gure, it was given
careful attention. It treated of the corruption in canal management, of
the franchise tax, of taxation in general, and a large portion was
devoted to the trusts. At that time the trusts were receiving great
attention everywhere, and it was felt that what the governor had to say
about them, that they were largely over-capitalized, that they
misrepresented the condition of their affairs, that they promoted unfair
competition, and that they wielded increased power over the wage-earner,
was strictly true.

In Chicago there is a wealthy organization known as the Hamilton Club,
and the members were very anxious to have Governor Roosevelt as their
guest on Appomattox Day, April 10, 1899. A delegation went to New York
to invite the governor, and he accepted the invitation with pleasure.

"The middle West is very dear to me," said he. "It will be a pleasure to
meet my many friends there."

Of course he was expected to speak, and said the subject of his address
would be "The Strenuous Life,"--certainly a subject close to his own
heart, considering the life he himself had led.

When Mr. Roosevelt reached the metropolis of the Great Lakes, he found
a large crowd waiting at the railroad station to receive him. The
reception committee was on hand, with the necessary coaches, and people
were crowded everywhere, anxious to catch a sight of the man who had
made himself famous by the advance up San Juan Hill.

But for the moment Governor Roosevelt did not see the reception
committee, nor did he see the great mass of people. In a far corner of
the platform he caught sight of six men, dressed in the faded and
tattered uniform of the Rough Riders. They were not men of wealth or
position, but they were men of his old command, and he had not forgotten
them.

"Glad to see you, boys, glad to see you!" he shouted, as he elbowed his
way toward them. "Come up here and shake hands."

"Glad to see you, Colonel," was the ready answer, and the faces of the
men broke into broad smiles. They shook hands readily, and willingly
answered all of the questions the governor put to them. He asked how
each of them was doing, calling them by their names, and concluded by
requesting them to come up to the Auditorium later, "for an all-round
chat."

"It was a great meeting," said one who was there. "Before the train came
in, those old Rough Riders were nervous and showed it. They knew that
Roosevelt had become a great man, and they wer