EXPOSING GRAFT IN NEW YORK STATE 33 



It was the true opening day in his public career when, on April 6, 

 1882, he rose from his seat in the Assembly and demanded that Judge 

 Westbrook, of Newburg, should be impeached. The speech he made 

 was one not strikingly eloquent, but it was one in which he did not 

 hesitate to call a spade a spade. To him a thief worth a million was 

 still a thief and deserved no softer name. He told the plain truth in 

 indignant words and slashed savagely at the two corrupt officials. 



The leader of the Republicans in the House followed the insurgent 

 with soothing words. He desired that young Mr. Roosevelt should 

 have time to think if his course had been wise, saying mildly, 'T have 

 seen many reputations in the State broken down by loose charges made 

 in the Legislature." 



The vote was taken and "Young Mr. Roosevelt" was squelched. 

 But he did not stay squelched. He defied the party leaders and their 

 admonitions to wisdom. The next day and the next day and the next 

 day he was up again, pounding away with all the strength in him. 

 Reporters took it up. The scandal got into the papers and the public 

 indignation widened. After eight days of this unwearying assault he 

 demanded a new vote on his resolution. By this time the thing had 

 spread throughout the State. The Assemblymen did not dare put 

 themselves on record as seeking to hide corruption. The opposition 

 collapsed. Roosevelt won by a vote of 104 to 6. 



In the end the delinquent officials escaped through a whitewashing 

 report. But Roosevelt had won his fight. From that time he was a 

 marked man on the side of justice and truth. What his constituents 

 thought of him was shown in the next election, when he was sent back 

 with a big majority in a year in which his party went to pieces before 

 Democratic assault. What his fellow-members thought of him was 

 shown when the Republicans of the Assembly chose him as their candi- 

 date for the Speaker of the House. He did not win ; his party was in the 

 minority; but the nomination showed that this young man of twenty- 

 four had made himself a power, a man to be reckoned with. 



Other battles he fought ; telling ones. The Board of Aldermen at 

 that time had the power to confirm or reject the Mayor's appointments 

 of New York officials. With such a board as then existed George 

 Washington himself would have been helpless in an effort to have a 

 pure administration. To elect a reform board was hopeless. The 



