The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-09
SPEECH IN THE RAIN.
Crowd Addressed by the President mt
Knoxville, Despite Storm.

Crowd Addressed by the President at
Knoxville, Despite Storm.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, Sept. S.-President
Roosevelt braved the elements late this
afternoon and in defiance of hard rain
storm was driven through streets lined
with people to a stand on Main avenue,
nearly a mile from the depot, where he
spoke to 1900 people, who stood in quiet
while a drenching rain poured down upon
them.
The presidential special arrived promptly
at o'clock and was met by a large re-
ception committee, the Sixth Regiment
Band and a battalion of militia. After the
President stated he could stand the storm
to see the people if the people could see
him, carriages were taken and, preceded by
the troops the procession moved up the
main business street to the speakers stand
erected in front of the Woman's building.
All along the line of march the President
stood with barred head, bowling to the
cheering throng.
Introduced by Congressman Henry r.
Gibson, of this district, as a man who
combined all the sterling traits of char
acter of Andrew Johnson. Andrew Jackson
and James Knox Polk, President Roosevelt
spoke as follows:
My Fellow-Citizens and Countrymen-
L shall detain you for but a short time.
wish TO thank you for having come out in
this weather. Somebody asked me when
1t was raining hard whether L would
come up here anyway. / told them /
guessed If you could stand 1t / could. lap
plause.] L want to say how much L appre-
clate your having come out to see me, and
l take it that your National Guard are not
fair weather soldiers.
1T has been an inspiration to come
through East Tennessee to-day as l have.
L am sorry for my sake that the rain
should have come at this particular mo-
ment. but you needed ii and l am glad you
have got it. GApplause.l
Yesterday l spent the time going over
the great battlefields of Chickamauga and
Chattanooga, partly within the boundaries
boundaries or my mothers State of
Georgia Now, l come here along the up
per waters of the Tennessee to the seat of
the first. community settled by people of
our stock, on the waters which flow into
the gulf of Mexico. Ii was six years be-
fore the outbreak of the revolutionary war
that the first little settlement out of which
grew the great Safe of Tennessee was
founded, and it was here in this region that
the mounted rif1emen gathered under the
leadership of Sewer, the shaft in memory
of whom you see there-gathered to go
across the mountains and strike at King
mountain the decisive blow which in the
lutionary war. iApplause.l Right from
the beginning the Tennesseeans showed
themselves to be typical Americans In the
way in which they proved their ability to
Tennessee's share in the leadership of the
country, alike in war and peace. Zap
plause.J Because, my fellow-countrymen,
while you have been a great agricultural
State, while you are now rapidly becoming
in this section one of the greatest indus
trial centers of the entire country, you
h0t tn6 .arrt,A
Though IT is great to produce the works
of man, 1t is greater still to produce man
himself. tApplause,1 1t is a great thing
greatest of all is to have the high average
of citizenship In the community [applausel
that you have, the men with the power to
produce the gentler virtues and the rougher
virtues as needs be.
Tennessee has won her place-the typical
TenneSSeean stands as embodying SO much.
We are glad to call him the typical Amer
lean because the TennesSeean has never
shrunk from the roughness of life. The
men who first came here on the head
waters of the tributaries of the Tennessee
river built their little palisaded forts. The
men did not come here in search of ease
They came here for this great rich and
beautiful territory opened to them the
chance Of a victory worth having If they
proved themselves men enough to wrest
that victory from the throes of savage men
and savage nature. / would preach to no
man for whom l cared the snap of my fin
the man to be envied. [Applause.l He may
work in one way or he may work in an
other. care not the way in which he
works IL his work is worth doing and is
well done. lApplause.1 care not IL the man
work with his hands or his head, what may
be the line along which he has chosen
TO do his work, If his work is worth doing
and is well done.
"At Chickamauga, Missionary ridge and
Lookout mountain yesterday / saw the
scene Of the desperate fighting of the men
who wore the blue and those who wore
the gray.
Now, I shall try to talk no longer-I
won't melt myself-your umbrellas are in
the way-[applause and cries of Go ahead
put them down. And will say am very
much obliged to you for coming out, and
/ hope you are one-half as glad to see me
as am to see YOU" [Applause.l
At this time the storm had broke with
such fury that the Presidents voice could
not be heard ten feet from the stand The
entire party again took carriages and were
driven to the residence of Mrs. William G..
Brownlow wife of Tennessee's famous edi-
tor. former Governor and United States
senator. The President called on the aged
I lady and spent several minutes with her.
Then the University of Tennessee was Wis
tied, after which the party returned to
the depot. The special pulled out promptly
at o'clock.
about 10 o'clock, and the party will spend
the night there, going into Ashevflle at $50
o'clock tomorrow morning.