in 1895 to
become New York city's police commits
sionor.
"a thing that attracted me to this Of
flee" Roosevelt said at the time he ac-
copied this appointment. was that IL
was to be done in the hurly-burly, for
/ don't like cloister life" Honesty was
the watchword of this administration, and
the two years of his occupancy became
remarkable through the reforms he in
augurated, attracting the pation's at.
tention while holding position which
was obscure in comparison with the
events to come. Illicit liquor traffic
gambling, vice in general--of these evils
he purged the city in the face of corrupt
oil ifaI
he established as a reformer won him the
personal selection by President Mckinley
as assistant secretary Of the navy, in
1897. A year later the Spanish American
war broke out.
The Roosevelt temperament did not al
low the man to retain deputy cabinet
position with war offering something more
exciting, Leonard Wood. now major.
general in France, was then President
McKinley's physician and one of Roose.
velts staunchest friends.
ORGANIZED ROUGH RIDERS
The famous Rough Riders were organ.
lied by Wood and Roosevet-a band OF
fighting men the mention of whose name
to-day suggests Immediately the woro
Roosevelt" They came out of the West
-plainsmen, miners, rough and ready
lighters who were natural marksmen
and Wood became their colonel and
Teddy" as he has become familiarly
called by the public, their lieutenant.
colonel. In company with The regulars
of the army they took transports to Cuba
landed at Santiago and were seen en-.
gagged in the thick of battle. Among the
promotions which this hardy regiment
gallantry brought about were those OF
Wood to brigadier-general and Roosevelt
to colonel-and this title Theodore Roose.
welt cherished until the end. Some of the
Rough Riders formed the military escort
when he was elected president few years
later.
ELECTED VICE-PRES1DENT
When Cuba had been liberated, Roose.
welt returned to New York. A guber-
material campaign was in swing, with
the Republican Party in need of a
capable candidate. Roosevelt was
nominated. Van Wyck, his democratic
opponent. was defeated. The forms
Roosevelt had favored as assemblymen
he now had the opportunity to con-
summate. together with others of more
Importance, and it was during this ad.
ministration that he is said first tc
have earned the hostility of corpora
tions. When the republican national
convention was held in Philadelphia in
1900 his party in New York State de.
manded and attained his nomination
for vice-president on the ticket with
William Mckinley In November OF
that year this ticket was elected.
SUCCEEDS MCKINLEY
The policies of Mckinley. Roose-
welt endeavored to carry out after he
succeeded the former upon the Presi.
dents tragic death at the hands of an
assassin Roosevelt retained his pre-.
decessor's cabinet as his own and he
kept in office the ambassadors and min.
listers whom Mckinley had appointed
AS much as two years before the presi-
Dental campaign of 1904 republican
organizations in various States began
endorsing him as their next candidate
1t was thus that the man of des
tiny" idea became associated with his
life. Ostensibly, Roosevelt. leaving the
governorship of New York to become
vice president, was moving forward
from State politics into national poll.
tics so his political opponents profess
cd publicly to believe; but it was theiI
secret desire to "shelve" the man and
eliminate him from prominence in theil
O"h IL Sdlu, lld
prompted these political foes to obtair
for him the vice presidential nomina.
ton, which he personally did not de
sire.
HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
At the height of his public and pc,
litical career. during the four year:
of the term for which he had beer
elected, Roosevelt accompli shed achieve
ments which historians will rank higl
In the International and industrial prog
ress of the country. They included hi
influential negotiations which, con
Quoted at Portsmouth, N. H., effected
peace between Russia and Japan; main
tenance of the Monroe Doctrine at
period when European powers were In
| terested in the affairs of Venezuela
the recognition of Panama as a repub
lie and his treaty with Panama, b,
which the inter-oceanic canal through
that country was put under way; ant
the settlement. through his moral influ
ence in the face of situation in which
there was no adequate federal lesisla
ton, of the Pennsylvania coal min,
| strike For his part In terminating tn,
Russo Japanese conflict he was award
ed the Nobel Peace prize in 1906. Foul
years later, once more a private citi
zen, he was special ambassador from
the United States at the funeral o.
King Edward VII Of England.
BREAKS WITH TAFT
A rift in the friendship between Roose
welt and his successor as president, Will
liam Howard Taft. led to the former.
announcement of his opposition to Mr.
I 1aft's denomination. The ex-president'
ipf1uapca had beeu iarRA in nlacinU Mr.