The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1901-09-13
Roosevelt in Vermont.

NSIHOHl gave NOOStNtlI d must
royal welcome. Those who saw
and heard him were most favorably
impressed and now admire the man
more than ever. He first spoke in
Rutland last week Thursday and in
his speech were these words in praise
of Vermont: 81 want to say how
glad l am to see your great state,
for Vermont from the days of Ethan
Allen down has stood in the fore
front of every movement for right
eousness within and for honor with
out, that this country has seen.
speak as a man who has done some
historic writing and 1 never say any
thing on the stump that I wonld not
say off the stump. l mean that l
am speaking with historic accuracy
when 1 say that it is literally the
truth that Vermont has stood in the
forefront of every movement of note
in this union. l reco11ect that some
great New York statesman used to
say that Vermont is the only state
that has always voted right and, gen
t1emen, it seems to me that one rea-
son why Vermont has always stood
right is because the people of YER
mont have been loyal in every deed
and not in name only. They are
Americans through and through and
! Americans in their broadest sympa-
thies.'
Thursday afteroon Roosevelt went
to Burlington and was given a most
fitting welcome to Vernont's chief
city. From his address before the
Vermont Officers Reunion society
we take the following: vermont
was not rich state, compared to
many States, and she had sent out so
many tens of thousands of her sons
to the West that it was not improba-
bic that as many men of Vermont
birth served in the regiments of 9TH
er States as in those of her own
state. Yet, notwithstanding this
drain, your gallant State was sur
passed by no other State of the
North, either in the number of men
according to her population which
she sent into the army or in the rel
ative extent of her financial support
of the war. Too much cannot be
said of the high quality of the Yer
mont soldiers; and one contributing
factor in securing this high quality
was the good sense which cOntinu-
ally sent recruits into the already eX
listing regiments instead of forming
new ones
AT the banquet that evening the
vice-president spoke in part as fol-
lows: ''Let me add one word as to
the full significance of Capt. Clark
of the Oregon. Yon have a right to
feel proud of what he did and what
he might have done. In the history
of the navy nothing is more dramat-
ic than the great voyage of the Ore
gon going down on one side of a
hemisphere, and up the other side to
strike the decisive blow that would
break the last remnant of Spanish
power. You have not a particle
more admiration for him than l have.
You have no sea coast in Vermont
but when there is a battle on the
ocean some son of Vermont is always |
taking a prominent part in it. You
gentlemen here. when Won fOupht !
through the Civil War, you gave us
the right to thrill whenever anything |
was done to the honor and glory of his .
country. Every great name in your
history is a name in the histoy of
the country. l have met your sons
stood beside them in battle, and l
want to say in closing that the en-
tire Union owes a debt to Vermont.
Size and population are second to
courage and patriotism which you
have. Honesty must be first in
nation or individual, with it must go
courage. These are not enough. If
a man has them both and is a natu-
raj born fool he is not worth knock
ing in the head.
l am glad to come as your guest
because Vermont has shown the three
great moral qualities, rectitude, cour
age and daring, such as the Ameri
can nation will have in the future
and has had in the past