The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-03
DEFENSE OF THE ARMY.
Speech by the President to N Great
ThrOng at Springfield.


SPRINGFIELD. Mass, Sept. 2.-Presdent
Roosevelt was greeted by more than 1900
people in Springfield. a third of whom heard
him deliver an address on Court square.
The presidential train arrived late, at SOB p.
m, and with Mayor Ellis in charge the par
ty was driven in carriages to the United
States armory. The President was keenly
interested in the new model Springfield
rifle, an Improvement over the Krag rifle
now used by the army. He carefully exam
ined every detail of the mechanism and
finally asked:
What of it's accuracy?'
Colonel Phipps assured him that the new
model will shoot much more accurately
than the old Springfield rifle and somewhat
better than the Krag. The President re-
marked that this was an important consid-
Grafton.
Through streets damned with people he
was then driven to Court square, where
about 5000 people were gathered. Directly
in front of the stand stood three COM
panies of the Second Massachusetts, Regi-
ment, which camped beside the Rough
Riders at Santiago. To these the President
spoke directly many times. He dwelt par
ticulary upon the duty of American citi-
zens to respect the soldiers fighting the
warfare of a tropical jungle and subject TO
many temptations, taking this subject be-
cause Springfield is the home of the we'll
known critics of the Philippine campaign.
The President said in part:
Mr.. Mayor, and You, my Fellow-Ameri-
cans-.I thank you from my heart for your
greeting, and / know you will not grudge
my saying that of all those present / feel
particularly pleased to meet here my COM
rades the men of your Massachusetts, Regi-
mt hnh Ind md oslo rhnx, II al of
Santiago
Ladies and gentlemen, the men who
went to Cuba were your brothers, sons,
kindred and neighbors. The men who served
in the Philippines in the uniform of the
American army have been again your
brothers, sons and neighbors. Last night I
over ago Mortified was the frontier, and
we have Massachusetts now because we
were not afraid to expand then and we are
not afraid to expand now. Loud ap-
plausel
Our destiny Unexpectedly took us &c the
Philippines. don't suppose any of us,
when you and /, my comrades went down
to Cuba, thought much of the Philippines
and did not know much about them. / did
not. When We got there we found that we
had a job to do, and we did IT. IA voice,
| That's right! and Did 1t well!'1 And did II
well, yes. That's good, and much more.
| We have no apologies to make for It,
"Our soldiers in the Philippines have
| been attacked because occasionally one Of
| them did something wrong. Wherever 1t
| has been possible to find them out the Of
| tenders have been punished. And / ask
| you, when they blame overmuch Uncle
| Sans men in blue fighting for their lives
| against treacherous foe in the heart
| breaking work of jungle warfare, If our
| critics remembered In speaking of the oc-
| casional shortcomings of the men who did
wrong under the stress of such terrible
| temptation, that we are not altogether
| immaculate at home L would be sorry to
have any one of our cities even the best,
| even Springfield judged by the record of
| purely to that you could make it pretty
| bad showing for any city in the land.
| Occasionally soldiers in the Philippines
/ did wrong, but on the whole the men who
| for three years in those islands have fol-
| lowed the flag of the United States have
| added a new page to the honor roll of the
nation. / think, however, that troops of
| ours warred under greater difficulties than
those in the Philippines, troops of ours
| have warred against more dangerous foes,
but never in a climate under conditions
which called for such resolute perseverance
| on the part of the men. In the steaming
| heat of the tropic jungles, starving foot
| in the mud wherever they happened to fall
| down; at every step fearing ambush from
foe who was felt before he was seen,
| and among a population that greeted with
| friendiness the oncoming troops and
] seized the stragglers and put them to death
| by treachery; those men had indeed a
heavy burden to bear, and / think that
| the men who sat at home could have af-
| forded to be more lenient in bearing judg-
| ment against them
Afterwards he addressed the Grand
| Army veterans at their headquarters.
| speaking from his carriage. He left for
Dalton few minutes after o'clock.