Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-01-17
THEODORE ROOSEVELT


which we have read in the newspapers
since the greatest American of his day
passed away, the best in point of inter-
est in illustrating the character of the
man concisely, and in Renaissance, is
the following. written by Stephen W.
Bolles, formerly of the Budget
now publisher of the Oconto Enter
prise
In the gray dawn of a cold and dis
agreeable morning in house on Del
| aware avenue and West Ferry street,
III the city Of Buffalo, William McKin-
| ley lay dead flushed and solemn, the
| correspondents of newspapers from all
| the United States and London as well.
| in the tent provided for their use
across the street, went about their
| business of telling a waiting world of
| The close of the tragedy begun a week
| before when the boy assassin had shot
down this beloved man while extend
| ing his hand in apparent honor and
| friendship.
For thirteen hours after that the
country was without a legal president.
Three days before the great physicians
and surgeons had declared to a people
| living on edge as to the outcome in
| that Buffalo home, that the president
| was on his way to recovery Scores of
distinguished men there gathered had
gone home confident that the president
would live: among them the vice-presi-
dent. who went on Wednesday to join
| his family in the Adirondacks and on
| the day of the change for the worse
and prophetic of the tragic close, was
| on the walled and rocky side of Mount
J Marcy far UP in those hills with his
wife and children. Here had come a
! message stlmmoning him. In ride
now historic, in a fierce mountain
| storm, with team whipped TO its best
over roads almost impossible. the jour
| ney was made to the nearest railroad
station, forty miles away. And in the
afternoon of the Saturday, the news
| paper men saw hack, drawn by pant
| TING horses. come to the Milburn resi-
dence in Buffalo. The day was still
gray. 1t was drilling a little when
from the carriage emerged a tired man.
his overcoat thrown back, disclosing
| his frock coat soft black hat pulled
| down close to his ears, a baggy pair
| of trousers, and who half ran up the
| steps. He was met by a man who was
afterward to occupy not only the posi-
| ton of secretary to the president but
4 L III.
telyou, and disappeared into the vesti-
| bule. Less than an hour later, stand
ing in the parlor of the home of a close
| friend Ansley Wilcox, of Buffalo,
Theodore Roosevelt, his face paler
than was natural took the oath of
office as president of the United
| States. There were few present, news
| paper men mostly. the host and a few
| curious servants who peered IN at the
| historic scene, from the hall.
The vice-president repeated after
the young federal judge Of the Buffalo
| district, John r. Hazel. the words of
! the oath in a clear. strong voice, not
untouched with emotion. And when
| the newspaper men came away we all
| felt that we had witnessed the first
great act in drama that would be
| played for many years, and well.
| In June 1900, l was sitting In the
| lobby of the Hotel Waldran in Phila-
deipilia. 1t was the occasion OF the
Republican National convention which
was to begin it's sessions on the NOR
row and the states were holding eau
| cilses. | saw the governor of New
| York, quite a different man from the
| one on that gray September afternoon
| a year later, or the one who took the
oath of office in the parlOf of the Will
(! cox home in Buffalo. This Theodore
Roosevelt was red faced with anger.
His eyes flashed, his fists were
clenched and he came down those
/ stairs as though he meant business.
Joe MacCullough, for years editor OF
| the st. Louis Glove-Democrat. the
| greatest of them all, when asked once
| what constituted a good newspaper
man. said that it was to know where
be there" So when we saw the gov
] ernor of the state of New York enter
ing in this beligerent attitude, both
mentally and physically, we hurried
to the door of the room where the New
| York state delegation was meeting on
the first floor of the hotel and beat the
doorkeeper by passing in. We were
Just in time to see the governor talk
ing with voice teeth and both hands
at the republican boss of the state,
| Thomas Collier Platt
/ There was no question as to. the
presidential nomination. There was
no opposition to William Mckinley.
In point of public interest it was the
dullest convention of mapy years Its
only equal since has been the 1894 con-
| vention at Chicago, when Roosevelt
! was nominated for the first time by a
convention. But-and here began the
play OF politics-Teddy Roosevelt was
governor of New York.--fie was a
thorn in the side of T. P1att. He had
started that ernity of Piatt's when he