The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-10
CHILDREN SING AMERICA
The President Aroused to Enthusiasm
by His Trip Trough Western
Carolina.
WARM GREETINGS ARE ACCORDED HIM
He Refers 10 Vance, the Mecklenburg Decla-
ration, the Deeds Of CaroIinians in
Peace and War, Industrial
Awakening of the South
Awakening of the South
(By the Associated Press.l


(By the Associated Press.)
Asheville. N. c., Sept. Baskerville
extended a warm greeting to President
Roosevelt today. Fully ten thousand
people occupied the court house square,
where the President addressed them from
an improvised stand. The special train
arrived here at $50 o'clock. The night
was passed at Hot Springs and the run
from there to Asheville this morning
was uneventful. A short stop was made
at Marshall the home of Senator
Pritchard, where a large number of peo-
pie had assembled. The President
thanked them for their greeting.
At AsheVille he was met by recep-
tion committee, of which Charles Me-
Nance was chairman. Mayor Miller,
Senator Pritchard and Congressman
Moody were among those who greeted
the President, the members of the COM
mittee being introduced to the President
in his car by Senator Pritchard. Car
riages were in waiting and under the
escort of Zeb Vance Company Confeder-
ate Veterans, carrying battle flags and
two companies of State militia and the
First Regiment Band, the party started
for the court house square. At ARTERY
Park the school children were assem-
bled on the lawn and sang America
as the party passed \ President Roose-
Welt stood in his carriage bareheaded
The city was elaborately~a aa~arated and
hundreds of people had come in from
the country to greet the President
When the President was introduced by
Chairman McNamee he was enthusias-
tically greeted.
The President said:
"Mr. Chairman, Mr.. Gudger, and you
my fellow Americans:
1T is indeed a pleasure to have the
chance of saying a word of greeting to
you this morning, to speak here in the
midst of your beautiful country OF
Western North Carolina, in this beau
tiful city in front of the monument raised
to Senator Vance CApplause), and to be
addressing people whose forefathers
have borne a distinguished part in every
great military or civic struggle through
which this country has come. Cap
plause) 1t was not far from here, as
the Mecklenburg Declaration of indie
pendence was formulated. (Applause).
The gentleman who introduced me spoke
of the great deeds of the men who in
the Revolutionary War followed Mar
ion and Mcdowell. My forefathers
fought under Marion (Applausc), my
forcfatheIs fought with the Georgia and
South Carolina troops, who battled
thr0t I;r
and the Red Dragons overran the
Southern States. They were present at
Kings Mountain, at the COwpens, and
they saw the final triumph when the men
in blue and buff, who followed Greene,
wrested victory out of defeat, and when
at last the flag of the thirteen Union
States, who had been the thirteen colo
MES. waved without a rival along the
coast and along the foothills of the
mountains. (Applause) 1t has been a
great and peculiar pleasure to be greet
ed as / was today by the men who
served in the Confederate Army. Yes
terday and today / travelled through a
region which sent its sons, some to wear
the blue, some to wear the gray, all to
serve with courage and self-devotion the
right as it was given to each to see tho
right. The day before yesterday / Went
over the battlefields of Chickamauga
and of Chattanooga. Over that space of
territory which saw for two ymonths one
of the gigantic death wrestles of the
Civil War, the territory partly in Ten
nessee. partly in my mothers State of
Georgia (Applause); and l feel that the
man would be but a poor American who
did not come from the scenes commem-
Grating the valiant deeds of those armies
a better American than when he started.
When | was there a delegation of young
men from the State of Georgia came to
present me a cane cut from the battle
field with the names of three Union and
three Confederate Generals on it. One
of the Union Generals. General Boynton,
was showing me around the field One
of the Confederate Generals General Joe
Wheeler, had been my chief in the Span
ish War. (Applause.) esterday we
stopped at a little station in Tennessee
and among those who gathered to greet
me was an old fellow who had worn the
Gray. He said: L was one of Wheel