The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-08

MADE A FIREMAN.
President Roosevelt Voted an
Honorary Member.
Given a Card Which Admits
Him to the Lodges.
CALLS THEM BROTHERS
Compares Railroad Men Of the
Country to Soldiers.
Saws He Had Number Of Them
in His Regiment.
CALLS THEM BROTHERS

Chattanooga, Tenn. Sept. s.-President
Roosevelt today was elected an nom
Orary member of the Brotherhood OF
4 Locomotive Firemen. He attended the
executive session of the order IN tne
morning, walking from the hotel to the
I, auditorium, distance of a Few blocks,
escorted by Grand Master Sargent,
committee of the Brotherhood and de-
tachmept of troop B. state guard.
The Brotherhood first held it's execu-
tive session. Acting Grand Master
Hannahan welcomed the president, stat
ing that his attendance would do good
to organized labor, not only in this
country, but in Canada and other coun-
tries as we'll
The president returned his thanks for
for the welcome and said he was glad
to be with the brotherhood. He said
the Firemen'S Brotherhood was the re-
suit which naturally comes from the
application of the principle of common
sense to their work. He said that or
ganized labor never had made an un-
reasonable request of him and that If it
had he would have denied it. In speak
ing of the appointment of Grand Mas
ter Sargent of the brotherhood, to be
commissioner general of immigration,
the president said it was one of the
and to the public he had ever made:
that Mr.. Sargent has a hard body and
not a soft head
John F. McNamee, of Columbus O..
|
cratic member of the legislature moved
that the degree of grand honorary
membership be conferred upon Presl-
dent Roosevelt The motion was re-
ferred to the committee on constitution
and by laws. whose recommendation
was unanimous that the motion be ac-
| cepted. The report of the committee
was adopted by rising, unanimous
vote and amid great cheers
The president thanked the convention
| for the compliment paid him and Grand
Master Sargent then gave him pass
which admits him to all meetings of the
brotherhood
At this point the brotherhood ad-
| journed until tomorrow and the public
was admitted to the auditorium to hear
the presidents address. While the au-
dience was being seated the band rem
dered America" the president and
others in the hall rising
Il Mayor Chambliss delivered short adj
dress of greeting in which he welcomed
to Chattanooga all the fremen, whether
they came from Canada, Mexico. or
. Oyster Bay. After an address of wei
come in behalf of the state by Governor
McMillin, and an address by Grand
Master Sargent, interspersed with
music, President Roosevelt was intro-
duced by Acting Grand Master Hanna
han His reception was most enthuSi-
astic, the audience rising to its feet and
| cheering When the president addressed
the convention as my brothers" he was
cheered again. He said ne was glad to to
be here, and Joined with the others in
extending a cordial welcome to the Wis
| itors from Canada and Mexico. He
needed no pressing, he said, to come to
| this meeting.
Il always have, gentlemen. admired
3 greatly the railroad men of the coun-
try and l do not see how any one who
believes in the fundamental principles
l of citizenship can fail to do So
I He compared the railroad men to sol
: diers, who are accustomed to taking
q risks. acting on their own initiative and
! ,sesw, r. o~r1
{ ment he said, he got number of rail-
> road men. OF course, the first requisite
was that man should know how to
ride and how to shoot. Giving them
}, these two qualities he found there was
no better group from which soldiers
could be drawn than railroad men,
. Tie president said he hoped and be-
n lieved that the danger of war would be
e less in the future than it had been in
: the past. At the opening of the twen-
Il tieth century We face conditions vastly
changed from century ago; we, as
: | people, find awaiting us problems which
!. need our best thoughts to solve them
L The president referred to the good work
accomplished by the Brotherhood of Lo-
Il believe empha tically," he said iii
organized labor. The worth of an or
ganization depends on its being handled
with the courage, the skill, the wisdom
man and man, and the wise self
restraint which l am glad to be able t.
say your brotherhood has shown"
The president spoke of the necessity
= of work L pity the creature who doe:
l. not work" he said, ''at (which ever enc
n of the social scale he may regard him
e self as being He said the law of worl
- well done secures the successful Amer
70 lean he
q Discussing the benefits which have
d grown out of the organization of thu
L Brotherhood of Locomotive Fireman
), the president said the brotherhood doe
q much for all firemen but he firmly be
"a | lieved that the individual firemen, sine
- | the growth of the Brotherhood. hat
been more, not less efficient than he wal
l. twenty years ago.
"A great deal can be accomplished,
he said. by working each for all AM
| all for EACH but we must not forge
that the first requisite in accomplishing
- that is each man should go on am
work for others by working for him
self.
+, Il feel that organizations like your
,t have tonic effect upon the whole bod
20 polite. 1t is a good thing that ther
n, should be a large body of our fellos
n' citizens who exercise the old Qualitie
al of courage daring and reso1ute, un
k. f1inching. willingness to meet DANCE
re and need I hope ot see all our DeoDl
tn develop the softer, gentler virtues to a
r ever increasing degree, but hope neve
to see him lose the sterner virtues tha
make men. The problem OF good cit
zenship is a problem of producing goo
men and women. All the organization
l. in the world won't make coward c
| man. and the best constitution wi
at work but i'll if we have not in the aver
IT. I age citizen something that stands as "a
Id above intellect as intellect goes abov
G. mere brute strength-character that
te composed of honesty. of courage and {
of hard common sense"
i'll The president told of his trip over tn
n battlefield of Chickamauga yesterda