Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-06-11
N RESIDENT ROOSEVELT spoke

at Arlington Cemetery On Memorial
Day. While the occasion was the an
nual tribute of love to the soldier
dead at the national cemetery, ex-
traordinary interest was shown in the
Presidents speech owing to the fact
that it was current report in the CAPT
tai he would touch on subjects close to
the nations heart.
Following is the full text Of the Pres
ident's address:
Mr. Commander. Comrades and you men
and women of the United States, who owe
your being here to what was done by the
men Of the great Civil War:-I greet you
and thank you for the honor done me in
asking me TO be present this day.
IL is good custom for our country to have
certain solemn holidays In comtnemOration
of our greatest men and of the greatest
crises In our history. There should he but
few such holidays To increase their mum
Der is 10 cheaper them. Washington and
Lincoln-the man who did most to found the
Union and the man who did most to preserve
it-stand head and shoulders above all our
other public men. and have by common con
sent won the right to this pre- eminence.
Among the holidays which commemorate
the turning points in American history
Thanksgiving has a significance peculiarly
Its own. On July we celebrate the birth
Of the nation; on this day, the 30th OF May.
we call to mind the deaths Of those who died
that the nation might live, who wagered all
that life holds dear for the great prize OF
death In battle, who poured out their blood
Ike water In order that the mighty national
structure raised by the far-seeing patriot
Ism OF Washington, Franklin, Marshall,
Hamilton and the other great leaders of the
revolution, great trainers of the Constitu-
tlon, should not crumble into meaningless
ruins.
You whom address to-day and your com
rades, who wore the blue beside you In the
perilous years during which strong, sad, pa
tient Lincoln bore the crushing load Of ma
tlonal leadership, performed the one feat
the failure to perform which would have
makes the name of America a symbol of
hope among the nations Of mankind. You
did the greatest and most necessary task
which has ever fallen To the lot Of any men
% this Western hemisphere.
Tasks Ably Performed.
Nearly three centuries have passed since
the waters of our COASTS were first furrowed
by the keels OF the men whose children :
children were to Inherit this fair land. Over
a century and half of colonial growth fol
lowed the settlement, and now for over a
century and quarter we have been a
nation.
During our four generations of national
life we have had TO do many tasks. and some
of them Of far-reachlng Importance, but the
only really vital task was the one you did,
the task of saving the Union. There were
other crises in which to have gone wrong
would have meant disaster, but this was the
one crises in which to have gone wrong
would have meant not merely disaster but
humiliation. For failure at any other point
Htonement could have been made but had
you failed In the iron days the loss would
have been irreparable, the defeat irretriey-
! able. Upon your success depended all the
| future Of the people on this continent, and
much of the future of mankind as q whole.
You left us a reunited country. Yeo left
US the right Of brotherhood with the men In
gray, who for such courage, and such devo-
tlon for what they deemed the right, fought
against you. But you left US much more
even than your achievement for you left us
the memory Of how 1t was achieved.
You, who made good by your valor and
patriotism the craftsmanship Of Lincoln and
the soldiership of Grant, have set as the
standards Of our efforts In the future both
| the way you did your work In war and the
way in which when the war was over you
| turned again to the work of peace. In wal
! and in peace alike your example will stand
| AZ the wisest of lessons to us and our chill
| dren and our children's children.
Just at this moment the army of the
| United States, led by men who served among
| you Ia the great war, is carrying to compile
| tion small but peculiarly trying and diff
! cult war, ia which Is involved not only the
| honor Of the dag but the triumph of civil
! zation over forces which stand for the black
! chaos Of savagery and barbarism. The task
| has not been as difficult or as important as
! yours, but, oh my comrades, the men In the
]
/ the last three years patiently and uncom
| plainngly Championed the American cause
| In the Philippine Islands are your younger
! brothers, your sons. They have shown them
! selves not unworthy Of you, and they are en-
| titled to the support of all men who are
| proud Of what you did. -4
Depiores the Atrocit. -.
/ These younger comrades of years have
/ fought under terrible difficulties and havt
/ received terrible proyoeation from vefy
| cruel and very treacherous enemy Under
] the strain of these provocatiOns deeply de
/ plOre to say that some among them have SC
/ far forgotten themselves as to counsel and
| commit, In rctaliation acts of cruelty.
The fact that for every guilty act com
| mitted by one Of our troops hundred acts
/ of far greater atrocity have been committed
/ by the hostile natives upon our troops, Oi
= upon the peaceable aud law-ahding natives
| who are friendly to u.s. cannot be held To eN
/ case any wTongdoer On our side. Deter
| mined and answering effort must be made
| II Is being made, to find out every Instance
| Of barharity on the part of our troops, t
/ punish those guilty of II, and to take. Il
possible, even stronger measures than have
! already been taken to minimize or prevent
! the occurrence Of all such instances in thu
. future.
! is IL only in the army of the Philippine,
( that Americans sometimes do acts thai
! cause the rest OF America regret2 From
| time to time there occur in our country, K
i the deep and lasting shame ~ oar people
I lynChiugs carried on under circumstances %
| Infinitely worse than any that has ever beer
! committed by our troops In the Philippines
/ worse 20 the victims and far more brutaliZ
ing To those guilty of 1t.
Tho men VINO fail to condemn these lynch
1 insS. and yet elamor about what mas beer
done IN the Philippines are Indeed guilty %
| neglettng the beam in their own eyes whil'
/ haunting their brother about the mote ~
his Understand me. These lynebtugs al
/ ford us ue excuse for failure to step cruelt!
! In the Philippines Every effort Is heinl
( made and VIII be made, to minimize thu
! chances of cruelty occurring.
| Hut keep in mind that these Cruelties II
| the Philippines have been wholly exCep
total aud have been shamelesslS eNaggcT
| atrd. We deeply and bitterly regret tina
l any such trueities should have been Cou
mltted. no matter how rarely. uu matter IN
der what provocatiun, ny American troops
/ But they afford far less justification for
general condemnation Of oar army thai
these lrBVhng~ afford Tor the condemnation
of the communities In which they have IA
ken place In each ease 1t is well 10 con
demu thc deed. and Ii Is well also 10 retrotl
! from Including both guilty aud lnuaSent Il
I the same sweeping condemnation,
/ In every community there are people wh
/ commit acts of weil.night iucouceivahle hon
I ror and haSeuess If we fix our eyes ouL
upon these individuals and upon their acts
( and II we forget the far more numerous CIT
gems 81 upright and honest life and hlip
! ourselves to their countless deeds ef wlSdo1
! and juSfl,., anU philanthropy. 1t IS cas-
/ enough ta Condemn the community. Their
Is not eltl ia this land which we could ng
/ thus condemn II We liked our eyes pi'rel
! upon its police record and refused I" leo
/ at what it had accomplished Tor ueVeDcH an
justice and charity