The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-11-30


Colonel First to See Need OF Organic
ing Law-Abidin0 Forces.
New and important light was thrown
on the career of Theodore Roosevelt
when the Roosevelt Memorial associa-
ton in New York announced the gift
Of seven-page manuscript In Colonel
Rooseyelts 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
adjacent bad lands.
The manuscript is historically of the
greatest Importance. 1t contains the
minutes of the first meeting of the
Little Missouri River Stockmens 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
-fflllutiillul IduClluCH VI llC IC6iOh5
numbering a dozen.
Found on a Montana Farm.
The manuscript came to the Me
mortal association as a 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 a year ago In the course
of a journey through the Roosevelt
country in search Of material for
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. s
"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 man more
written about in the worlds history
than Roosevelt, but a months re-
searches on his old stamping grounds
actual story of his cowboy days had
not even been limited at.
st was Roosevelt who saw the need
of organizing the law-abiding forces
in the region, and it 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
the youngest among them,
barely twenty-six, but he succeeded in
their confidence. The organi-
zation was formed and Roosevelt was
made its head. 1t was an important,
stabilizing 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
Cattle Companies at Meeting.
The text of the minutes is here made (
public for the first time:
minutes of a meeting Of the stock ]
men of the Little Missouri, held at {
,Iedora, Oak, December 18, 1884. Y
Companies and individuals repre-
Ho Cattle company, Badger
Custer Trail company, Lee
Ioyne company, Maltese Cross COM
,any, EIkhorn company, Thompson
l.. d. & P. Rumsey, H. r.
& Co., N. P. Refrigerator
Jar company, e. w. Casey & Co., H.
(. Tarbell. i
"Called to order at II 80 a. M, by '
theodore Roosevelt. e
1.-THE following resolution was adopt s
d: n
Resolved, that it Is the sense of r
he stockmen present, representing the +,
and individuals named 8
bove, that an association of the stock o
zen along the Little Missouri and It's
obituaries be forthwith formed, and
lat this association shall be known by
lie name of The Little Missouri Stock r.
en's association. r
Marquis de Mores on Committee. o,
ALSO the following: in
1.-The officers of the association w
lall consist of a chairman and vice In
lairman, elected annually at the first W
Getting held after the fall roundup 81
Id a secretary elected at each meet ic
G, whose work is to be superintendent w
7 the chairman. be
Theodore Roosevelt was elected
lairman and Henry A. Boyce, vice
lairman. The Marquis de Mores was
as a committee Of one to tr,
Ork with the committee appointed re-
the Eastern Montana Live Stock 60
sociation In the endeavor to pro- Of
re legislation from the territorial 90
gislature Of Dakota, favorable to the er,
terests Of the cattle men, co
"a resolution was passed that If any ha
the members of the association had alb
tile run over by the railroad, for WI
ifch cattle the railroad refused to
y full value. 1t should be at once
ought to the notice of the chairman
"a sho1,ld roraort II To tho noxt ,,,oot- 70.