The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-06-06
A DEFENSE 0 TIE ARMY.
Memorial Day Address by President
Roosevelt at Airing ton
Cemetery.
ARMY's MISSION IN THE PHILIPPINES.
While There Have Deen Some
Abuses. which Every Effort 10
BeinH Made 10 Correct, the Work
Has Been Done. In the Main,
CouragcOusIy and HumareIy.

CouragcousIy and HumareIy.
Washington. May 3i.-Following Is
the full text OF President Roosevelts
Memorial day address, delivered at
the exercises in Arlington cemetery:
The Presidents Address
II Is q good custom for our country to
have certain solemn holidays In commem-
GRAFTON Of our greatest men and OF the
greatest crises I'm our history. There
should he but few such holidays. To In
crease their number is to cheaper them
Washington and Lincoln-the man who
did most TO found the union. and the man
who did most TO preserve it-stand head
and shoulders above all our other public
men. and have by common consent won
the right to this pre-emlncnce. Among
the holidays which commemorate the
turning points In American history
Thanksgiving has a significance peculiarly
its own. On July we celebrate the birth
OF the nation: on this day. the Goth OF
May, we call to mind the deaths OF those
who died that the nation might live, who
wagered all that life holds dear for the
great prize OF death in battle. who poured
out their blood like water In order that
the mighty national structure raised by
the far-seeing patriotism OF Washington.
Franklin. Marshall, Hamilton. and the
other great leaders of the Revolution,
great trainers of the constitution. should
not crfimble into meaningless ruins
You whom i address to-day and your
comraCes who wore the blue beside you
in the perious years during which strong.
sad, patient Lincoln bore the crushing
load Of national leadership, performed the
one feat the failure TO perform whicn
would have meant destruction to every
thing which makes the name America q
symbol OF hope among the nations OF
Ind "A ft1sa los "a
necessary task which has ever fallen 70
the lot OF any men on tbs western rei.l,
| passed since the waters of our coasts
i were first furrowed by the keels OF the
men whose children's children We're TO
inherit this fair land. Over a century and
| settlement. and now for OYER A century
and quarter we have been nation.
The vital National Task
During our Jour generations OF Rational
| life We have had 10 ito many taSNsi. ana
some OF them IF far re l6hlhS iinroitance'
but the only really vital task was the one
you did. the Task 81 saNi1S The n.lv1.
| There were otn ar cfiscs ~ wiaic1 10 have
gone wrong would have nCstn. disa str :.
/ but this was he rhs crisis IN wi.tsll 10
have gore wrong won ,ve meant mt
/ merely disaster ~. annilllutiBn, OF fall-
| ure at any othc. point atom smsnt could
| have been made. bat had yol failed IN the
iron days the loss would have been ir-
| reparablc the defeat irretrieNable. Upon
| your success depended all the future OF
the people on this continent. and much
| OF the future OF mankind as a whole.
You left us reunited country. You
| left US the right OF brotherhood with the
men In gray. who with such courage. and
| such devotion for what they deemed the
| right. fought against you. But you left
| us much more even than your achieve
ment. for you left u the memory OF how
IL was achieved You. who made good
by your yalor and patriotism the states
manship OF Lincoln and the soldiership
OF Grant. have set az the standards for
our efforts I'm the future both the way
you did your work In war and the way In
/ which when the war was over you turned
again 10 the work OF peace IN war and
I'm peace alike your example Will stand as
the wisest of lessons 10 US and our chk-
dren and our childrens' children.
Another and Difficult Task.
Just at this moment the army of the
| United States. led by men who served
| TO completion a small but peculiarly try
| ing and difficult war i'm which Is involved
not only the honor OF the flag but the tri-
| umph of civilization over forces which
| stand for the black chaos OF savagery and
| barbarism. The task has not been as diff
ficult or as important as yours but. oh.
| my comrades. the men In the uniform OF
1 the United States. who have for the last
three years patiently and uncompla inngly
championed the American cause In the
| Philippine islands, are. your younger
| brothers. your sons. They have shown
themselves not unworthy of you. and
| they are entitled to the support of all
| men who are proud OF what you did
| These younger comrades OF yours have
| fought under terrible difficulties and have
| received terrible provocation from "A very
| cruel and very treacherous enemy. Under
the strain OF these provocations deeply
! deplore to say that some among them
l.have so far forgotten themselves as 10
| counsel and commit. in retaliation, acts OF
cruelty. The fact that for every guilty
act committed by one OF our troops a
hundred acts OF far greater atrocity have
been committed by the hostile natives
upon our troops. or upon the peaceabe
and law-abding natives who are friendly
TO US, can not be held TO excuse any
| wrongdoer on our side. Determined and
answering effort must be made. and Il
being made, TO find out every instance
TO punish those guilty OF IL. and to take
N possible. even stronger measures thar
have already been taken TO minimize Of
prevent the occurrence Of all such In.
stances in the future
Cruelty Prscticcd at Home.
From time 10 time there occur In oui
country, to the deep end lasting sham,
OF our people. lynchi1gs CARRIED on undel
circumstances OF nhuman cruelty ans
barbarity-a cruelty infinitely worse thar
any that has ever been committed by oui
troops In the Philippines; worse to tn,
victims. and far more brutalzing 4
those guilty OF II. The men who fail I,
condemn these lynchings. and yet clamol
about what has been done I'm the Philip
pines are indeed guilty OF neglecting tn.
beam I'm their own eye while tauntins
their brother about the mote In his. I'm
l
no excuse for failure 10 stop cruelty In tn.
Philippines Every EFFORT Is being made
and will be made to minimize the chances
| OF cruelty occurring.
But keep IN mind that these cruelte,
| in the Philippines have been wholly ex
ceptional. and have been shamelessly ex
aggerated We deeply and bitterly regre
that any such cruelties should have beer
committed no matter how rarely no mat
| ter under what provocation. by American
! troops But they AFFORD far less justifica
ton for a general condemnation OF ou
| army than these Vnchings AFFORD for tn,
| condemnation Of the communities In which
they have taken place. In each case II 4
well to condemn the deed and IL is wei
also 10 refrain from including both guilt,
and innocent In the same sweeping con
| demnation
Don't Condemn All For the Few.
In every community there are peop
who commit acts OF well-nigh inconceiva
BILE horror and haseness III we fix gu
eyes only upon these individ uals and upoi
their acts. and " we forget the far NOR
numerous citizens OF upright and homes
life and blvid ourselves TO their count
1 less deeds OF wisdom and justice and phi
"A T.. n. ~ LA