The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-06-04
PRESIDENT AT FREBPoRT


coiH-DoHglus Debate.
Freeport H.. June 4 - President
Roosevelt aud party reached here from
Dubuque at S o'clock and immediately
Rfterward were driven to the site Of
the Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1855
where a monument commemorative
the event was unveiled in the presence
Of many thousands from Freeport and
vicinity. At the courthouse the presi.
dent was introduced by Congressman
Hit. He spoke as follows:
We meet today to commemorate the
fpot on which occurred one Of those
memorable scenes IN accordance with
which the whole future history OF nations
Is nodded. Here were spoken the winged
words that few through immediate time
and that win fly through that portion Of
eternity recorded in the history OF our
race, Here was sounded the keynote OF
the struggle which, after CONFUSING the
nation, made il Ia fact what 1t had only
been in name, at once united and free. It
Is eminently fitting that this monument,
given BY the women Of this city in CONF
memoration of the great debate that here
took place, should be dedicated by the
men whose deeds made good the words Of
Abraham Lincoln and the soldiers and a
civil war;
The word was mighty, but had It not
been for the word the deeds could not
have taken place But without the deeds
the words would have been the idlest
breath. It Is forever to the honor Of our
nation that brought forth the statesman
who with farsighted vision could pierce
the clouds that obscured the sight Of the
keenest Of his fellows and could see what
the future inevitably held, and, more
over, that we had back of the statesman
and behind him The men to whom it was
given to fight in the greatest war ever
waged for the good Of manhood, for the
betterment OF the world.
] have literally but a moment here. 1
could not resist the chance that was of
fered me to stop and dedicate this monu-
ment, for great though we now regard
Abraham Lincoln. my countrymen, the
future viii put him on an even higher
pinnacle than we have put him,
In all history | do not believe that
there is to be found an orator whose
speeches will last as enduringly as GER
tain OF the speeches Of Lincoln. And in
all history, with the sole exception OF
the man who founded the republic / do
not think there will be found another
statesman at once so great and so single
hearted in his devotion to the veal Of his
people We cannot too highly honor him.
Ana the highest way in which we can
honor him is to see that our homage Is
not only homage Of words; that to loyalty
Of words we join loyalty Of the heart and
that we pay honor to the memory Of
Abraham Lincoln by so conducting our
selves, by so carrying ourselves as citi-
zens Of this republic that we shall hand
on undminished to our children and our
children's children the heritage we re-
ceived from the men who upheld the
statesmanship of Lincoln IN the council
and who made good the soldiership Of
Grant in the field.
AT $50 the party was driven to the
depot amid the cheers of thousands.
and left for Rockford, The feature of
the visit Of President Roosevelt TO
Rockford was the dedication of Me-
mortal hall, a 100000 structure conse-
Grated to the soldiers and sailors Of
Winnebago county.