admirer
of Granville Stuart, and was always on his side of every question."

The absorbing issues before the convention were the Texas fever and
the overstocking of the range. Feeling ran high, and "the debates," as
Hobson later remarked, "were more than warm. Roosevelt," he added,
"was at all times eager and ready to champion his side."

At one of the sessions there was a fierce debate between two prominent
cattlemen, which was renewed, after the meeting, at the Miles City
Club. Each man had his hot partisans, who began to send messengers out
for reinforcements. Most of the men were armed. It was clear that if
hostilities once broke out, they would develop instantly into a
miniature war.

Roosevelt saw that the situation was critical, and jumped to his feet.
"If you can't settle your own difficulties," he cried to the two men
who had started the quarrel, "why don't you fight it out? I'll
referee."

The suggestion was received with favor. Roosevelt formed a ring and
the two men expended their anger in a furious fist fight. Which man
won, history does not record. The important point is that Roosevelt,
by his resolute action, had prevented a fight with "six-shooters."

I have just returned from the Stockmen's Convention in Miles
City [Roosevelt wrote "Bamie" from Elkhorn on April 22d],
which raw, thriving frontier town was for three days
thronged with hundreds of rough-looking, broad-hatted men,
numbering among them all the great cattle and horse raisers
of the Northwest. I took my position very well in the
convention, and indeed these Westerners have now pretty well
accepted me as one of themselves, and as a representative
stockman. I am on the Executive Committee of the
Association, am President of the Dakota branch, etc.--all of
which directly helps me in my business relations here.

There is something almost touching in Roosevelt's efforts to persuade
his sisters that his cattle venture was not the piece of wild
recklessness which they evidently considered it.

This winter has certainly been a marvelously good one for
cattle [he wrote in another letter]. My loss has been so
trifling as hardly to be worth taking into account;
although there may be a number who have strayed off. I
think my own expenses out here this summer will be very
light indeed, and then we will be able to start all square
with the beginning of the N