The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-20
The Presidents Address.

President Roosevelt received an ovation
when he was introduced with the state
ment that he held the respect and admira-
ton 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 as follows.
ut is a real and great pleasure to come
to this typical city of the southern Missis-
sippi valley in order to greet a typical
American, a citizen of Tennessee, who de-
serves honor not only from his State,
but from the entire country-Gen. Luke Z.
Wright. We have right to expect a high
standard of manhood from Tennessee. 1t
was one of the first two States created
west of the Allegheny mountains, and it
was In this State that the first self-govern-
ing community of American freemen was
established upon waters flowing into the
gulf. The pioneers of Tennessee were
among the earliest in that great westward
march which thrust the Nations border
across the continent to the Pacific, and it is
eminently fitting that son of Tennessee
should now play so prominent 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 Tennes-
seeans sat in the White House. Hardi-
hood and daring and iron resolution
of right to be expected among the sons of
a State which nurtured Andrew Jackson
and Sam Houston; which sent into the
fighting admirals of all time. Farragut
There is another reason why our country
should be glad that 1t was General Wright
who rendered this service. General Wright
fought with distinguished gallantry among
the gallant men who served in the armies
of the Confederacy during the civil war.
We need no proof of the completeness of
our reunion as a people. When the war
with Spain came the sons of the men who
wore the blue and the sons of the men who
wore the gray We'd with one another in the
effort to get into the ranks and face a
foreign foe under the old flag that had been
carried in triumph under Winfield Scott
and Zachary Taylor and Andrew Jackson.
1t was my own good fortune to serve I'M
der that fearless fighter. old Joe Wheeler.
a memory of which shall always be proud.
But IL we needed any proof OF the unity
of our interests IL would have been afforded
this very year by General Wright. the ex-
Confederate, In his administration as act
ing Governor OF the Philippine islands.
Upon him during the months of summer
rested heavier burden of responsibility
than upon any other public servant at that
particular time; and not the least of mis-
titles to our regard is the way in which he
was able TO work on terms OF cordial good
will with the head of the army. himself
man who had honored the blue uniform as
Wright had honored the gray.
GENERAL WRIGHTS WORK.
General Wright's work has been diff
cult 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 great part In the world.
We cannot escape facing the duties. We
may shirk them IL we are built Of poor
stuff. or we may take hold and do them If
we are fit sons of our sires-but face them
we must. whether We will or not Our duty
in the Philippine islands has simply been
one OF the duties that thus have come upon
US. We are there, and we can no more
haul down our flag and abandon the
islands than We could now abandon Alaska.
Whether We glad or sorry that events
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 dis
credit. The islanders were wholly unfit TO
govern themselves. and IL we had left there
would have been a brief period OF bloody
chaos. and then some other nation would
have stepped in 10 do the work which we
had shirked. IL cannot be too often re-
peated that there was no question that the
work had TO be done. All the question was
whether we would do IL well or III: and,
thanks TO the choice OF men like Governor
Wright. IL has been done we'll The first
and absolutely indispensable requisite was