Biographical Sketch 7 



much criticism from certain quarters for enforcing 

 the liquor-license law, yet it can be said, in a word, 

 that during his administration he placed the depart- 

 ment on a thoroughly efficient basis, broke up the 

 organized system of blackmail which had hitherto 

 prevailed in the department, and gained the affec- 

 tionate admiration of the members of the force to 

 an extent which has never been equaled by any 

 Police Commissioner before or since. 



During the three years from 1894 to 1897 he 

 wrote the greater part of the essays on political sub- 

 jects which are printed in the volumes of American 

 Ideals. In these will be found his whole theory of 

 politics, based on honesty, courage, never-ending 

 hard work, and fair play; and coupled with these a 

 certain measure of expediency which without sac- 

 rificing principle strives to get things done, and to 

 accept the second best if what he considers the first 

 best is not attainable; realizing that in a government 

 of universal suffrage many minds must be con- 

 sulted and a majority of them brought to the same 

 conclusion before anything can be accomplished. 



When President McKinley took office in 1897, 

 he offered Roosevelt the position of Assistant Secre- 

 tary of the Navy, and it was promptly accepted. 

 He had been only a few months in office before he 

 reached certain conclusions, to wit : that a war with 

 Spain was inevitable, that it was desirable, and 

 that he should take an active part in it. He did 

 everything that lay in his power during the nine 

 months preceding April, 1898, to see that the Navy 



