The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-04
SHOULD HAVE
A SQUARE DEAL :
President Roosevelt Touched Upon
the Negro Question in His
Springfield Speech.
Address Before Lincoln-McKinle
Veterans at the National
Lincoln Monument,

Springfield. III, June president Roose-
welt spent four hours in Springfield to-day
and dedicated the new $150,000 state ar.
senal and armory. He addressed the Lin
coin Mckinley Veteran Voters association
Of the United States at the national LIN
coin monument.
The presidents special arrived at 1918
a. m. and was greeted with presidential
salute Of twenty guns.
From the station to the arsenal the
president was escorted thru lines Of cheer
ing people by Governor Yates, state. fed
eral, county and city officials and a re-
ceptton committee. also by Governor
Yates military staff and detachments OF
militias. On each side Of the capital
avenue were massed 5000 school children
who waved flags.
At the arsenal the military escort was
abandoned and the carriages drove rapid
ly to the monument where the president
addressed the Veteran Voters associa-
ton who had assembled for their annual
memorial exercises. The president said:
It is very great pleasure for me to see you
to-day. you the veterans in double sense. you
whr represent the navy, the union and army
and all else to which Americans should without
regard to any minor difference be one In their
allegiance.
A WORD FOR THE BLACK MAN.
Let me say one word. It seems to me emf
nently fttnig that the guard around the tomb
OF Lincoln should be composed of colored SOL
dfers. 1t was my own good fortune at Santiago
good enough to shed his blood for his country is
good enough to be given square deal after
wards.
More than that no man is entitled to- and lees
than that man shall have.
President Roosevelt's party drove back
to the arsenal, where dedication exercises
took place, and where about 1000 persons
assembled In the great hall.
Lincoln's Memory.
Secretary of State Rose introduced Gov.
ernor Yates as chairman Of the day. Gov
ernor Yates paid tribute to President
Roosevelt as a soldier, police commits
e1oner, governor and president, and intro.
duced Senator Cullom. The senator pro.
posed three cheers for the president, which
were given standing.
President Roosevelt spoke twenty-five
aninutes. In part he said:
It is a deep pleasure for me to have the
chance of speaking to you to-day and
above all, to speak to You here IN Lin
coins home, after driving out in company
with the man who accompanied the body
of the great martyred president on it's last
Journey to its last resting place, your
senior senator, Senator Cullon. I have
mot in Illinois many men who knew Lin
coin personally and at every place thai
have stopped I have seen men who
fought In the army winch Lincoln cailec
to arms. All Of us now, looking back ovel
the past forty years. can see the figure
of Lincoln, sad kindly, patient Lincoln
as it comes above his contemporaries. a!
1t will loom ever larger thru the centuries
to come.
ut is q good thing for us, by speech
to pay homage to Abraham Lincoln, bu
it is an infinitely better thing for US i
our lives to pay homage to his memory i
the only way which that homage can b
effectively paid, by seeing to 1t that thi
republics life, social and political, civi
and industrial. is shaped now in accor
dance with the ideals which Lincol
preached and which all his life long h
practiced."
The remainder of the speech was de
voted to an appeal for good government.
The presidents party was escorted
troops to the Wabash station where a
2 o'clock this afternoon he left on hi
special train for Decatur.