Rocky Ford enterprise., 1902-06-06
EULodY OF THE DEAD
PRESIDENTS ABLE ADDRESS.

Patriotic Utterances OF President
Roosevelt at Arlington Cemetery
Saving tho Union the Only Really
Vital Task During Four Genera.
tions-Earnest Appeal for Our
Army Now In the Philippines.
Washington. May 30.-Aicmorial day
was observed here to-day perhaps more
generally than ever before. The mn.
nounccinent that President Roosevelt
would deliver the Grafton at Arlington
brought to that historic city OF the
dead vast concoursc OF people.
among whom Were numbered thou
sands OF veterans who journeycd to the
cemetery to honor the memory Of their
comrades who had died In their coun.
try's cause. or who. having survived
the struggles OF 1861 and isos, had
passed since Into the great unknown.
The local arrangements were In
charge OF the Department OF the Po-
tomac and Included n parade Of ail the
Grand Army OF the Republic and other
patriotic organizations. the decoration
OF monuments and graves and ad.
dresses by men prominent In the af-
rairs Of the government.
After the Invocation and the rcndl-
tion OF several numbers by the band
and choir. Mr.. T.. u. Hay read Lin
coins Gettysburg address. President
Roosevelt followed. and ns lie arose he
was again greeted with cheers nnd
the piaudlts of the Immense audience.
which stretched far outside III. limits
OF the ampiiithcatcr. His remarks wcr"
given the closest attention and lie was
frequently interrupted by bursts OF
applause. The President spoke In part
nS follows:
"You whom I address to-day and
your comrades who were tn. blue he.
side you In the p-rllnns years during
which strong. sad. patient Lincoln bore
the crushing load of national leader
ship. performed the one feat the fall
urc To perform which would hh,.
meant destruction To everything which
makes the name America u symbol of
hope among the nations uf mankind.
You did the greatest and most ncc''-'
sary task which hns ever fallen Ia III.
lot ~ any men ON this Western hcniis-
ph"r-.
During our four generations Of ma
tionni III. We have had io do many
tasks. aud some Of Them of far-rcnch.
Ing Importance: but the Only really VI
tni task was the ON. you did. the task
Of saving the Union.
There wcr- other crises In which to
have gone wrong wouid have meant
disaster: hut this was the Ell" crisis In
which to have gone wrong would have
meant not merely disaster. but annlhi.
intion.
"For failure mt any other point
nionctncni could hny. bcrn made: hut
had you failed In the iron days The
los. would have been irr-parabi-. the
defeat irrrtricvablc.
Upon your SUCCESS depended NIL the
future Of the people on this continent.
and much Of the futnr. Of mankind ns
n whole. In war aud In peace alike
your example viii stand n- the wiscst
of lessons to us and our children ana
our chiiircns children.
Just at this moment the Army or
the United States, l-i by men who
served among you In the great war. ~
carrying TO completion small but pc
culinriy tryin. aud difficult war IN
which IL involved not only the honor
OF the flag. but the triumph OF civilizn'
iInn over forces which stand for the
black chnos Of savnEcTy and hIflnr'
ism. Tie task has not been ms diiii'
cult or ms important rs yours. hut. Oh.
my comrades. the men Ia the uniform
OF the United States. who have for the
last three years patiently and uncnn'.
plniningiy chnmpinnc,i the American
cause In the Philippine islands. are
your younger brothers. your sons.
They have shown themselves not
unworthy OF you. and they are cntl-
tied to the support Of NIL men who
ate proud OF what you did.
"1'hcsc younger comrades OF yours
hnv. fought under terrible difficulties
and have received terrible provOcution
from n very cruel and very trcIchcrous
enemy. Under the strain OF these pro.
vocntions / deeply dcplorc TO say that
some among them have 80 fnr forgot
ten themselves ns TO counsel nnd COIN
init. In retaliation. acts OF cruelty.
lis It only in the army OF the Phil.
ippincs that Americans sometimes do
acts that caukc the rest Of America
rcErctl
"From time 90 time there occur in
Our country. TO the deep and lasting
shame OF our people. lynching carried
ON under circumstances OF inhumnn
cruelty and bnrharity-n cruelty in-
finitcly worse than any that has ever
been committed by our troops In the
Philippines: worse TO the victims. and
far more brutalizing to those guilty or
IL.
'Thc men who fail to condemn these
lynchings. and yet clamor about what
has been done in thc Philippines. are
indeed guilty OF ncglecting the beam
in their own eye while taunting their
brother about the mote in his.
understand me. These lynchincs
afford us no excuse for failure to stop
cruelty in the Philippines. Every ef-
fort Is being made. and will be made,
TO minimize the chances OF cruelty oc.
curing.
"Thc victories of the American army
have been the really effective means OF
putting n stop to cruelty In the Philip
pines. Wherever these victories have
been compiete-and such Is now the
case throughout the greater part OF
the islands-all crueltics have ceased.
and the native Is secure In his life. his
liberty and his pursuit of happiness.
where the instruction still smold-
era there Is always n chance for cruel
ty to show itself.
..Other nations have conquered to
create irresponsible military rule. We
conquer to bring just and responsible
civil government to the conquered.
''This should no more he party
question than the war for the Union
should have been party question. At
this moment the man In highest office
a i. H..