The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-06-26
ROAST FOR PRESIDENT ROOSE-
WELT.
Raleigh Post.

| ROAS1 fOR fREoIDL!>l NOooL.
| WELT.
Raleigh Post.
When we read the report Of the So
called Grafton delivered by Mr. Roose-
welt on National Memorial Day at
Arlington Cemetery we hoped that
no Southern paper would do more
| than print the report Of the speech,
| otherwise treat it with the silence
which digniiied self-respect seemed
to require; not silence which would
or could be taken as assent-no one
| not a fool would have 50 thong hit
but that which would be a severer re-
| buke and severer condemnation
| than mere words Of denunciation
could be. Again, we could but be-
lieve that the proper condemnation
] would promptly come from whence 1t
| ought to come. the Northern press
and people. And it did come prompt
". Tho Boston Herald, Springfield
| RepuJlican, the Providence, Rhode Is
| land journal, and other leading jour
nails Of that section have been strong
| in their condemnation Of the gross
| improprietv of such 4 speech from
| the President Of the United States on
such an occasion and specially in view
| Of recent occurrences.
But the indianapolis ScnttneifolIows
| in the severest roast. all Of which
shows that the South can we'll afford
| to treat such utterances, even by the
| President, with the contempt that
they only deserve.
The Sentinel disclosed the PARTISAN
ship and partisan purpose Of the I'M
| callrdfor speech 1t says:
'.Friday the most extraordinary
spectacle was presented to the Ameri-
can people that has been seen for
many long year-that Of the Presi-
| dent of the United States marin. the
solemnity of Memorial Day by a
| political stump speech, bristiing with
the cheapest demagogy, and without
a reminder of the high purpose III
which he was called to speak 1t
stands without parallel as to the
violation of the proprieties of the oc-
casion or lowering of the personal
| position of the speaker.
For wears the best thought of the
country has been given to the re-
m0val of sectional strife. For years
| children have been taught to recite
| The Blue and the Gray and to give
rein to the impulse of forgiveness on
| Decoration Day. When the Spanish
| war came there universal acclaim
| that the past was wiped out and that
| the nation was united under orr com
Roosevelt, on this day, as President
Of this nation, and hourishes the
bloody shirt as no Republican dog
fennel orator has done for Years.
Read his words:
| ".There were abuses and to spare
in the Civil war. Your false friends
| then called Grant a butcher and spoke
of you who are listening to me as
mercenaries, as Lincoln's hirelings.
| Your open foes-as in the resolution
| passed by the Confederate Congress
in 1862 accused you, at great length,
and with much particularly, of con-
temptuous disregard of the usages of
civilized war: of sub Getting women
and children to Punishment, imprison-
| ment and death; of murder, of rapine,
| Of Outrages on women, OF lawless
cruelty, Of pcrpetrating atrocities
which would be disgraceful to savageS,
| and Abraham Lincoln was singled ont
| for especial attack because of his
| spirit of barbarous ferocity. Verify,
these men who thus foully slandered
| YOU have their heirs today in those
who traduce our armies in the Philip
pines. who fix their eyes on individual
| deeds of wrong SO keenl y that at last
they become blind to the great work
of peace and freedom that has already
been accomplished.
Turn now to Lincoln's speech at
Gettysburg on like occasion, when
the heat of conflict was upon us, and
contemplate the awfulness of the fall
from Lincoln to Roosevelt. Lincoln's
words are eternal. Roosevelt's are
the petty piping of politician who
aims to sound a keynote for a cam
paign in which he aspires to be candi-
date for the chief office.
Who that listened to Roosevelt
| nav VI hlC ttpt VI INC
nation to the soldiers of the Civil
war? There was no suggestion of it
from him-nothing but defense of
his policy in the Philippines. which he
sought to link to the memories of the
Civil war by an appeal to bitterness
and hatred. 1t was not an effort to
call up tender memories of the honor
ed dead, but to fan to flame the al
most eNtinguished embers of sectional
strife.
''Of the political merit of his
speech it is unnecessary to speak at
length. 1t is rehaSh of the same
propositions that have been handed
out by Republican Senators and con-
/ vention orators. He revives the SLAM
der that Lincoln ordered barbaritiss
comparable with Gen. Smiths order
to make Samar "a bowling wilderness
and kill every body over ten wears of
age. He urges that we are merely
trying to confer peace and freedom,
on these people who object TO having
them. The rest is the cry of traitor
to all who protest. And this for a
Memorial Day address, And from the
President of the United States,''