Another story also relates to the “Colonel.”  He was presiding at a committee meeting, in an extremely dignified and severe state of mind.  He usually came to the meetings in this mood, as a result of having visited the bar, and taken a number of rye whiskies.  The meeting was addressed by “a great, burly man ... who bellowed as if he had been a bull of Bashan.”

The Colonel, by this time pretty far gone, eyed him malevolently, swaying to and fro in his chair.  However, the first effect of the fellow’s oratory was soothing rather than otherwise, and produced the unexpected result of sending the chairman fast asleep bolt upright.  But in a minute or two, as the man warmed up to his work, he gave a peculiar resonant howl which waked the Colonel up.  The latter came to himself with a jerk, looked fixedly at the audience, caught sight of the speaker, remembered having seen him before, forgot that he had been asleep, and concluded that it must have been on some previous day.  Hammer, hammer, hammer, went the gavel, and—­

“I’ve seen you before, sir!”

“You have not,” said the man.

“Don’t tell me I lie, sir!” responded the Colonel, with sudden ferocity.  “You’ve addressed this committee on a previous day!”

“I’ve never—­” began the man; but the Colonel broke in again: 

“Sit down, sir!  The dignity of the chair must be preserved!  No man shall speak to this committee twice.  The committee stands adjourned.”  And with that he stalked majestically out of the room, leaving the committee and the delegation to gaze sheepishly into each other’s faces. [Footnote:  “American Ideals,” p. 96.]

There was in the Assembly a man whom Mr. Roosevelt calls “Brogan.”

He looked like a serious elderly frog.  I never heard him speak more than once.  It was before the Legislature was organized, or had adopted any rules; and each day the only business was for the clerk to call the roll.  One day Brogan suddenly rose, and the following dialogue occurred: 

Brogan.  Misther Clu-r-r-k!

The Clerk.  The gentleman from New York.

Brogan.  I rise to a point of ordher under the rules!

The Clerk.  There are no rules.

Brogan.  Thin I object to them.

The Clerk.  There are no rules to object to.

Brogan.  Oh! (nonplussed; but immediately recovering himself.) Thin
I move that they be amended until there ar-r-re! [Footnote: 
“Autobiography,” p 99.]

Roosevelt was three times elected to the Assembly.  He took an interest in laws to reform the Primaries and the Civil Service, and he demanded that a certain corrupt judge be removed.  This astonished the Assembly, for the judge had powerful and rich friends.  His own party advised the twenty-three years old Assemblyman to sit down and shut his mouth.  The judge might be corrupt, as it was charged, but it was “wiser” to keep still about it.  Roosevelt, they said, was “rash” and “hot-headed” to make trouble.  And they refused to hear him.