Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-11-29
ROOSEVELT SPEAKS AT
BANQUET TO WRIGHT
Memphis Makes Memorable
Homecoming Of One Of
Her Sons.
PRESIDENT Is CHEEREE
Given a True Southern Send Off
leaves the City at Midnight for
Washington, Where He VIII
Arrive Tomorrow.

memphis, NOV. Zl.-At the bdHquc
given In this city IN honor of Genera
Luke g.. Wright, there were 200 guest!
present, the attendance being limited
To that number. Governor Longino, o.
Mississippi, travelled from Jackson II
be present.
Albert s. Caldwell acted as toast
master. The program of teasts was al
Follows:
Welcome" the POSTMASTER; response
General Luke l.. Wright; our Country
Or w. j.. Crawford; THE Consent OF
the Governed" Judge II. II. Lurton
Service and civilization America
IDEAL" Bishop Thomas L. Gailor; THE
Presidency" Alex K. Cochran.
General Wright sat on the right, anc
President Roosevelt on the left of the
POSTMASTER. Great enthusiasm greeted
General Wright when he arose 70 speak
His glowing tributes to the late Pres.
ident Mckinley and to President Roose-
welt for their lofty policies in regard tC
the administration of the Philippines
were loudly ~applauded. He also took
occasion to laud the work of Secre.
tary Root and said the criticism of the
army and navy was unjust.
The alleged friction between the civil,
and military authorities he said had
been greatly exaggerated.
The Filipinos, he said, could moves
govern themselves without being taught
to do so. He thought congress was 60
ing too fast rather than too slow.
He said he desired to bear testimony
to the fact that neither President
Roosevelt nor his predecessor had at
tempted to dictate appointments to the
civil service in the Philippines.
Roosevelt Received With Cheers.
President Roosevelt received an ova-
ton when he was introduced with the
statement that he held the respect and
admiration OF the people Of the country
without regard to political affiliations.
The entire ~assemblage arose, and for
fully a minute made the banquet hall
ring with cheers.
He spoke in part as follows:
1t is a real pleasure to come to this typi-
cal city of the southern Mississippi val
ley In order to greet a typical American,
a citizen of Tennessee, whe deserves hon.
or, not only from his state. but from the
entire country-GeEerat Luke e. Wright.
We have u right to expect a high stand
ard OF manhood from Tennessee. 1t was
In this state that the first self-goYerning
community or American freemen was es-
tablished upon waters flowing into the
gulf. The pioneers Of Tennessee were
among the earliest in that great west
ward march which thrust the nations
border across the continent to the Pacific,
and It Is fitting that a son Of Tennessee
should now play 50 prominent a part in
the further movement of expansion be-
yond the Pacific. There have been presi-
dents of the United States for but 113
years, and during sixteen Of those years
Tennesseans sat In the White House
Hardihood, daring and iron resolution are
to be expected among the sons of q state
which nurtured Andrew Jackson and Sam
Houston; which sent into the American
navy one of the most famous admirals OF
all time, Farragut.
Pint ~ Wa noaIaI ~ prppP 80 ,,ogtxy re
the interests of the north and south 1t
would have been afforded by General
Wright, In his administration as acting
governor OF the Philippine islands. Upon
him rested a heavier burden of RESPONSE
bility than upon any other public servant
at that particular time.
General Wright's work has been as diff
fcult as 1t was important. The events of
the last four years have definitely decided
that whether we wish to or not we must
hereafter play a great part In the world.
We cannot escape facing the duties. We
may shlrk them II we are built Of poor
stuff, or we may take hold and do them
II we are fit sons of our sires-but face
them we must, whether we will or not.
We can no more haul down our flag
and abandon the islands than we could
how abandon Alaska. Whether we are
glad or sorry that vents forced us to go
there Is aside from the question; the point
Is that as the inevitable result Of the war
with Spain, we found ourselves In the
Philippines and that we could not leave
the Islands without discredit. The Island
ers were wholly unfit to govern them
selves, n If we. had left there would
have been a brief period Of bloody chaos,
II then some other nation would have
stepped in to do the work which we had
shirked. 1t cannot be too often repeated
that there was no question that the work
had to be done. All the question was,
whether we would do 1T well or Ill; and,
thanks to the choice Of men like Governor
Wright, II has been done well.
During the critical period when the In
surrection was ending and the time was
one Of transition between n state of war
n a state Of peace, at the time that 1
issued a proclamation declaring that the
state Of wal was over and that the civil
government was now in complete COM
mand, General Wright served as governor
islands both IN material wellbeing and as
regards order and justice under the adj
ministration Of Governor Wright and his
colleagues has been astounding.
There Is no question as to our not haV-
ing gone far enough and fast enough in
granting self-government to the Filiplnos;
the only possible danger has been lest we
should go faster and farther than was In
the interest OF the Filipinos themselves.
Each Filipino at the present day is guar
anteed his life. his liberty, and the chance
to pursue happiness as he wishes, so long
he does not harm his fellows, in a way
which the islands have never known be-
fore during all their recorded history.
There are bands of ladrones. or brigands,
sui IN existence. NOW and then hey
show sporadic increase. This will
be due occasionally to disaffection with
some Of the things that our government
does which are best-for example, the eff
fort to quarantine against the plague and
to enforce necessary sanitary precautions,
gently and tactfully though 1t was made.
produced violent hostility among some OF
the more ignorant natives. Again, a dis
ease like the cattle plague may cause in
given province such want that a
part Of the Inhabitants revert to their
ancient habit of ~brigandage. But the
nave never been so orderly, as
peaceful, or as prosperous as now; and
in no other oriental country, whether
ruled by Asiatics or Europeans, is there
anything approaching to the amount of
individual liberty and of self-government
which our rule has brought to the Filipi-
nos. The nation owes a great debt to the
people through whom this splendid work
for civilization has been achieved. and
on behalf of the nation / have
here tonight to thank in your pres
your fellow townsman, because he
has helped US materially to add a new
page to the honor roll of American his
tory.
At midnight the presidential party
left for Washington over the Southern
railroad.
No stops will be made, and the train
Is due in Washington at 6 o'clock to.
morrow morning.