The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-08
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
TALKS TO PUBLISHERS
Chief Executive Makes Address at
Reception to Association at
Washington.
DIPLOMATS AS GUESTS

WASHINGTON. April IA representa-
tive and distinguished company attended
the dinner of the Periodical Publishers As
ISOLATION of America at the New Willard
Hotel tonight. President Roosevelt made
a speech. To his right sat Count Cassini
Russian ambassador, dean of the diplomatic
corps, and on either side of them were Sec
rotary Hay. Nj. Jusserand. French am
bassador: Baron Won Sternberg. German
ambassador; Justice Peckham, of the SUI
preme Court; William 3. Rowland presi-
dent of the association; Hamilton Mabie.
POSTMASTER, and other members of the So
ciety. Others present were Senator Fair
banks and Congressman Overstreet. of In
diana. The Chinese and the Japanese min
listers sent letters of regret
The dinner was preceded and followed by
a reception. The President arrived about
1920 o'clock and remaiped throughout the
reception which followed the dinner. He
was the first speaker. The menu cards
were in the form of miniature magazines
and in addition to the bill of fare con-
tanned the bill of company" a list of
members of the association.
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, Presi-
dent Roosevelt was introduced by Mr..
Mabie the best known author in Amer
lea to-day, the author and illustrator OF
American ideals" He said:
1T is always a pleasure to a man in pub
lie life to meet the real governing classes.
L 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
L alluded to you as representatives of the
governing classes. l think that of the
United States cannot keep too fresh in our
minds the fact that the men responsible
for the government are not the representa-
t1veS OF the people, but the people them
selves, and that, therefore, heavy lis the
responsibility that lies upon the people
and upon all those who do most toward
shaping the thought of the people. Now,
in the days of my youth i was a literary
man. L have recently in reading book,
Veloped in II by one OF our greatest schOl-
airs. who was speaking of freedom and of
the fact that freedom could not exist un-
less there went with 1t sense of RESPONSE
bllity, and he used phrase something
like this: That among all peoples there
must be restraint; If there is no restraint
there is, for an inevitable result, anarchy,
which is the negation of all government
Therefore, there must be a restraint. A
free people has merely substituted self
restraint for external restraint and the
permanence of our freedom people and
of our liberty depends upon the way in
which we shall exercise that self-restraint.
There must be more than good laws TO
make a good people. A man whose moral
lty is expressed merely In the noninfringe-
ment OF the law is pretty poor creature.
Unless our average citizenship is based
upon good deal more than mere observ-
ance or the laws on the statute books then
our average citizenship can never produce
the Kind OF government which ii must and
Will produce. So far from liberty and
the responsibilities of self-government be-
ing things which come easily and to any
people they are peculiarly things that can
come only to the most highly developed
people, capable not only of mastering
others, but of mastering themselves and
who can achieve real self-government. real
liberty. For that cultivation of the spirit
of self-restraint. which is the spirit of self
reliance, we must rely in no small degree
upon those who furnish so much of the
thought OF the great bulk of our people,
who think most; and, therefore, gentle
men, in greeting you tonight 1 wish no,
merely to welcome you. but to say that |
trust every man of you feels the weight of
the responsibility that rests upon him.
The man who writes. the man who fur
nishes the material which is to shape the
thoughts of our people, is essentially the
the character of the people and the kind OF
government this people shall possess. l be-
| IltEe the future Oh tnlS people i be-
lieve in the growth and greatness of this
country because 1 believe that you and
those like you approach their tasks in the
proper spirit; not always, but as a rule
And, gentlemen, 1t seems TO me that be-
cause IF the very fact that we are so con-
| fident in the greatness of our country
| and our countrys future we should beware
| of any undue levity or any spirit of mere
boastfulness
Individual courtesy is a good thing and
| international courtesy is quite as
good thing If there is any
| one quality which should be de-
preciated in the public man and in the
| public writer alike ii is the use of language
| which tends to produce irritation among
nations with whom we should be on friend
| ly terms. Nations are now brought much
nearer together than they formerly were