Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-20
Roosevelt Speaks at Banquet.

President Roosevelt at banquet
given last evening at the Peabody as
the closing event of the celebration,
extended to General Luke Wright,
responded to the toast "Our Country"
and said in part as foLows:
"It is a real and great pleasure to
come to this typical city of the south
ern Mississippi valley in order to greet
a typical American, q citizen Of Ten
nessee, who deserves honor. not only
from his state, but from the entire
country, General Luke e. Wright. We
have right to expect high standard
of manhood from Tennessee.
'There have been Presidents of the
United States for 113 years, and dur
ing sixteen of those years Tennessee
ans sat in the White House. Hardi--
hood and daring and iron resolution
are of right to be expected among the
sons Of state which nurtured Andrew
jackson and Sam Houston, which
sent into the American navy one of
the most famous fighting admirals of
all time, Farragut
There is another reason why our
country should be glad that 1t was
General Wright who rendered this
service. General Wright fought with
distinguished gallantry among the
gallant men who served in the armies
of the confederacy during the civil
war. We need no proof of the COM
pleteness of our reunion as a people.
When the war with Spain came the
sons Of the men who wore the gray
We'd with one another in the effort to
get into the ranks and face foreign
foe under the old flag that had been
carried in triumph under Winfield
Scott and Zachary Taylor and Andrew
Jackson. 1t was my own good fortune
to serve under that fearless fighter. Joe
Wheeler, a memory of which shall al
ways be proud. But if we needed any
proof of the unity of our interests it
would have been afforded this very
year by General Wright, the ex-con-.
federete, In his administration as act
, ing governor of the Philippine islands.
Upon him during the months of sum.
mer rested heavier burden of respon.
sibility than any other public servant
at that particular time, and not the
least of his titles to our regard lis thu
way in which he was able to work on
terms Of cordial good will with the
head of the army, himself a man who
Wright had honored the gray.
Duty In the Philippines.
General Wright's work has been as
difficult as 1t was important. The
events of the last four years have def.
nitely decided that whether we wish
to or not we must hereafter play a
great part in the world We cannot es
kape facing the duties. We may shirk
them if we are built of poor stuff OF
we may take hold and do them if we
are fit sons of our sires, but face them
we must, whether we will or not. Oul
duty in the Philippine islands has
simply been one of the duties that
thus have come upon us. We are
there and we can no more haul dowr
our flag and abandon the islands thar
we could now abandon Alaska 1t can
not be too often repeated that there
was no question that the work had tc
be done. All the question was wheth
er we would do it we'll or ill, ant
thanks to the choice of men like Gov
ernor Wright, is has been done we'll
The first and absolutely indispensable
requit1se was order, peace. The feigI
of alswless violence. OF resistance tt
legitimate authority, the reign of an
archy, could for the civil authority was
often done by the officers and men O
the regular army, and well done, too
Then the real work of building up
system of self-goyernment for the peo
Pile who had become our wards was
begun under the auspices of the Phil
ippine commission, Judge Taft beins
made governor, and had the homo
myself to appoint General Wright a,
vice governor. During the critical pc
4iod when the insurrection was ending