The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1921-11-22

New and important light was thrown
on the career of Theodore Roosevelt
when the Roosevelt Memorial assocla-
tiOn In New York announced the gift
of a seven-page manuscript In Colonel
Roosevelt's hand, written In 1884. The
manuscript is the gift Of Joseph A.
Ferris of Terry, Mont. who was a
storekeeper In Medora, n. D., where
Roosevelt was ranchman In the
adjacent bad lands.
The manuscript Is historically Of the
greatest importance. II contains the
minutes of the first meeting of the
Little Missouri River Stockmen's as
ISOLATION, and reveals the fact that
this meeting of what was, In effect,
vigilance committee and the first
law-and-order body In the western
Dakotas was called to order by Roose-
welt and that its first action was to
| elect him chairman. The meeting was
held in Medora on December 10,
1884, and was attended by the most
influential ranchmen of the region,
numbering dozen.
Found on a Montana Farm.
The manuscript came to the Me-
! mortal association rs u result Of its
! efforts to collect material concerning
| Colonel Roosevelt Herman Hagedorn,
director of the associations bureau of
research, came upon 1t in little farm
in Montana IA year ago In the course
| Of journey through the Roosevelt
| I'm Of nj N
book on RoOsevelt's ranching days,
but it was only in response to the
associations recent appeal for ROose-
welt material that this manuscript
was actually presented.
THE discovery of this manuscript
and of the story that lies behind It,"
said Mr.. Hagedorn in discussing the
gift, SHOWS dramatically the value
OF the associations activities In gather
ing what President Harding has called
the records and mementos Of a great
life.' There never was a man more
written about In the worlds history
than Roosevelt, but months re-
searches on his old stamping grounds
In the bad lands showed me that the
actual story Of his cowboy days had
not even been limited at.
1T was Roosevelt who saw the need
of organizing the law-abdlng forces
In the region, and 1t was Roosevelt
who rode from ranch to ranch In the
dead Of winter with no companion ex
cept BIZ Sewall. to persuade the
ranchmen to cooperate. He was
practically the youngest among them
barely twenty-slx, but he succeeded In
winning their confidence. The Organi
cation was formed and Roosevelt was
made its head. 1t was an important
stabilizlng influence, for 1t chased the
fear Of God into the horse and cattle
thieves In what was generally regarded
as the toughest region between the
Canadian border and the Gulf OF
Mexico"
Cattle Companies at Meeting.
The text of the minutes is here made
public for the first time:
Minutes OF meeting Of the stock
men Of the Little Missouri, held al
Medora, OAK, December 10, 1884.
Companies and individuals repre-
sented-So Ho Cattle company, Badger
company, Custer Trail company, LIE
Moyne company, Maltese Cross com
pany, Elkhorn company, Thompson
company, L. d. & p. Rumsey, II. X
Wadsworth & Co., N. p. Refrigerator
Car company, e. w. Casey & Co., H
Il. Tarbell.
called to order at IL 80 a. M, by
Theodore Roosevelt.
1.-THE following resolution was adopt
ed:
Resolved, that 1t is the sense o.
the stockmen present, representing tn,
companies and individuals nameC
above, that an association Of the stock
men along the Little Missouri and 1t
tributaries be forthwith formed, an,
that this association shall be known b,
the name Of The Little Missouri Stock
mems association
Marquis de Mores on Committee.
"Also the following:
1.-The officers Of the association
shall consist Of a chairman and vice
chairman, elected annually at the frs
meeting held after the fall ROUNDUP
and a secretary elected at each meet
Ing whose work Is to be superlntende
by the chairman.
"'TheodOre Roosevelt was electe
chairman and Henry A. BOyce, vice
chairman. The Marquis de Mores wa
nominated as committee of one I
r work with the committee appolnte
/ by the Eastern Montana Live Stoc
, association In the endeavor to pre-
cure legislation from the territorG
, legislature of Dakota, favorable to tn
/ interests Of the cattle men,
"a resolution was passed that II an
4, Of the members Of the association ha
cattle run over by the railroad, "a
which cattle the railroad refused I
pay full value, It should be at ono
) brought to the notice Of the chairman
. who should report It to the next NEE
ing of the association, In order this