The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-28
alton. Then, after a song, "In Liberty's

cation. Then, after a song. "In Liberty's
Name" by male quartette, Governor
Roosevelt was introduced amidst great
applause. He spoke in part as follows:
I'm the long run every great nation in
stinctively recognizes the man who pecu-
liarly and pre-eminently represents its
own type. Here in our country we have
had many public men OF the first rank
soldiers, orators, constructive statesmen
and popular leaders. We have also had
great philosophers who weree also great
leaders of popular thought Each one of
these men has had his own group of de-
voted followers, and some Of them have
at times swayed the nation fifth a power
sch as the foremost Of all hardly welded
Yet as the generations slip away, as the
dust of conflict settles and as through
the clearing air we look hack with keen
er vision into the nations past, mightiest
among the mighty dead loom the three
great figures of Washington, Lincoln and
Grant. There are great men also in the
second rank; for in any gallery of mere
~ national heroes, Franklin and Hamil-
ton, Jefferson and Jackson would surely
have their place. But these three great
est men have taken their places among
the great men of all nations, the great
men of all times. They stood supreme In
the two great crises of our history. on
the two great occasions when we stood
in the van OF all humanity and struck
the most effective blows that have ever
been struck for the cause OF human free
dom under the law.
at was no mere accident that made our
three mightiest men, two of them soldiers
and one the great war president. II is
only through work and strife that either
nation or individual moves on to great
ness. The great man is always the man
Of mighty effort, and usually the man
whom grinding need has trained to
mighty effort. Rest and peace are good
things, are great blessings, but only II
they come honorably; and it is those who
fearlessly turn away from them, when
they have not been earned, who in the
long run deserve best of their country
at is only my purpose on this address
to sketch in even the briefest manner
the life and deeds of General Grant It
is not even my purpose TO touch upon
the points where Grants influence has
told so tremendously in the making OF
our history 1t is part of the, mans great
ness that now we can use his career
purely for Illustration. Foremost o fall
the lesson Of tenacity. OF stubborn fixity /
of purpose. In the Union armies there
were generals as brilliant as Grant. but /
none with his iron determination. This
quality he showed as president no less
than as general. He was no more 10 b.
by a hostile majority ia con- +
gress into abandoning his attitude in IA /
vor OF a sound and stable currency than 4
he was TO be Influenced by check or re- .
pulse into releasing his grip on oele1g- /
uered Richmond 1t is this element Of +
strength to which w are apt .
especially TO allude when we praise a
man in the most effective way. by pra's- (
ing him as a man. OF course the 81 /.
important thing to keep in mind & that
II We have not both strength and virtue
we shall fail Indeed IN tn Cd ac-epta-
ton os the word virtue included strength /
ard courage. for the clear sighted nan a. 4
the dawn 4 our era knew that the pas-
sive virtues could not BY themselves
avail. that wisdom without courage ~ I'D
sink into mere cunning. and courage
without morality into ruthless. la.wIess.
feroc{ty. The iron Ro- /
nan made himself lord of the world g.
cause TO the courage 0 fthe barbarian nc /
opposed courage as fierce. aud an ia-
dniteiy keener mind: while nis C. giIized /
rivals. the keen-witted Greek and Car
thaEinian. though % even finer iatelIect-
had let CORRUPTION eat into their brilliant
until the.- strength hal been
oorroded as Il BY acids. In shor-- the
Roman had character az vel as master
FL genius. and when gifted aEaiazr go
pes either OF less genius o. y less c1sF-
acts7. thesa peoples went down
As the 7Ees have rolIe5 81 the eternal
problem forever fronting each mar and
aach race forever shifts is ogtxars
shape. ard vet. az TIE bottom = IS a.
ways the same. There are dangers -
peace and dangers q var, dangers y
excess IA rrili-arfzra zn1 O. excess q
avoidance q duty that srnpzzs zihtzr-
sra. dangers II Slow dr. r0t ard dagger
r hfch bee tae acute Easn only 81 great
,r5sss, hen these crises caz7s Ike M
Ton win triumph o. sink Accordingly as
he pro5aces o. faI!s . pro3ace state
men like 1aco.n s-a -Ssdie-s Mke
Grant"