Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-10-08

to bottom with a cheering throng, Car
negie hall was the scene last night of the
mass meeting that opened the campaign
of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. In the
rush to secure admission, men fought
each other and women screamed that
they We're being crushed To death. A
hundred policemen tried to keep he peo-
pie back, but We're poWerless to do 50.
When Colonel Roosevelt appeared an
the platform the spectators leaped up,
cheering and waving hats and hand
kerchefs.
Colonel Roosevelt was given an ova-
ton. being cheered for several minutes,
when he arose to speak He said:
First and foremost this campaign is
campaign for good government in
the nation and the state. If am elect.
ed governor | shall try to make good
the promises, both expressed and inn
piled. made ON behalf of my candidacy,
for | shall try to 50 administer the
affairs of the state as to make each
citizen a little prouder of the state and
l shall do my best to serve my party
by helping it serve the people. So far as
in me lies, | shall see that every branch
of the government under me is admin
istered with integrity and capacity, and
when | deal with any public servant. |
shall not be very patient with him il
he lacks capacity, and short indeed will
be his shrift if he lacks integrity.
There comes a time in the life of a
nation, as in the life of an individual,
when it must face great responsible
tiles whether it will or no. We have
now reached that time. We cannot
avoid facing the fact that We occupy Il
new place among the people of the
world and have entered upon new
career. All that we can decide is
whether we shall bear ourselves well
or i'll in following out this career. We
can see by the fate of China how idle
is the hope of counting safety by leading
Il life of fossilized isolation. If we
stand aside from that keen rivalry with
the other nations Of the world to which
we are hidden alike by our vast materin!
resources and the restless, masterfui
spirit of our people, we would perhaps
for Il few decades be allowed to busy
ourselves unframed with interests which
20 the world at large seem parochuI;
but sooner of later, as the fate of China
teaches us. the safety which springs
from the contemptuuus fOrbearance Of
others would prove broken reed.
I'VE are ages from the millennium;
and because we believe with all our
hearts in the mighty mission OF the
American republic, we must spare no
effort and shrink from no toll tn make
it great. Greatness means strife fut
nation and man alike. We must dare
to be great: and We must realize that
greatness is the fruit of toll and surli-
tices and high courage. The guns of
our warships in the tropic seas of the
west and the remote east have awakened
us to the knowledge of new duties. our
flag is proud flag. and it stands for
liberty and civilization. Where il has
once tloatsd. there must and shall b.
no return to tyranny or savagery. We
arc face to face with our destiny, and
we must meet it with high and resolure
courage. For us is the life of action
of strenuous performance, of duty; let
Us live in the harness, striving nightly;
let us rather run the risk Of wearing out
than rusting out.
II should ask the people of this coun-
try to support the administration of
President Mckinley if for no other
reason than because, say what YOU like,
the victory at the polls of the men who
are opposing and denouncing his adj
min G tu inn il, oil i,,, u.;ll L., ia,
tcrpreted abroad as meaning ON the
part of America reputation of he war
from which we have just emerged tri-
umphant. 1t will strengthen the hands
of every hostile power which views with
jealousy our victories in the Antilles and
the Philippines; it will mean that the
nations that now secretly and enViuusly
wish to clip the wings of our pride will
be emboidened. 1t will result in the
partial undoing of what our army and
navy have accomplished. 1t will mean
the chance of grave complicat :ons AMI
the likelihood of our meeting oh .tacl,s
when it comes to reaping the fruit Of
our triumph. We win gain less than
we ought to from this war if the adnlin-
istration is not sustained al thes. eler-
tons.
THAT the question Of our national de-
fences is a very real question and may
at any time become of vital moment has
been brought home to all of us within the
last six months. This nation is a great
peaceable nation, both by the temper
of its people and by it's fortunate geo
graphical situation, and is freed from
maintaining such armament as those
that cramp the limbs Of powers of con
tinental Europe. Nevertheless events
have shown that war is always Il pos
sibilty even for us Now the surest
way to avert war. if it can be averted. is
to be prepared to do well if forced to go
to war. If we don't prepare for war in
advance. then other powers will have IL
just contempt for US. They may at
any time do things which would force
us to make war. and which they would
carefully refrain from doing If they were
sure we We're ready to resent them,
Moreover. to go to war with n first class
power without adequate preparation Is
to invite humiliation and disaster az
the outset. Our experience with tho
navy offers a case in point. Very soon
after the Civil war, we let our navy run
down until on the seas we became of
less moment than any thrid-rate power
In consequence. we had occasionally to
suffer from Spain. as in the Nirginus
affair. injuries which she would rot have
dreamed of inhictinG had we been ready
% retaliate.
Indian Are Ugly,