The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-26
The MEN OF HARVARD
PRESIDENT ROOsEVELT'S ADDRESS
To THE ALUMNI
MESSRS. WOOD, TAFT, ROOT
EXAMPLES OF WHAT HARVARD
MEN ARE DOING.

Each-The President Evidently Be
Heves That These Men Are Not He
ceiving Their Due and in the Case
! of Gen. Wood His Language Is Bit
ter-Sacrifices Made by Taft ana
Root Dwelt UpOn-Sympathy EN-
pressed for England and Her King.
| Cambridge, Mass. June 25.-Com-
mencement at Harvard University was
of unusual interest to-day because of
the presence of President Roosevelt,
a graduate of Harvard, class of 1880,
who received the honorary degree Of
LII. d.
There were other notable guests at
the exercises, including Secretary of
| State John Hay, who also received the
degree of LII. D., Rev. Edward f.
Hale, D. D., of Boston, and many
graduates who have brought honor to
their university.
AS a precaution for the safety of
President Roosevelt. the college yard,
usually open to all, was enclosed by
fence and only holders of degrees,
officers, students and guests were ad-
mitted, and these by ticket only.
The President and Gov. Crane reach
ed Harvard just before 10 o'clock.
Their coming was signalled by the
sounding of the bugle as the cavalry
formed at attention, while the Presi-
dent alighted.
The graduating exercises were held
in Sanders Theater, where President
Eliot announced the degrees. After
these ceremonies, President Roosevelt
attended the alumni banquet in Memoir
| ial Hall. Hon. John D. Long, president
of the alumni association, presided and
introduced the speakers. The list of
toasts Included responses by President
Eliot, Gov. Crane, President Roosevelt,
Secretary Hay, Prof. Alexander Agaz-
zasi and Malcolm Donald.
Sympathy for England.
President Roosevelt began by say
| ing:
Let me speak for all Americans to-
day when 1 say that we watch with
the deepest concern and sympathy the
sick bed of the English king and that
all Americans in rendering their hearty
! sympathy to the people of Great Bri-
| tain now remember keenly the out
/ burst. of genuine grief with which all
| England last fall greeted the calamity
| that befell us in the death of President
! Mckinley"
The President, after paying compli-
ments to Secretary Hay and Senators
! Hoar and Lodge, the latter of whom
| he called his closest, staunchest and
most loyal personal friend spoke of
three other college graduates, Elihu
| Root, Gov. Taft and Leonard Wood, as
men who met the need for service that
cannot be bought. He then said:
Sore About Wood.
when in England they get man to
| do what Lord Cromer did in Egypt;
when man returns as Lord Kitchener
will return from South Africa, they
give him a peerage and a great sum
| of money. He receives tangible re-.
ward and our Cromers, our men of that
! stamp, come back to the country and
| if they are fortunate they go back
to private life with the privilege of
taking up what they can find of
| the strings left loose when they sun
dered their old connections, and if they
are unfortunate they are accused of
maladversion i'll Office. 0aughter)
Not an accusation that hurts them, but
an accusation that brands with
| infamy every man who makes
! it and that reflects but ill on the coun-
| try in which it is made. (Applause.)
| Leonard Wood rendered services to
| Cuba of the kind if performed 5000
! years ago would have made him hero
| mixed up with the sun god, man who
! did nothing else save to try to bring
up the standard of political and social
| life in that island; to clean it physi-
cally and morally; to make justice even
! and fair in 1t. He is man of slender
means. He did it on his pay as an
| army officer and as governor of the
| island Sixty millions of dollars pass
| ed through his hands and he came out
| having had to draw on his slender cap
ital in order that he might come out
even when he left the island. Credit
| to him? Yes, in a way. In another,
no particular credit, because he
was built so that ne could
| do nothing else. He came out
| having done that and having
! devoted himself disinterestedly to the
/ benefit of the Cuban people. He has
come back here and has been attacked,
/ foorsooth, by people who are not
1 merely unworthy of having their
incapable of understanding the mo-
tives that have spurred him on to
! bring honor to this republic.
/ High Praise for Gov. Taft.
! "And Gov. Taft, the head of the
! Philippine COMMISSION, man WHO
having won high positions at the bar
! and then served as solicitor general
/ with all his tastes impelling him to
| judicial career, and was appointed to
! the limited States bench, was asked to
! give I'D the position in order to go TO
! the other side of the world 10 take up
an infinitely difficult and Infinitely
! dangerous problem and to do his best
to solve 1t. He has done his best The
| man has always had the honorable am
| bition to get upon the supreme Court
and he knew that l had always hoped
he would be put upon the supreme
! Court. and when there was question
# a vacancy arising ! said TO him:
Governor, ] think / ought to tell
YOU that If a vacancy comes in the Su-
nrerne Court, while II would give you
an opportunity to be put in the position
Won would ike 70 have, l think
ought 10 tell you that If such va
| cancy should occur / do not see how /
| could possibly give IL to you, Tor
/ need you where you are
lie said 70 me. Mr.. President II
has always been my dream 20 be on
/ ne supreme Court. but " you should
} st.er me q iudgezhip now and al the
me time Congress should take entire
~ IN my salary 49, gogernOrship,
] should 20 straight back 20 The PHILIP
dimes nevertheless, for those people
/ need zoe and expect me back ana be-
ueve \ won't desert thin
"Fe hae gone back gone ~ fuVnE
friend among weaker ffiendf % help
fbem ugnar1F along the stony ana
dimcult path u self government 70