The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1902-07-09
A DebasIng Example.

ordinary spectacle was presented
to the American people that has
been seen for many year-that
of the president of the United
States marring the solemnity of
Memorial day by political stump
speech. bristling with the cheap
est demagogy, and without re-
minder of the high purpose in
which he was called to speak. 1t
stands without parallel as to the
violation of the proprieties of the
occasion or lowering of the per-
sonal position of the speaker.
For years the best thought of
country has been given to the re-
moval of sectional strife. For
years children have been taught to
reoite 1.-THE Blue and the Gray"
and t. give rein to the impulse
of forgiveness on Decoration day.
When the Spanish war came there
was universal acclaim that the past
was wiped out and that the nation
was united under our common flag.
Yet now comes Theodore Roose-
welt, on this day, as president of
this nation, and fiourishes tine
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 "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 con-
federate congress in October, 1862
accused you at great length, and
with much PARTICULARLY, of "con-
temptuous disregard of the usages
of civilized war;" of subjecting
women and children to "banish-
ment, imprisonment and DEATH"
of murder" of ''rapine" of "out-
RACES of women" of "lawless cru
city," of perpetrating atrocities
which We uld be disgraceful to saw
ages" and Abraham Lincoln WAS
singled out for especial attack be-
cause of his spirit of barbarous
ferocity." Verify, these men who
thus foully slandered you have
their heirs today in those who ira
duce our armies in the Philippines,
who fix their eyes on individual
deeds of wrong SO keenly tat 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 a like occasion,
when the heat of conflict was up
on US, and contemplate the awful
ness of the fall from Lincoln to
Roosevelt. Lincoln's words are
eternal Roosevelt's are the petty
piping of politician who aims to
sound keynote for campaign in
which he sspires to be candidate
for the chief office.
Who that listened to Roosevelt
had thought of the debt of the
nation to the soldiers of the civil
war? There was no suggestion of
it from him-nothing but de-
fease of his policy in the Philip
pines, which he sought to link to
the memories of the civil war by
an appeal to bitterness and hated.
1t was not an effort to call up ten
der memories of the honored dead,
but to fan to fame the almost ex-
tinguished embers of sectional
strife.
OF the political merit of his
it is unnecessary to speak at length.
1t is a rehash of the same PROPOSE
tions that have been handed out
by republican senators and con-
vention orators. He revives the
SANDER that Lincoln ordered bar
barities comparable with General
Smiths order to make "Ssmar
bowling wilderness" and kill every
body over ten years 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 "trsi-
tor" to all who protest. And this
for Memorial day address! And
from the president of the United
States!
OAsT0REA.