The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-04
ROoSEvELT's SPEECH.
The President Praises Declara-
tion of Independence.


Pfttsburg, July 4.-President Roose-
welt in his speech at schenley park to-
day said:
Mr.. Mayor and you, my fellow citi-
women OF western Pennsylvania: You
have just listened to the reading of the
great document which signals our en-
try into the field of nations. 126 years
which had to be made good by the per-
Torrance OF those men and their chill
dren and their children's children.
Words are good II they are backed
The declaration continues to be read
by us year after year, and stands as
symbol OF hope for the peoples of all
the world because its promise was
made good, because its words were sup
plemented by deeds. because after the
men who signed 1t and upheld 1t had
done theirs. the men who come again
after them. generation by generation.
did their work in turn (Applause)
The declaration OF Independence had
to be supplemented In the first place
by that great instrument Of constructive
and administrative statesmanship-th
The document promulgated in 17SS un-
der which Washington became our frst
mented, the p deciaration 's Of H7s I We
showed in the Revolution that we had
structed the more perfect union of the old
confederacy. that we knew how to use
that right a. It needed to be used. CAP
plaus)
And then 10 years and more passed
and then there came again upon the ma
ton the days Of iron need. The4eecame
again the days that demanded all that
was best. life itself. of the bravest and
truest of the nations sons. And with
Sumter's guns awakened our people
and America until then the incarnate
genius of peace, sprang to her feet with
sword and with shield. a helmeted
queen among nations, when the thun-
der of guns called the nations children
they sprang forward to do the mighty
deeds which II left undone would haFe
meant that the words to which we have
listened to today would have rung az
meaningless platitudes. (Applause.)
Those were the two great epochs in
founding of the union and the epoch OF
it's preservation; the epoch Of Washing
ton and the epoch of Abraham Lincoln
Cloud applause and cheers.) Those two
do, but each generation has its tasks,
and woe to the generation which re-
CARDS the deeds Of the mighty men Of
the past as excuses for this failing to
dc in it's turn the work that It finds
ready to hand. (Applause.)
The great deeds OF those who have
gone before us must ever serve not as
a reason for inaction on our part, but
forward on the path of national great
ness and justice. (Applause.) We have
had our tasks to do In the
last four years, or rather we have
had as every generation must have,
many tasks to do, tasks affecting US
abroad and one of those tasks being
done as it has been, has signalled our
entry into larger world. (Applause.)
And 1t Is most appropriate that on this
Fourth Of July. this anniversary of the
birth Of the nation, it should be our
good fortune to have promulgated the
declaration establishing peace in the
Philippines and Acknowledgement to
the army Of the praise SO richly due
for all they have done in the tropic
/ islands during the past four years. Gap
| plause and continued applause and
cheerS.)
We said Cuba should become free
republic and we have kept our word
| cloud applause.) To have turned Cuba
| over to the hands OF its own people Inn
mediately after the withdrawal Of the
Spanish flag would have meant ruin
and chaos.
We established a government in the
| island: we established peace and order;
we began to provide for the payment
! OF the Cuban troops who had fought
| against the misru1e of their oppressors;
we instituted public school system,
based on that which has been SO potent
a factor In our own national progress
(Applause-)
| We cleaned the cities In Cuba for the
| first time in their history (Applause)-
We changed them from being the most
unhealthy, to being among the health
lest cities of the world. We introduced
| a system of orderly justice to succeed
| one of irresponsible and arbitrative des-
| potism- So that any man, rich or poor.
| weak OF strong, could appeal to courts