The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-08
PUBLISHERS' BANQUET
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT MAKES
 A SPEECH.
Is Introduced by Hamilton W. Mabel as "the Best Author and Illustrator in America
 Today"

Washington, April IA representative and distinguished company attended the dinner of the Periodical Publishers As scciation of America at the New Willard Hotel tonight, President Roosevelt made | a speech. To his right sat Count Cas- | sini. Russian Ambassador, Dean of the l Diplomatic Corps, and on either side Of | them were Secretary Hay, M. Jusserand, French Ambassador; Baron von Stern- | burg, German Ambassador; Justice Beck | ham, of the Supreme Court; William B. 1 Rowland, President of the Association; Hamilton W. Mabie, toastmaster, and other members of the society. The Chi | nese and Japanese Ministers sent letters l of regret. The dinner was preceded and | followed by a reception. The President arrived at 1o;3o and remained throughout | the reception. which followed the din- I ner. He was the first speaker
 The menu cards were in the form of miniature magazines. and in addition to l the bill, Qt. fare eeatAAmaap-tThe bill of company" a list of members of the As- l sociatlon. The Publishers Association came to Washington from New York ,on a special train bringing with them their out of town guests. After William B. Rowland. President of the Association, had spoken briefly. President Roosevelt OC0b known author in America today. the au- thor and illustrator of American ideals" " He said:
 Tt Is always a pleasure to a man in public life to meet the real governing classes I wish to bid you welcome to Washington and to say but a word of greeting and that word shall take the form of a warning and a hope did not speak in jest when I alluded to you as representatives of the governing class es l think that we of the United States cannot keep too fresh in our minds the fact that the men responsible for the Gov ernment are not the representatives of the people but the people themselves and that therfore heavy Is the responsi- bility that Hes upon the people and upon all those who do most toward shaping the thought of the people.
 There must be more than good laws to make a good people. A man whose morality is expressed merely in the nom infringement of the law Is q pretty poor creature. Unless our average citizenship is based upon a good deal more than mere observance of the laws on the statute books then our average citizen ship can never produce the kind of gov ernment which 1t must and will produce. For that cultivation of the spirit of self
 
 liance we must rely in no small degree upon those who furnish go much of the thought of the great bulk of our people who think most: and therefore in greet ing you tonight wish not merely to well come you but to say that l trust every man of you feels the weight of the responsibility that rests upon him. The man who writes-the man who furnishes the material which is to shape the thoughts of our people-is essentially the man who more than any other determines the character of the people and the kind of government thls people shall possess
 The French Ambassador at the banquet said:
 T am proud of the opportunity which Is afforded me to address this brilliant as sembiy. an assembly of men who enjoy the most honorable ancestry that can be dreamed of Ono who has as his ances- tors Defare Steele. Addison. Johnson Provost. Diderot Marivaux, Voltaire, and the author of Poor Richards Almanac need not fear comparison. Such is the case with you all. You can think with the more satisfaction of your ancestors as you are earnestly continuing their tradition. Witness SO many writers here present. and one especially who is found everywhere welcomed in literature and in politics, in the army and in the navy and also at the head of the State Owing to you all. gentlemen. America is better known in Europe and especially in my country. better appreciated every day her mind and genius, her landscapes and scenery No one can follow the main streets of Paris without his sights being attracted by a number of American magazines for which there Is public de mand among us. Tn simply passing along scenes of American life, landscapes in Virginia and Massachusetts, in distant Alaska and near to our hearts, New Or leans. offer themselves to the eye depict ed with a charm and cleverness which is your artists own. Many who look cannot refrain from saying. If we could be there, If we could see this" and many come and see.''