Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1902-09-09
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
IN CHATTANOOGA
Speaks to Brotherhood of Lo.
comOtive Firemen.
ELECTED HONORARY MEMBER

Dor.
Chattanooga, Tenn. Sept. s.-Prssi.
dent Roosevelt today was elected an
honorary member of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Firemen. He attend
ed the executive session of the order
in the morning. walking from the ho'
tel to the Auditorium, a distance Of
few blocks, escorted by Grand Master
Sargent. a committee of the brother
hood and a detachment OF Troop d
state guard. The brotherhood first
held an executive session, which the
president attended. Acting Grand
Master Hannahan welcomed the prest
dent. stating that his attendance al
this convention would do great good
to organized labor, not only in this
country but in Canada and other coun
tries as well
The president returned his thanks
for the welcome and said he was glad
to be with the brotherhood, He said
the fremen were the result which
naturally results 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, or that if 1t had, he
would have denied it. In speaking
of the appointment of Grand Master
Sargent, of the brotherhood, to ba
commissioner of general immigration
the president said 1t was one Of the
most satisfactory appointments to him
and to the public he had ever made;
that Mr.. Sargent has hard body and
not a soft head.
John F. McNorre, of Columbus, o..
one of the grand officers and Den
ocratic member of the legislature.
moved that the degree of grand hon
orary membership be conferred upon
President Roosevelt The resolution
was referred to the committee on by.
laws whose recommsndation was unan.
imous that the motion be adopted. The
report of the committee was adopted
by rising unanimous vote amid great
cheers.
The president thanked the conven.
tion for the compliment paid him and
the grand master, Sargent, then gave
him pass which admits him to all
meetings of the brotherhood.
AT this point the brotherhood ad.
journed until o'clock tomorrow morn.
ing and the public was admitted to
the auditorium to hear the presidents
address. While the audience was be.
ing seated the band rendered Amer.
ica," the president and the others in
the hall arising.
Mayor Chambliss delivered a short
address of welcome in which he well
coined to Chattanooga all the flremen,
whether they came from Canada, Mex.
leo or Oyster Bay. After an address
of welcome in behalf of the state by
Governor Mcmillan and address by
Grand Master Sargent, interspersed
with music by the Seventh Cavalry
band, President Roosevent was intro
duced by Acting Grand Master Han.
nahan. His reception was almost en-.
thusiastic, the audience rising to its
feet and cheering When the presi.
dent addressed the convention as my
Brothers" he was cheered again. He
said he was glad to be here and Join.
ed with the others in extending
cordial welcome to the visitors from
Canada and Mexico He needed no
pressing, he said to come to this
meeting.
He said in part;
"I have always, gen+'emen, admired
greatly the railroad men OF the ooun.
try and do not see how any one who
believes in the Fundamental princi.
pies of citizenship can fail to do So"
He compared the railroad men to
soldiers who are accustomed to tax.
ing risks, acting on their own initia.
tive and obeying orders. In raising
his own regiment, he said. he got
number of railroad men. OF course,
the first requisite was that man
should know how to ride and how to
shoot. Giving them these two quail.
ties he found there was no better
group from which soldiers could be
drawn than railroad men.
The president said he hoped and Be.
Heved that the danger Of war would
be less in the future than. 1t has in
the past. AT the opening of the
twentieth century we face conditions
vastly changed from a century ago.
We, as people, find awaiting us prob.
lens which need our best thoughts to
solve them" The president referred
to the good work accomplished by the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
Il believe emphatically," he said, "in
! organized labor The worth OF nn
organization" he continued, depends
upon it's being handled with tho cour-
| age, the skill and the wisdom of fair
dealing as between man and man and
! the wise restraint which. | am glad
to be able to say, your brotherhood has
shown
i feet lhat organizations like yours
have tonic effect on the whole body
| pOIt!c. 10 is Il GOOV lHiH6 Ludt tHtlS
should be q la.ge body of our fellow
citizens who exercise the old quail
ties of courage daring and resolution,
unalnching willingness to meet dan
ger If need be and that there should
! be a profession whose members must
year in and year out display these
qualities. hope to see all our people
develop the softer, gentler virtues te
an everIncreusing degree, but have
never to see them lose the sterner vir
tues that make men. The problem |
of good citizenship Is a problem Of pro |
ducing good men and women. All the
organizations In the world wont make
a coward or shirk good engineer oI
a good fireman, and the best constitu
tiun will work but i'll II we have moi
in the average citizen something that
stands far above intellect as intellect
does above mere brute strength--chaE
acter that is composed Of honesty, o.
courage and Of hard common sense"