Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-09
Brotherhood of Locomotive
F'iremen Elects President
to Honorary Membership.
CONV ENTION
Grand Master Hannahan Extends
Welcome to Visitor.
COMPLIMENTS ORGANIZED LABOR

COMPLIMENTS ORGANIZED LiBOR
Great Enthusiasm Shown at the Mem
ton of the Presidents Name by John
McNamee, of Columbus, Ohio, for
Honors-Roosevelt Makes Address.
Chattanooga, Tenn, Sept. s.
President Roosevelt was today elected
an honorary member of the Brother.
mood OF Locomotive Ftremen. He at
tended the executive session Of the or
der this morning. Acting Grand Mas
ter Hannahan welcomed the Presi-
dent, stating that his attendance at
the convention would do a great good
to organized labor.
Addresses Convention.
The President returned his thanks
for the welcome and said that he was
glad to be with the brotherhood. He
said that the firemen's brotherhood
was the result which naturally comes
from the application of the principle of
common sense to their work. He said
that organized labor never had made
an unreasonable request of him and if
it had he would have denied it.
Maze Honorary Member.
John McNamee Of Columbus, Ohio,
one of the grand officers and demo,
cratic member of the legislature. NOV
led that the degree OF grand honorary
membership be conferred upon Roose.
welt. The motion was adopted by a
rising unanimous vote amid great
cheers. The President thanked the
convention for the compliment paid
him and Grand Master Sargent then
gave him pass which admits him to
all meetings of the brotherhood.
Convention Adiourns.
At this point the brotherhood adj
Ijourned until o'clock tomorrow morn
| ing and the public was adrnitted to
the auditorium to hear the Presidents
address.
Roosevelt Speaks.
The president was introduced by
hActing Grand Master Hannahan. His
1 reception was most enthusiastic, the
audience rising to it's feet and cheer
ing. The President referred to the
good work accomplished by the Broth
erhood OF Locomotive Firemen.
Believes in Organization.
Il believe emphatically, he said,
'in organized labor The worth of or
ganization depends upon it's being
handled with courage. skill, wisdom
and the spirit of fair dealing as be-
tween war and man and wise self re-
restraint, which, | am glad to be able
to say, your brotherhood has shown.
Speaks of Results.
Discussing the benefits which have
grown out of the organization of the
brotherhood OF Locomotive firemen
President Roosevelt said though the
brotherhood does much for all the
firemen, but that he firmly believed
that individual firemen, since the
growth of the organization, have been
more, not less, efficient, than he was
twenty years ago.
Tribute to Soldiers.
The President told the story of his
trip over the battlefield of Chickamau-
| ga yesterday and drew a lesson from
the heroism shown by the armies OF
the north and south.
The men who composed these ar
mics, he said, possessed the require
iments of which good citizens are
made. He referred to the inscription
on the monument raised by Kentucky
from that state who fell on that battle
! field He read the inscription as fol-
4 lows "As We are united in life and
they in death, let one monument per-
/ petuate their deeds and one people,
forgetful of all asperities. forever hold
in grateful remembrance all the glories
of that terrible conflict which made all
men free and retained every star on
the nations flag"
Il Must Be Bound Together.
: That's a good sentiment; that's a
sentiment by which we can all stand.
And oh! my friends, that sentiment
: has its underlying spirit, the spirit of
brotherhood | firmly believe in my
countrymen and therefore, | believe
! that the chief thing necessary in order
that they should work together is that
they should know one another; that
the men OF the north should know the
: southerner; that men of one occupa-
ton should know men of another oc-
cupation We may all realize that the
things that divide us are superficial,
and that we are and ever must be knit
together into one indissoluable mass
by a common American manhood AS
the President concluded he was round
Il Iy cheered. The Presidential party
4 left al 1.2O this afternoon for Kuov