Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-06-12
PRESIDENT At WEST POINT
Delivers Address at Military Academy and
is Given Warm Reception,
Rr VI 1IERs TO Be READY FOR DUTY
Unit of - IJs, Future, He Says,
VIII BE thN u, "baunI and De-
veIopment OF ~, al Re-

WEST POINT, n. Y, June 1.-THE cele-
bration OF the Tooth anniversary of the es-
tablishment Of the military academy
reached its climax today. President Roose-
welt was the chief guest and there was a
brilliant crowd, including army and navy
officers, cabinet officers, women in bright
costumes and handsomely uniformed dip
lomats.
The days activities began With the ar
rival Of the president and then came re-
view OF the cadets, a reception at the home
OF the superintendent Of the academy, Col
onel Mills; the formal exercises and
speeches in Memorial hall after luncheon
and the dress parade at sundown.
Centennial banquet. with moro than
500 guests, was held in the evening.
President Roosevelt's party included Sec
retary Root. Secretary Moody. Postmaster
General Payne, Secretary Cortelyou and
Miss Carew, the presidents sisterin-law.
The president was met at the station by
Superintendent Mills and his staff and the
stan cf the academy. When the president
reaChed the crest a salute of twenty one
| guns was fred. The cadets were drawn up
on the parade ground. The president was
| driven to the home of Colonel Mills and
| then re walked across the street to the
paraae ground and reviewed the cadets.
| In the course Of the review Cadet Calvin
| P. Titus was called from the ranks to face
the president. who pinned a medal for
| bravery On his breast and spoke a few
words after the reading Of the order which
told that the medal was awarded by the
secretary OF war for gallantry at Pekin,
China, August IL, 1900.
| While the reception which followed the
review was in progress Governor Odell ar
rived. alone, and at once paid his respects
to the president and joined the official cir
Gle of visitors.
Immediately after luncheon the hundreds
OF visitors sought Memorial hall, a new
stone structure, where the exercises were
! held. The president, escorted by the ca
dets and leading a notable party of officers,
| came across the parade ground and soon
after his entrance the speaking began.
Colonel Mills made an address of well
come and then introduced President Roose-
| welt.
Speech by the President.
President Roosevelt spoke as follows:
| Colonel Mills, the graduates of West
| Point and you men and women who are
drawn to them by the case of citizenship,
| or by the simple fact that you are Amer
| leans and therefore of necessity drawn to
them. (Applause)
l am, glad to have the chance of saying
| for me to say how well your performance
| has compared with prophetic promise on
Washington. (Applause1 This Institution
! has completed It's first 100 years of life;
| During the century no other educational
| institution in the land has contributed as
many names as West Point has contributed
to the honor roll of the nations citizens.
| (Applause.)
Colonel Mills. claim to be historian.
and / speak simply as a reciter of facts
when ! say what have said and, more
than that, not merely has West Point con-
| tributed a greater number of the men who
| stand highest on the nations honor roll,
but l think beyond question that, taken
as a whole, the average graduate of West
| Point during this 100 years has given a
greater amount of service to the country
| through his life than has the average grad
uate of any other institution in this broad
land. (Applause)
| Is Not Surprising.
Now, gentlemen, that is not surprising.
| That Is what we have right to expect
the nation (applause), but am glad that
the expectations have been made good
(applause), and of all the institutions in
this country none is more absolutely Amer
ican, none more, In the proper sense of the
word, absolutely democratic than this.
This morning l have shaken hands with
who stand as representatives of every
great struggle, every great move this
or sixty years. Finally, 1 see the younger
| men, as well as the older ones, the men
little war, war that was the mere skir-
! mish compared to the struggle in which
you fought from 81 to 65 and yet war
not merely for the destiny of this nation.
! but for the destiny of the world, the war
to 's see ia the a" campaign in Cuba how the
graduates of West Point handled them
selves and to endeavor TO profit by their
uNNNlA md has MIA oNnVa
| to come here today because l was at that
time intimately associated with many of
| your graduates.
One Incident at San Juan.
On the day before the San Juan fight.
lost UP into
what Colonel Mills gave me daughter and
| next morning Colonel Mills was with an
| other West Pointer, shipp from North
fast together and / remember we'll congrat-
ulating myself that my regiment-we were
all volunteer regiments-could have as an
| example men like Mills and Shipp. whose
very presence made the men cool and made
| them feel collected and at ease. Mills
and shipp went down with our regiment
i begun Shipp was killed and Mills received
wound from which, no one of US at the
| time thought he would recover. i had at
that time in my regiment as second lieu
i tenant a graduate Of West Point. who was
. | having MS nOuudy ana LOOK his nOHudy
by going down with us, and Just before
the assault he was shot, the bullet going
j l think in his stomach. and he fell he
said, Good bye, colonel, l am going &C
He is Present.
) But did not think he was. He Is here
all right, here, and his name is Haskell
Applause.) And there was never a mo
ment by day or night that I was not an
eyewitness OF some performance Of duty
being done by a West Pointer. and I never
saw a West Pointer falling his duty.
And now, in closing, l want to say one
| word to those who are graduates, and tbs
| under graduates as well. / think II Is goinl
to be a great deal harder to be a hrst
class officer in the future than II has beer
| In the past. I think than in addition TO tn,
courage and steadfastnsss that have al
ways been the prime requisites ina soldier
you have got TO show far greater power
OF individuality than has been necessary
before II you are going 10 get up to tn,
| highest level of officer-like performance Ct
of duty. As has been we'll said. the de
, / Velopments of warfare during the last few
| years have shown that in the future tn,
unit will not be the regiment nor yet tn
company, but the unit will be the indi
| vldual man. If he does not know how 4
shoot how TO shift for himself. how boil
to obey orders and to accept responsiblit'
, | when an emergency comes. then he won
have any orders 10 obey. If he is not abl
to do all OF that, you had better hav
him out OF the army.
Must stand Alone.